im new...now popping

[cywelchjr]

well i finally let her idel for a while and found that right side was cooler then the left side (cylinder 3 and 4). cylinder 3 bubble but 4 just dripped right off..i can grip the 4th cyclinder and can grip the 3rd to but not very long and the other 2 are sizzleing (cylinders 1 and 2). i checked the plugs and the smell like gas so im guessing its a tci or a coil problem....can somone think of any other possablity... i would like to feel the power of the xs1100 asap

3 and 4 are not connected electrically, that would be 1 and 4 or 2 and 3. I would look at carbs with it being 3 and 4 since that is what is common between them.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Lee,

Quick check is to swap the plug wires, put 1 on 4 and vice versa, same for 2 and 3, and the recheck. Also, clean the plugs, dry them, or even put in some new ones in the 3-4 spots. IF the problem remains in 3-4, then you know it's fuel/carb related. Need to take them off and recheck and clean the Pilot/idle circuit more thoroughly. Check the pilot jet screws, make sure their tips are NOT broken off in the carb bodies, a recent new member just found this situation!

IF the problem jumps to 1-2, then it's a variation of electrical....more rare for it to be paired like this, but not totally out of the question. Checking the plug caps for proper vs. too much resistance, you'll need to remove them from the wires, and check the wires for corrosion. If caps are good, but corroded wires, try snipping off 1/4" from end of wire till you get to good copper wire vs. green!! Clean the inside of the plug cap where it screws onto the wire.

Check the voltage at the coils primary wires, should be 12 volts when starting, but will drop to ~9 when running due to the ballast resistor. But if the voltage is much lower, it can cause a weak spark that can't travel the whole coil circuit, from coil to plug thru engine to other plug, and back to coil, so you get the primary/main coil wire for each coil being strong, ie. 1 and 2, but weak for the return wire, ie.k 3-4, and so the odd pairing of cylinders in an electrical problem! Check the primary and secondary windings resistance of the coils as well. I didn't check your year before I started typing, will be 1.5 ohms for 78-80 and 3.0 ohms for 81 for Primary side, and then ~15k ohms for secondary one spark plug wire to the other for the same coil WITHOUT the plug caps!!!
T.C.