A few residual problems...

[bikerphil]

Don't confuse the RLU (headlight Reserve Lighting Unit) with the Light Checker Unit. The LCU is for warning that a tail lite bulb is out and is specific to only the 79 Special model. All models have the RLU.

[TopCatGr58]

Well CA,

As I've stated before, I'm no real GURU, not a real mech, nor electrician, etc.! Just have some limited experiences with certain aspects of these machines.

The additional info you provided about it firing on the other 3 provides a much different picture than what you described before. Regrettably having cross drilled the coil mounting post may have rendered it non-returnable, however, I don't know if Mikes will take back any electrical components anyways?

So, with it firing on 3 cylinders sounds like the bad coil was firing, but it wasn't firing BOTH ends? Do you have an inductive timing light? Could use it to see if spark signal was getting to both plug wires.

Even with the OEM's, there's been a few rare reports of a coil firing only 1 of it's 2 plugs, because of low voltage to the primary side, so it generates less KVolts on the spark plug side.....and it has to flow thru 1 plug wire, plug, engine, then back up the other plug, wire for the complete circuit. When it's not providing the needed KV, it can get thru the first wire/plug, but won't have the oomph to get back up thru the other plug/wire, and so you have only 1 plug that fires.

With your oem's working perfectly, then you didn't have the PU coil wires switched afterall....my bad suggestion, but I had limited info to speculate with!? I see from the wiring diagram that your machine is a 79SF, so I can only ask...didn't remember seeing it written..that you disconnected/bypassed the ballast resistor with the green coils?? You stated you put your OEM coils back on, but again didn't mention reconnecting the BR! Without it, you can quickly burn up your OEM coils. With it and the green coils, they aren't getting the full 12 volts they need to provide their full power/spark!? JAT!

Glad the Elect. Guru's have replied to your headlight warning light problem!
T.C.

[3Phase]

Glad the Elect. Guru's have replied to your headlight warning light problem!

T.C., you and the rest of the members all got Clint pretty well dialed in on the ignition and compression problem, electrical guru or no electrical guru!

For the headlight, I had a roughly identical but intermittent problem with the headlight on my bike a few months ago and it took a while to track it down because it wouldn't do it all the time. If I was foolish enough to try to track it down and fix it the stupid thing would work perfectly. Grrr... old connectors.

[Larrym]

Checks and Balances....

Don't confuse the RLU (headlight Reserve Lighting Unit) with the Light Checker Unit. The LCU is for warning that a tail lite bulb is out and is specific to only the 79 Special model. All models have the RLU.

Thanks Phil..

And doesn't that light checker unit cause the oil pressure warning light to come on if the taillight/brakelight bulb is burned out?

Yah...no relation to CA's headlight Warning light...


(D'oh!!!)

[bikerphil]

And doesn't that light checker unit cause the oil pressure warning light to come on if the taillight/brakelight bulb is burned out?

Yes it does, nothing like a burnt out bulb to give you the feeling that your engine may be destroyed , probably why it was used for only one year.