Lost my spark over the winter

[BigalG]

Hy guys , i have read everything on here i can find and am still stumped. I pulled my bike out of the shelter mid summer from last year and went to work to get her back running. I have discovered I have no spark.
79 xs11 special. New coils previous season, checked power to the loom from kill switch, power on, power off from the switch.
checked continuity on the pick up wires at the TCI both seem good, wire sets at 4 pin TCI about 750 ohms, I did repair the pickup wires the previous year, power at the fuses, Ballast resistor is bypasses and good conection, power at the coils, no spark ? I would really appreciate some guidance on what to try next.
Thanks

[Socer4m]

Howdy Big Al,,,,I had no spark on one of my xs1100's also, and it ended up being one of the two pickup coil,,,if you do a search for no spark, or my nickname,,,,,socer4m, it was pretty lengthy and informative. I checked everything and the last think I did was check the resistance in each of the pickup coils and one was bad....hope it something simple for you, but anyway do the thread search and lots of good info.....keep us informed, meanwhile you can check the resistance by unplugging the pickup coil and test with a meter...........Mike in S.Diego and Pa.

[bikerphil]

Maybe the battery, make sure she's fully charged, sometimes the bike will crank fine but the voltage will drop too low to fire the coils and TCI.

[Socer4m]

Great idea Phil,,,to start with the FULLY charged battery, then go from there, that has caused a lot of xs owners grief with a lower charged battery......hope that works for Big Al....................Mike in S.DIego and Pa.

[BigalG]

Thanks guys, I did read your thread Mike and ruled out everything in there, thats why i am stumped at this point. Battery had full 11+ volts, Hope someone can help ..

[Socer4m]

Hey XS GURU DIVERAY, any advice for Big Al?? Or other XS Gurus out there??,,,,,,,,I was thinking maybe try a different computer, TCI IGNITION UNIT? Keep us informed, Mike in S.DIego and Pa.

[bikerphil]

11V still sounds a bit low. Your 79 came equipped with a ballast resistor. If it's still there, try a temporary bypass. Just unplug it and plug the two harness wires together. Should be ok to run it a few minutes that way without damaging anything. It's mounted on the left near the horn.

[DEEBS11]

A fully charged battery should be around 12.56V. But what is more important is the amperage. I suspect your battery is shot. You could bring it to an auto parts store and hook it to a load tester. This is the only way to test for amperage.

[BigalG]

ok will check the battery, ballast resistor was bypassed long ago , did that on many xs11's that I have restored. Thanks for the continued ideas.

[DiverRay]

Use a VOM on the battery and look at Voltage as you crank the bike over. If it falls below about 10.6, you will probably have no spark. It varies as the bikes are old, and connection resistance can drop the voltage even more between the battery, ignition switch, and TCI. Fully charged battery should be 12.8 volts, so it sounds like you have a dead cell, and bad battery.

[LAB3]

Yeah, 12.8v is full. My key switch was eating about 1.5v before I took it apart and cleared the contacts, barely enough to get the bike to fire at 12.3v Get that thing checked, sounds like it could be a dud.

[BigalG]

I have 12.8 V cold and 11.35 when crancking over

[bikerphil]

Maybe try unplugging and plugging back in the two connectors at the TCI. Sometimes the female terminals in the plugs can become corroded or stretched open making them loose. If you have the patience, you can take them out of the connector blocks one at a time and clean/inspect them and slightly crimp them closed to tighten them up.

[cajun31]

I have 12.8 V cold and 11.35 when crancking over

11.35 volts is too low to start the bike. You need to take your battery to an autozone or batteries plus if you have one around you and have them load test it. Sounds to me like you are in the market for a new battery. If you do get a new battery I would also suggest that you invest in a trickle charger that also has a maintenance mode that desulphates. Northern tool carries the Battery Minder chargers that do a great job of maintaining the battery. I have been using them for several years now and they have extended my batteries lives. I have 5 bikes and keep those chargers on all of them as well as my zero turn lawn mower. Batteries are always healthy and have plenty of cranking power.

[Radioguylogs]

Every time I come back this thread, I can't help thinking the title of this thread would be good on my headstone.