Pick up coil issue?

[bikerphil]

If you swap the 1+4 spark plug wires with 2+3, that should tell you if you are 180 deg. out. Or you could swap the org and gray wires on the coils.

[speedlimit85]

I once got it together a bit off and it backfired and I thought I really broke something. The centrifugal advance wasn't lined up right throwing off everything. You could check that.

[bikerphil]

I once got it together a bit off and it backfired and I thought I really broke something. The centrifugal advance wasn't lined up right throwing off everything. You could check that.

Yes, the unit fits over those pins better one way than the other, but it can be forced to fit the wrong way.

[shopteach]

Got another update, hopefully the last. I switched the coil wire and it fired up and ran awesome. Ran for a bit revved it up a couple times and sounded awesome and then shut it off. So I thought I was all good and I started to put it all back together. My wife came home and asked if it was fixed. I said yes and started it up. This time it wasn't running right, I mean it was like 10-15mins after it was running awesome. I checked spark and very poor spark on 2 cylinders. I thought for a few mins and DiverRay had sent me an igniter to see if that was my problem so I threw that one in and it ran awesome again. Soooooo, my guess is the igniter would warm up or vibrate and it wouldn't run correctly. Has anyone else experienced an issue like this before? I have been chasing my tail on this problem for quite a while because it has been an intermittent problem. So hard to figure out. I am so thank for you guys and all of your help. I truly couldn't have done this without you guys. Big shout out to DiveRay, you are the man!

[DiverRay]

The box can have problems as it used two large transistors to fire the coils. Send your old box back to me , and I'll look at it and see if I can repair it.

[DEEBS11]

Sometimes it's a cracked solder joint.

[DiverRay]

Yep! I've fixed two boxes with that problem. Be careful about the solder you use! ALL the new solder is "tin" and it will cause problems. I still have old lead/tin solder that I use. It is available, but hard to find. Used for telecommunications and ANY space bound boards. Strait tin solder will "grow whiskers" in space and short out the boards. Yeah, I used to work in that kind of company...

[jetmechmarty]

What do y'all think about this? These wires are known to break. The factory bends are tight. Maybe take the clamps out of the middle?


I need to figure out how to best deal with mine. New wires just got spliced in is where I left it.

[DiverRay]

Leave the clamp LOOSE so the wires can move just a bit. Yes, it could wear through the insulation after a while, but it would probably last a lot longer than the wires breaking again. That is how I fixed my '78 back in '78!, soldered the broken wire and loosened up the clamps. When I sold the bike years later it was still running great.

[DEEBS11]

Yes, the clamps are too tight at the factory. I loosened mine as well and used flexible RC car wire, solder, and small heat shrink tubing with internal adhesive.

[jetmechmarty]

I got mine fixed. It looks OK? My motivation was replacement of the oil seal behind it.

[Larrym]

I got mine fixed. It looks OK? My motivation was replacement of the oil seal behind it.

Ummma...umm.....(O_o)

TBH...cain't say without actuakly seein' what it do whilst the bike be runnin'. ( •_•)

Specially whens the vac advance is'a Yoinking the whole plate back-n-forth. (｡･_･｡)

But I CAN says that Imma not happy wit' the nylon zip ties. Not at allz. (•﹏•)

Mebbe it's cuz I'm here in Arizonia.... but them thingies dry out and break on me LOTs. (>_<)

Here's wut I use-



Got'em HERE-

https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Ste...1zcF9hdGY&th=1

They's only 4 (four) inches long so's mostly good fOaR small stuff but I've seen/used the ginormous foot long ones on some stuff. (゜-゜)

[jetmechmarty]

Larrym, thanks for the tip!

[Socer4m]

Not to detract from all the info,,,the same symptoms happened to me,,previous post explains the dilemna with pickup coils,,,sometimes great, or crappy firing,,,maybe next time it runs ****te,,,immediately test the pickkups for correct resistance,,,if one or both are out of the correct ohms,,,that is the problem,,,,maybe somebody could chime in on correct resistance for either of the pickup coils???? I had one perfect and the other would be waaaay out of spec, replaced it and it ran like a beast.....keep us informed, Mike in S.Diego and PA.

[DiverRay]

Testing the pickup coils at the ignition box, per manual, 720 Ohm +- 20%. White/Red White/Green is #1, Yellow/Red Yellow Green is #2.