Need a GURU! Electrical issue during carb sync!!!!

[Huggy]

OK got the carb sync done BUT!!!! While doing the carb sync noticed a distinctive crack sound when revving up the engine! Wife as usual saw the problem. Its nice to have a set of eyes backing you up. Especially when they question EVERYTHING!!!!

Any way at first she saw a SPARK at the top of the carbs. But that stopped when I checked I then noticed the cracking sound was coming from the front right side of the bike, that's right side if you are sitting in the seat. Any way the was a blue spark jumping from the cylinder head where the exhaust comes out to the exhaust head.

I'm thinking bad coil as I could not see any shorts on the plug wire anywhere. and that's why no tac unless I rev up the engine! So am I right bad coil?

 

[Yammer Dan]

Fire it up in the dark and see where it is jumping from.

[Huggy]

cant do it tonight but will do it tomorrow! I can keep the garage door shut BUT I have a open window and a side door that I can leave open then it will be dark enough to start and check.

 

[cowpuc]

Fire it up in the dark and see where it is jumping from.

Ditto!!

"men prefer darkness",, especially when trouble shooting electrical problems!!! Now I wonder if the high voltage leakage from the secondaries would induce hair growth on Yammers head.. hmmmmmm

[Huggy]

Well it could be worth a try!! I'll do the wiring if you can tie him down!

 

[Yammer Dan]

Well it could be worth a try!! I'll do the wiring if you can tie him down!

 

 

 

Gotta catch me first!! And with "Brown Sugar" I ain't worried!!

[Huggy]

Sugar melts when it gets wet!

 

On the issue of the coil problem. I have purchased a set of used coils from Ebay just in case!! They are from an 89 VR and only cost $34 with shipping. And they come withe the plug leads. I figure at least a couple of them should be good! And the plug wires are most likely better then the ones I have right now.

 

[Marcarl]

Check that the ground wire for the engine is in place. Should be at the right front corner somewhere. People tend to move it, or it may not be there at all, so good thing thing to put in place. A ground strap from the engine to the frame.

[Huggy]

Check that the ground wire for the engine is in place. Should be at the right front corner somewhere. People tend to move it, or it may not be there at all, so good thing thing to put in place. A ground strap from the engine to the frame.

 

OK Marcarl will check that! I'm thinking that you may be right. I'll have a look and if it is there I'll clean it up and reinstall. I was also thinking a direct ground or voltage leak from a coil to the frame also.

If I have to remove the coil pack what is the best way to do so?

 

[bongobobny]

Remove upper fairings. Remove battery and battery box. Remove air box. Remove coil plugs and spark plug wires. 2 bolts on each side of coil pack. Unplug vacuum advance sensor wiring and vacuum line...

[Marcarl]

Remove upper fairings. Remove battery and battery box. Remove air box. Remove coil plugs and spark plug wires. 2 bolts on each side of coil pack. Unplug vacuum advance sensor wiring and vacuum line...

I could have told him that,,, I just watched Wayne do his, so now I'm trained,,, well somewhat anyways.

Thanks for the answer, it saves me typing so much.

[bongobobny]

But Carl, you're retarded like me with nothing better to do...:banana:

[Huggy]

But Carl, you're retarded like me with nothing better to do...:banana:

 

Soooooo............. I guess I'm in good company!

 

[Huggy]

Check that the ground wire for the engine is in place. Should be at the right front corner somewhere. People tend to move it, or it may not be there at all, so good thing thing to put in place. A ground strap from the engine to the frame.

 

 

OK Marcarl I checked and there is NO ground cable anywhere going from the frame to the engine! So where would the best place to put it? Can I just take and run a ground cable from the negative at the battery to the frame so that it grounds both the engine and frame?

 

[Flyinfool]

There should be 2 black wires connected to the battery negative.

The big heavy one that goes to the engine and handles the starter power, and a smaller black wire that goes to a one pin connector right in front of the battery. This smaller wire is the frame ground. I just had to repair that one pin connector since mine had battery acid on it at some point in time and was corroded making intermittent contact.

 

If that second smaller black wire is not on the battery negative, look around in front of and toward the right side of the battery, it may just be laying there looking for a home.

[gscbertrand]

I had to change all my high voltage wires and spark plug caps on my 84 when I first got it. The crac:fingers-crossed-emoking sound my be a leak right through the insulation on the wire. That was my problem.

[Huggy]

Well I got lucky there it was the missing ground wire off the motor! Put one on and fired up the old girl and she purrred like a kitten! The tac worked properly. But I'll have to go back and do a recheck on the carb sync. Also the following do not work on the instrument panel.

 

High Beam indicator light does go from high to low beam

 

Head Light indicator but lights work

 

Turn Signal indicator not hooked up do not hear relay energize

 

So what could be the problem?

 

 

[Yammer Dan]

Well I got lucky there it was the missing ground wire off the motor! Put one on and fired up the old girl and she purrred like a kitten! The tac worked properly. But I'll have to go back and do a recheck on the carb sync. Also the following do not work on the instrument panel.

 

High Beam indicator light does go from high to low beam

 

Head Light indicator but lights work

 

Turn Signal indicator not hooked up do not hear relay energize

 

So what could be the problem?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Could be bulbs?? Not saying but if it comes to that have some LED's to replace all of them in there.

[Huggy]

I'll check that now for the stupid part how do I get at them? Going to clean up the switch also.

 

[Yammer Dan]

f I remember right screws holding dash in are accessible thru signal light holes. Kind of tricky 1st time you take it out.

[Huggy]

f I remember right screws holding dash in are accessible thru signal light holes. Kind of tricky 1st time you take it out.

 

OK I'll have a look at it today and see what I can do. Thanks.

 

[Marcarl]

Take out the headlight and then if you look deep you can see two 10mm head bolts that hold the cluster in place, one on each side facing forward,take those out, remove the speedo cable, undo the the electrical and then the cluster will lift up from the rubbers that it seated in (there are two pegs seated in rubber grommets just ahead of the bolts). It's all a little hard to see through all the wiring and stuff, but can be accomplished easy enough when you find them, and the whole cluster comes out.

[Huggy]

I'm going to replace all the bulbs in the dash with new ones. Now if the indicators do not work after that what do I look at next? Would dirty contacts in the switch keep the head light indicator from working even though the lights them selves work?

 

[bongobobny]

...

Edited September 6, 2013 by bongobobny
I was out in left field with answer

[Huggy]

Have you checked the headlight contact on the start switch? There is a set of contacts that kills the headlight when you are starting...

 

The head lights themselves work. The dash lights for the head light and signal lights don't. They did the first time I ran the bike but not after that.

I'm going to hook up the signal lights themselves to see what happens when I turn on the switch. Should I hear a click from the flasher if they are working?