No Spark

[Poppa]

Gents,

(and Ladies)

Long story short, bike died on the road. Trailered it home. would crank but not start. found it to have no spark on all 4 plugs. Troubleshot all related components as per the manual, nothing faulty. It would have spark intermittently but just for a very short time. Ordered a replacement igniter. Replaced igniter, still no spark. (intermittently it would) replaced kickstand relay, bypassed ignition switch and check continuity through wiring to switches and related components. Nothing obvious. Bike will start cold and run for perhaps 30 seconds before loosing spark. Does this with both ignitors I have.

I have searched and read a lot on this site and to me something is getting hot and opening or failing. Could it be both ignitors? One thing I am questioning is this. The resistance across the pick-up coils is 202 ohms (within spec). The voltage output when cranking the engine over is 1.6 volts AC. 

What should the output voltage be?

Thanks,

Paul

[InfinitySurf]

I am new here so could be off base.... but have you pulled the gas tank and checked your ignition wires? I have heard too much power is routed thru there and a member here sells a bypass relay (which I bought and installed as a preventative). May be worth pulling your gas tank to check, there is a bundle of wires/harnesses directly under the tank behind the ignition. Its the red/pink harness connector and I have attached 2 documents that came with my bypass so you know what to look for.

Also a 3rd document on how to repair the actual ignition switch if that is what went bad.

Good luck tracking down the issue!

By-pass relay explained.pdf Bypass relay Instruction sheet 2nd.pdf Ignition Switch Repair (1).pdf

[InfinitySurf]

The member I got the plug/play bypass relay is @djh3

[Poppa]

@InfinitySurf Thanks for the reply.  I have installed the ignition switch bypass relay including the blue/yellow and blue/black wires that enable the ignitor. I'm just going to keep searching until I find the cause.

[InfinitySurf]

Sorry I cant be of more help, electrical is not my strong suit.

Couple links that may help? 1st link talks about how to check the coils using ohm meter....

https://www.justanswer.com/motorcycle/3vwfv-star-bike-wont-start-coil-there-type-crank-sensor.html

Have you checked the electrical connections at the harness you have to disconnect to remove the tank?

Guessing you have already checked all your fuses.... but behind the passenger foot peg cover on left side you have a fuse box with mostly 10 & 15 amp fuses (should be a couple spares in the box). Behind that cover is also the the starter fuses... and 1 of the 2 30 amp fuses is an extra fuse.

Here is another link from this forum from back in 2014 - no spark issue with several good ideas to look into.... look at Post #9 for an idea on spark & then post #18+ (sounds like a bad ignition switch was his culprit?).

 

[videoarizona]

Ignition switch.

[Poppa]

35 minutes ago, videoarizona said:

Ignition switch.

Already installed the bypass relay, I have checked everything and done everything short of setting it on fire and pushing it off a cliff.

I am beginning to think the used ignitor I purchased on Ebay may be faulty as well. 

[videoarizona]

Let's hope this link works. Should take your to the beginning of the thread I posted about my experiences.

How this helps....

David

 

 

https://www.venturerider.org/forum/topic/69641-engine-cranks-no-ignition-no-error-codes/?do=findComment&comment=798593

Edited October 6, 2021 by videoarizona
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[videoarizona]

I had the same problem. Found two contacts on the ignition switch that were not connecting. One wire was broken. I have the ignition bypass as well....

The link above takes you to the two wires that were not connecting together in the ignition switch. The same two wires mentioned earlier blue/yellow, blue/black. In the ignition switch run position, those two wires are shorted/connected together.... This enables the coils to fire. 

You can easily check this by disconnecting the connectors that come from the ignition switch and use a meter looking for continuity between wire sets using the schemstics for guidance.

Edited October 6, 2021 by videoarizona
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[Poppa]

On 10/5/2021 at 11:52 PM, videoarizona said:

I had the same problem. Found two contacts on the ignition switch that were not connecting. One wire was broken. I have the ignition bypass as well....

The link above takes you to the two wires that were not connecting together in the ignition switch. The same two wires mentioned earlier blue/yellow, blue/black. In the ignition switch run position, those two wires are shorted/connected together.... This enables the coils to fire. 

You can easily check this by disconnecting the connectors that come from the ignition switch and use a meter looking for continuity between wire sets using the schematics for guidance.

@videoarizona Dave,

Thanks for the link, I read that post when I was searching earlier, and many more, lol. I have narrowed it down to a flaky bank angle sensor. I am getting resistance reading all over the map, from open to over 400 ohms. Ordered a new one. I will see if that keeps it running for more than 10 minutes. Looking at where it is located I am not looking forward to the job. I will let you know how it works out. We are running out of riding weather up here.

Paul

[Poppa]

Quick update. Managed to remove the bank angle sensor from it's perch high up in the gooseneck of the frame. Carefully opened it up to see why I might be getting the erratic resistance readings. 3 small brass pieces fell out. I am hoping this was the cause of all my grief this past month. I will compare the ohm readings with the new switch when it arrives later this week.

[videoarizona]

That's interesting. Wouldn't think there would be any way for things to break in that box......

Edited February 25, 2022 by videoarizona
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