COIL CRACKS wet weather running

[Christian Raith]

When I was in Germany I had the same problem.
Bill Elsey (MadBill), one of THE guru's there, took both my coils (Dyna coils by the way) and put them onto a coil tester.

This fires them up in free air with a spark gap between 2 sharp points.
On one coil (2 and 3) nice fat spark right out to a couple of inches on both leads, put a sheet of paper between the electrodes and the spark went through.

On coil 1 and 4 paper between the electrodes shut off the spark BUT only on lead 1....llead 2 was fine........go figure. It is the same winding but the spark screwed up on the return run of current.

Importantly the coils resistances were both the same and could not measure any leakage to the core
Explanation.......God works in mysterious ways 

A quick phone call by Bill and another German rider turns up with a new Dyna coil as a gift to an Aussie XS rider 

[steptoe]

hi Alice,
several things to check,,electrical to start with
                                       
                                         #1 take the lhs cover off, check the pick up wires where they move with the base plate, take them out of the holder clamp and the rubber grommet in the motor, and pull all 4 of them them firmly, one at a time, one of them will more than likely stretch a lot further than the rest,, if so you have a simple broken wire, resolder and bob's your uncle, make sure when repositioning that the same amount of movement exists as before you disturbed them                                       

                                         #2 check, or get some one to check the resistance of coils,,  Primary and Secondary curcuits, more than likely a good auto sparky

                                        #3 lift the cover on the TCI box,, check the curcuitry board,, the solders immediately at the base of the 2 big plugs,, looking for differing surfaces to the rest of the board,,again a good auto sparky will be able to test and tell,,,,,,,,DO NOT spend $400 on another 4RO box-- IF-- you can find a new one-- IF-- it's cactus,,-------far cheaper alternatives exist

                                        #4 while your checking resistances and such,,, check the plug caps as well,, some thing simple, BUT the simple things are usually what get you on these bikes
                                     
check these first,, am betting on a broken pick up wire,, then go down the list,,
will wait to hear back,  how you get on

[petejw1966]

I have had the same problem with my 1100G and suspected the coil(s). I now have cylinder 1 and 4 not running well. Plug 4 is black and 1 is wet and black. 2 and 3 cylinders are nice and grey. Replaced the plugs and it did it again.
Starts fine but feels like its running on 3 cylinders. Uses lots of fuel... Doesnn't backfire or anything.
Just had the carbs overhauled and tank fully cleaned out and coated so it's not fuel.
Can it be the coil is shagged and how do i find out for sure??
Thanks....Alice.

hi alice,
sounds like you could be running rich?
what did u have done to the carbs?
did u sync them and adj mixture screws when u put em back on?

[Christian Raith]

Don't forget to check the pickup wires under the left crankcase cover

[melbxs]

1 and 4 are served by a single coil, so looks like the problem is with that coil.

Check these instructions:

http://www.xs11.com/faqs/11-the-when-why-and-how-on-replacing-your-coils.html

[alice]

Hi Steptoe,

I have had the same problem with my 1100G and suspected the coil(s). I now have cylinder 1 and 4 not running well. Plug 4 is black and 1 is wet and black. 2 and 3 cylinders are nice and grey. Replaced the plugs and it did it again.
Starts fine but feels like its running on 3 cylinders. Uses lots of fuel... Doesnn't backfire or anything.
Just had the carbs overhauled and tank fully cleaned out and coated so it's not fuel.
Can it be the coil is shagged and how do i find out for sure??
Thanks....Alice.

[Eveready1100]

Yes mate, you hit the nail on the head with that vid.
When I first got my Special, it was a dog to ride in the rain. Miisfiring etc and just generally running like a bag of shite. Changed over plug caps after copping a nasty belt off one (you've seen my pretty alloy shrouded caps,eh) still no good. Went for a run from Brissie to Tenterfield one day. Stinking hot out on the road, reached Casino and ran into a shower and the bike missed all the way through town and only ran clean once the rain stopped. That convinced me that the only cure was to change the harness off my E model in the shed.
      The PO had butchered the wiring in the headlight for reasons unknown to me so I thought that might be where the fault was. While stripping the old one out, I noticed a melted plug behind the battery box that refused to come apart so I just cut it off. A few minutes later I realised that was the alternator wiring connector that has been documented worldwide as a source of potential trouble.Also spotted a thin crack on one coil body which I smeared Silastic on to seal it up.  Finished doing the swap and fired the old girl up and ran like a charm. Not sure exactly which bit was causing all the fuss, though the coil may have indeed been the main player.

[steptoe]

does your old rocket not like riding in wet weather?

or does it run for a while in the wet, then run as ruff as

for the experienced, we now to look for coils,

but for the in-experienced this might be something for you to look at

http://www.youtube.com/my_videos_edit?ns=1&video_id=YcdYmMD4EXw&next=%2Fmy_videos