Help: I'm about to throw my beloved bike off a cliff

[Tstameisen]

My bike went from running perfectly fine one day, to hardly at all the next. It appeared cylinders 1&4 weren't firing (conclusion based on feeling the headers) and the bike was really bogged down. Considering the only link between those cylinders is with the coil, I installed a PAMCO (ultimate) ignition kit. So now everything is brand new between the spark plugs through the replacement of the points system. (It is supposed to increase fuel efficiency by 15% and make the motor more efficient in general). BUT, now I can't even get my engine to start. I checked the spark for cylinder 1 against the block and got a spark. This bike means the world to me and I'm about to give up on it. Any help would be awesome. BTW, I'm not a mechanic with every tool in the book, just keep that in mind. Thanks

 

[dirtdigger]

My guess is you have the ignition coils swapped. try putting the 1-4 wires on the 2-3 and vice versa. Or you can swap the primary wires going to the coils.

 

[madmtnmotors]

Considering the only link between those cylinders is with the coil

AND the points, AND the condenser, AND the wiring between the points and the coils...

BTW, I'm not a mechanic

All the more reason to figure out what the problem is before throwing parts at it willy-nilly. Replacement of the entire ignition system by a "non-mechanic", or by anyone else for that matter, has introduced a whole new set of potential variables. Was the new ignition installed correctly? How do you know? What other tests have you done? Did you check for spark on the other four cylinders? Have you at least static timed the new ignition?

By changing parts before figuring out the problem, you have made it more difficult to even verify the integrity of the new parts. Now the Pamco ignition is a reputable unit, and I would not expect any problems with it, but anything is possible. The entire ignition system can be troubleshot with nothing more than a $10 multimeter ($6 at Harbor Freight: http://www.harborfreight.com/7-function-multimeter-98025.html ).

Do you have a multimeter?

 

[Tstameisen]

Thanks for the input guys;

dirtdigger : I'll give that a try too.

and

Madmtnmotors : Considering the new PAMCO ignition system eliminates the points, condenser, AND wiring between the plate and coils... I'd say I've addressed all those issues with one unit. I understand that in saying "I'm not a mechanic" might have lead you to believe that I'm not mechanically inclined, but this is not the case. That being said, I tried to static timed the new ignition, but it seems a little more confusing considering that none of the guides address how to do this without a points system. I will try it again, and yes I am using a multimeter, but I'm assuming I should be testing for voltage current when "the points" would be open?

Lastly, (and this may sound weird) but the new PAMCO plate has 2 sets of 3 wires coming out of it: two need to go to the black and white connection (which is located near the coils; 2 need to be grounded to the frame; and 2 need to go to the blue and yellow connection which is located between the battery and carbs. So what I did was bypass the blue and yellow wires and lead everything right to the coils. This should be fine because the yellow and blue wires are just extensions through the harness for the old unit, right? I don't understand why PAMCO would put wires that all need to go to different places in the same sleeve.

I didn't buy this bike thinking I could do everything, I inherited it a few years back when my father passed away and I'm just trying to continue the legacy. The bike is currently at a friend's house, so I'll report back after I can go work on it.

Thanks for all the help guys!

 

[Tstameisen]

Wholly SH*T dirtdigger, swapped the wires and she started right up! Thanks for the help.

 

[madmtnmotors]

Wholly SH*T dirtdigger, swapped the wires and she started right up! Thanks for the help.

Static timing would have revealed this, glad you were able to work it out.

Looking at the Pamco website, and the installation instructions, I was surprised to see that there are no details on how to static time the Pamco ignition. I would have expected instructions with the Pamco unit on how to static time, I know my Dyna S ignition has instructions for static timing. The closer the static timing is, the easier it is to start so you can proceed to dynamic timing. Often my static timing is proven to be spot on when checked "dynamically" with a timing light, requiring no further adjustment. I usually set up a points plate first, before fitting an electronic ignition, so if the electronic ignition ever fails I can swap in the points plate and keep going. I'll throw this points plate in the saddlebag before any extended road trip (anything over 500 miles).

As for static timing points and condensers, almost every manual I've ever seen had steps describing how to do so. There is also a very good write-up for static timing here:

http://www.hondachopper.com/garage/carb_info/timing/timing1.html


You can also find a wealth of relevant information here:

http://www.hondachopper.com/garage/garage.html


and you can download several different manuals from here:

http://manuals.sohc4.net/


Looking good with the Tracy body by the way!