CB750 Pamco electronic ignition fitting problem!!!

[ejohnston]

Hey guys quick question.

I just received the pamco electronic ignition and Ive been trying to install it but i've run into some fitting issues. The aluminum base plate does not fit, it seems to be ever so slightly too big, like micrometers off. But with this being said I cannot screw all 3 of the plate screws in because the plate does not lay completely flat.

Do you guys think i would be better off filing the aluminum plate down a few micrometers or sanding/filing the guiding grooves that are on the actual engine block? Also how loose should the plate fit? (how easy should the plate be to turn and adjust?

Thanks for any advice

Eric

 

[Travis]

Eric,

Here's a shot of my PAMCO half installed on my crusty engine.

It should fit perfectly with only a couple of thousands of clearance around the outside diameter of the plate. With the three mounting screws loosened slightly, the plate is easy to turn. Is there any corrosion on the mounts on your engine? Do you have a caliper to measure the outside diameter of the PAMCO? I wouldn't grind anything until you talk to Pete.

 

[pamcopete]

Hey guys quick question.

I just received the pamco electronic ignition and Ive been trying to install it but i've run into some fitting issues. The aluminum base plate does not fit, it seems to be ever so slightly too big, like micrometers off. But with this being said I cannot screw all 3 of the plate screws in because the plate does not lay completely flat.

Do you guys think i would be better off filing the aluminum plate down a few micrometers or sanding/filing the guiding grooves that are on the actual engine block? Also how loose should the plate fit? (how easy should the plate be to turn and adjust?

Thanks for any advice

Eric

The plate is a tight fit. You might just have some dirt or corrosion in the metal. If you can't get it to fit, just PM me for warranty information and we will replace it.

Pete

 

[cafeken]

i have a PAMCO setup on my bike and had no problems Pete's a stand up guy he'll fix it for you. but first i would clean all around wear you install the plate first

 

[ejohnston]

Hey guys thanks for the info/advice!
I figured out the problem and unfortunately its more complicated than I thought. The owner before me tipped the bike over on the right side and it busted the ignition cover off damaging the lowest of the three ignition plate lip alignments/supports. another unfortunate thing is that it is cracked (not bent) resulting in the whole support/lip being up to high.
So i need to somehow get that lip lowered back to normal so the plate can fit in right.

do you guys think i would be better off trying to tap it down with a hammer (im afraid of it being brittle) or should i leave it how it is and file the lip down a bit.

if worse came to worse and somehow the 3rd lip did break off, wouldn't it theoretically still work with the plate lined up flush with the upper and left lip still in the right spot?

let me know if im not making sense and pictures would make things easier

 

[Travis]

That makes sense, but pictures would help if you can show the crack. Is it just the lip of the mount or the whole thing that's bent and cracked? If it's just the lip I would try to tap it back and if it falls off it probably won't matter if that lower screw still goes in. If the whole mount is bent and cracked then I don't know what to tell you... maybe heat it up and try to move it back, then weld it or use some kind of epoxy to strengthen it again? Last time I tried to straighten bent aluminum with cracks, it broke. If the mount is bent without cracks you might be okay bending it back. Hopefully someone chimes in with more experience in forming aluminum than I do.

 

[ejohnston]

Thanks Travis
Im away till tomorrow but ill post a picture then... unfortunately its the whole mount thing, not the lip itself. Thats why I didn't initially notice it until I tried to fit that plate. The bottom screw wont line up and fit without modifying (widening) the oval screw hole on the plate as well. Im afraid that if I hammer on it, the whole thing will break off. If I apply pressure I can get the crack to compress where the bolt does align but as soon as that pressure is released, it pops right back to where it was.

Now that I know all this I can see where the guy modified the original ignition plate to make it fit.

So I guess my next question is, to what degree does the pamco ignition and the rotor rely on the preciseness of the mounting lips to function well? meaning, if I made a new mount that made the plate sit 1-100 micrometers off but the rotor was still eyeballed in the center of the plate as best as possible (off slightly from ideal but obviously not touching any part of the plate), would it still work ok?

Or put even simpler, does the rotor have to be centered more accurately than just eyeballing it? because if accuracy is not the most important thing in the world, i could always just sand/grind some off the lip or widen the oval screw hole in the actual plate.

 

[kawtoy_77]

Is there any benefits to having the Pamco Ignition over the Dyna S? I was thinking of upgrading to the Dyna S, since I have it on my 1977 Kawasaki KZ1000, and like it.

 

[Travis]

ejohnston, I would think that as long as the two upper mounts and the plate aren't modified, and the plate is pressed up as it's tightened, it will hold the proper location. You should check the upper mounts for damage though to make sure they didn't move as well. Measure from each mount to the crank with a caliper to make sure everything is where it's supposed to be.

kawtoy_77, price, double the warranty, and great support from Pete. I'm not sure about the Dyna S, but the PAMCO has a wide operating voltage (6 to 18 VDC) so you have a better chance of making it home if your charging system or battery are acting up.

 

[kawtoy_77]

Good to know, thanks Travis!