2014 xc300
 

I have lost spark after cleaning the contact on the electric start. Nothing else was touched, had it running 15 minutes prior and used the key to turn it off. I have tried disconnecting the yellow/white wire and still no spark, so now I'm lost. Any ideas?

Just in case it's an ignition switch problem, pull the connector off from the switch. If the ignition switch was holding the ground circuit closed, now it will be open for sure. You should get a spark when kicking it over.

I will give it a try, didn't think about the key shorting the ignition for some reason lol, must of just been to tired.

Key isn't the problem either, do you think the coil could have just quit? Is there any way of testing to see if it is getting signal without replacing it?

Specify what is "cleaning the contact on the electric start". If you took the solenoid apart, you might have damaged one of the tiny solenoid relay coil wires. It's most likely directly related to the work you did. Take pictures of the part you worked on and post them here. Did you move any wires to do the work?

Does the engine crank OK when you push the start button? Did you test the fuses with a multimeter? If your spark plug is really oily it will be harder to see the spark.

I cleaned the contacts on the buttons on the handle bars, I haven't touched the starter itself, and put a new plug in that hasn't even touched fuel yet, still no spark. I checked the two fuses under the seat, is there any more that I don't know of? I know it had to be tied into something I did, but I can't make any sense of it. The starter has never gave me issues, last race I fell in some silt and the button was intermittent because of dirt inside not letting it make contact. Being color blind makes it hard for me to do any wiring so it is not my strong suite. I usually have to have my wife find the right wires for me lol.

possibly a dud spark plug? put the old one back in and try again

(or are you saying you have just put in a new one in an attempt to sort out the problems?)

A coil usually doesn't go bad so quickly. You get some erratic operation first, like poor firing at high rpm. Unbolt the coil and make sure the frame is clean and free of paint at the attaching point. It needs a good ground.

If you are talking about cleaning the stock Leonelli switch, it has several functions all jammed together in the small housing. It is most likely you disturbed the contact shoe for the kill button and it's shorting the ignition constantly. You should be able to unhook all the connectors from the multi-function switch, then test for spark by kicking the engine over.

One other thing after testing the rest, is to unscrew the spark plug cap from the wire, cut the wire back a 1/4", then screw it back on. This would provide a good connection if the original connection was iffy.

I tried the new plug to see if the other plug did get fouled when I couldn't get spark. I have disconnected the key and kill switch to see if that would solve the problem with no change. Can try to cut the plug wire back but can't believe that is the issue sense I never had any problem with the bike prior to this. The start button was the only issue I have had. But now I'm stumped. If I put a multi meter on the coil hot lead I should get a reading correct? Haven't tried it yet sense I haven't pulled the tank yet because I have to remove the steering stabilizer to lift the tank off.

There are multiple parts to the ignition:
1) the separate stator winding that powers the CDI
2) the pickup unit outside of the flywheel that triggers the CDI
3) the CDI itself
4) the coil
5) the spark plug
6) the wiring

I'd still bet it has to do with your CDI being grounded due to your switch cleaning work. You should be able to test the kill switch using a multimeter on continuity setting. It should read zero or very low ohms with the button pressed, then go to infinity when released.

Another test would be to figure out which CDI pin gets grounded to stop the motor. With the CDI disconnected, check continuity between that pin wire and ground. If there is conitinuity, your CDI is being grounded somehow.

You should be able to download a manual with a wiring diagram. That would help you figure out the CDI pins.