Strange electrical problem

[GMP]

I had an odd problem during the Hammer Run ride yesterday(great event BTW). Bike was running flawlessly, but after about 10 miles would not idle as well as usual. Harder to start too. Then, all of a sudden it died on a throttle chop for a corner and would not restart. Fuel system fine. Plug looked fine but spark looked a bit weak to me. All connections looked fine. I put a new plug in anyway, nothing. Packed up my tools, gave it one more try and it fired first kick. Ten miles later same thing happened. Got the bike going, ran great but it would not idle well again. Now I'm thinking thermal electrical problem causing weak spark. It was a very cool morning, trail was fast with fast interconnects so a lot of high revs. I doubt the coil as it was probably running plenty cool, as well as the CDI. It was also technically a dual sport so I had my headlight on which I normally do not do. On a wild hunch, I turned off the lights and let the bike cool a bit. Guess what? One kick starts and back to normal for the remaining sixty five or so miles. I'm thinking the stator might be getting hot from excessive load on the lighting coil, possibly a bad regulaor. Yes I know the winding is on a different pole but maybe the core/ambient got hot enough to make a difference. So far thats what makes the most sense, and I will be digging into it shortly.

So, has this happened to anyone else? If so try getting rid of the load on the lighting coil before deciding its a bad CDI.

[jostby]

I look forward to seeing what you find. I have a '01 Husky in my shop doing the same thing right now. Belongs to my kids riding buddy. I already figured the same as you but figured I'd check all the wiring for pinches/grounding first but I don't need to tell you that. The bike always starts starts after about 5 to 10 minutes. Doesn't happen in the wide open stuff. Only on tight steep single track.

[webmaster]

I don't know how it is in your area - but here - the latest formulations of unleaded fuel are extremely unstable. If it sits in the tank for 2 weeks it goes bad and if the bike gets hot it is hard to start - It sucks. It helps a lot to mix in some av gas. I bought some old style steel jerry cans to store my fuel in and I add stabil.

I need to buy stock in stabil fuel stabilizer....

jeff

[GMP]

Jeff,

99% sure its a thermal/electric issue with the stator, cause is the question. Nothing was changed to affect the coil or CDI, and the ride was basically the same before and after the failures. The bike didn't act like it had a fuel problem, it was running real strong, just seemed like it had no ignition at idle speed all of a sudden. Fuel was fresh with a dose of Startron stabilizer, from local Gulf I always fuel my truck, Duc, and everything else at. Weather was cold, which made jetting crisp but not too lean, all established settings nothing new here. I never use pump fuel older than two weeks either, and store it in a VP steel can with the poly liner/cap. I used to always mix VP race gas 50/50 but it just got too expensive and the bike runs great on pump with the JD needle and RB head mod @ 195 PSI. The flip of a switch is all that I did after ruling out all else, from a hard start/no idle back to one kick and a smooth even idle, and a saved day. I would have questioned this myself if I had not done it myself, a first for sure. Season is almost done then I'll tear it down and figure it out.

[blitz11]

Hmmmmm. Maybe in addition to my new CDI box, I should look at the stator, too. I am gonna' do my own pulsar, so why not go all the way?

I am also going to go with a battery option on the CDI; that way, if the stator takes a dump, you can get home with a 9V battery.

Not being able to ride sucks.

Good luck with your investigation. I'll be waiting to here what you find.

Thanks.

blitz

[iancp5]

Could the ignition side be earthing through the lights when on?

[GMP]

I suppose a short in the stator wiring might be possible between the two windings, but would I think that would cause a go/no go situation depending on the switch position. This is clearly thermal, die/cool/restart.

Blitz,

You know what would be way cool to us engineer types? How about a stepper driven power valve actuator mapped in with the ignition curve?

[Cruiser]

Hey Glenn,, My 03 did this once,, I went over the electrical system and cleaned grounds and found nothing.. maybe a bad ground at the regulator but??? Did it once after about 4 rides later.. then all was good for 6 months and the next owner never had issue..

[GMP]

This bike is prepped like a factory racer. All electrics sealed, taped, greased, and star washers applied where they should be. It gets scrubbed down and hosed after riding and always fires one or two kicks wet. Never an issue until now. My guess is that the greater sustained high revs put more heat into the regulator and stator than usual, perhaps exposing a flaw. I have a good spare 2K-2 stator I can compare values too at both normal and elevated temps, shouldn't be that hard. It would be worse if it fixed itself without any possible explanation or clue.

[blitz11]

Hi Glenn,

The problem with the stepper motor is that i think it makes things overly complicated. I want to keep things as simple as possible, and make it easy for the rider to diagnose, if not fix, problems which arise on the trail.

My hypothesis is that the CDI could be improved with the LEDs so that if you are faced with an ignition problem, you'll be able to see what's at fault. I also think $365 for a new box is criminal, considering from what they're constructed. If i can build a spare for $100 which is better than the original, then I carry a spare, and never have to miss a riding opportunity because of ignition failure.

As you stated, the worst are problems that "fix themselves." You chase your tail. Having at least an indicator at the time of a fault may help diagnose.

This site is great. I learn all kinds of things.

thanks.

blitz