another electric question

Alright, so I started going down the check list to see why I had no spark at the plugs. Pulled the plugs out and they were fouled pretty bad. I also checked the ignition coils, and there was no resistance in the plug wires. I pulled them off to look at them better, and while they are off the bike they read exactly the way they are supposed to. What does this mean? Any suggestions on what I should do?

Oh, I also put the fuel/air mixture screw to 3 turns out on the carbs.

 

jlena:

Please complete your Signature Section with thumbs about your Bike.
Without the Thumbs letting us know what Bike you have there is too much time spent scrolling looking for that information.

Year -- Model -- Miles -- Stock or Modified -- (Worst Problem)*

*Optional

++++++=

Tell us more about this bike and what you have done to it after acquiring it or what you have done to it lately.

 

Here ya go!!

 

Check your side stand switch to see if it is working correctly. It might be open and killing the ignition circuit.

 

Safety Circuit Switches that are old and exposed to the elements can get stuck closed and send a signal to the Safety Circuit Relay to short the Coils so the Bike won't start.

But, the Bike should always be able to get started in Neutral.
Test for Spark with the Bike actually in Neutral and see what happens!

 

the safety circuit switches, are those the box things hanging all over the bike?
I'm going to change the plugs and check it again. Man, I hope this thing will work.......

 

There is a switch near the kickstand, one in the clutch handle, and a neutral switch. These three switches (others?) work together with a relay (under the tank, I think, on a 650J Max, not sure about the '83 750) to prevent the bike from starting while either in gear with the kickstand down or in gear with the clutch handle released. This prevents the bike from taking off without it's rider.

 

You get points from me for the most intelligent use of the Signature Section.

If everybody did a presentation like that ... a whole lot more could be accomplished.

OK ... Back to business.

Pull the Seat
Undo the Tank Fastener
Lift-up the Tank as far as it will lift.
Follow the Center Tube forward.
Locate the Safety Relay
First Relay hanging from the Center Tube
Pull-off the Quick Connection.

The Bikes Safety Features are disabled.
The Bike will Only Start in Neutral and must be returned to Neutral to Start if stalled.

 

Ok, I replaced the plugs and have spark again. I also reset the fuel/air mixture screws by turning them all the way down and backing off three full turns. That's what u guys told me to do, right? But now It won't start at all. I think I am going to go get some instant start just to get it running. I looked for the relay and found it, but then I remembered something. My bike would never turn over in anything but neutral. Does that mean that the relay is bad?

 

May I suggest slaying one dragon at a time? Disconnect the safety relay as outlined by Rick, and ensure you have spark. All the time. LEAVE IT disconnected while you solve the apparent carburetor issue. Once that's at least halfway solved, at least so the bike will start with some degree of reliability, then reconnect the relay and troubleshoot any remaining electrical problem. It sounds like you're fighting two battles at once which will drive you crazy.

 

It could mean that you have the wrong relay.

 

Is it called the starting circuit cut-off relay? If so, I disconnected it and the bike would not turn over at all. Hooked it back up and it would turn over.

Now my battery is starting to drain and I don't have a charger.........

 

I charged the battery, and tried the starting fluid, but all it did was backfire a little. I just checked the starter brushes as well and they are within spec. one of them is a little longer than the other one, would that matter? is the TCI box bad? Haynes says there is no way to check it. I don't know what else to do..........

 

There IS a way to check it.
You take the box and see if it will run another bike.

 

Jlena, dis-similar brush lengths will not be a problem unless one of them is under length. Still, it is odd to have two different lengths as they should wear evenly.
Contact someone on the forums or close to you and ship your TCI to them to check it out. I'd suggest pulling the cover off and examining the solder runs for cracks myself.
The other option is to check the ignition pickup coils on the end of the crank. They can and do go bad from time to time. Ohm them out to ensure they are intact.
And BigFitz is right, one problem at a time. You can really drowned yourself by messing with more than one thing at a time.