No spark. Need help.

My 650 seca would not start so I pulled the plugs. When you hit the starter button it causes the #1 plug to spark and then nothing as you continue cranking. Let off the starter button and hit it again it does the same thing. Plugs , coils , and ignition box are good. Anybody have a suggestion? Thanks.

 

did you check the resistance of the pick-up coils?

 

I"M not sure how to do that. Electrics are not my specialty.

 

Any of the other plugs sparking?

 

I just had the same exact problem. Check the spark on the #2/3/4 plugs. (I made the mistake of only checking the 1/4 spark, and it cost me a lot of time because I thought I had no spark at all) If you have spark on 2/3 but not 4, then you have either a bad TCI module or bad pickup coil. (in contrast, if you have spark at 2/3/4 and only 1 is dead, you have a bad spark coil) The pickup coils are the more likely culprit.

To test them you will need a multimeter. Take off the left side cover, and you will see 2 modules (and probably a relay). The TCI is the black box WITHOUT the metal fins. On the TCI there are 2 plugs - 6 pin and 4 pin. Pull out the 6 pin plug. There will be a gray wire, orange, and depending on your model either 2 solid black wires, or a black wire and a black with white stripe. (the black with white stripe will be very short with a female bullet connector on it)

If your plug has ONE SOLID BLACK wire:

- Set your meter to measure resistance, on the 1K/2K scale (if your meter is digital and only has a Ω setting, then it is auto-ranging and you do not have to set the scale)
- Insert one meter probe into the black wire terminal
- Insert the other probe into the orange wire terminal and observe the resistance. It should be between 560Ω and 840Ω.
- Repeat for the other coil (remove the probe from the orange terminal and insert it into the gray)

If the resistance is outside this range, or the meter shows OL/∞ (open or broken circuit) or zero Ω (short circuit), then the pickup coil assembly will have to be replaced.

If your plug has TWO SOLID BLACK wires:

The testing process will be the same as above, except you will have to use trial and error to determine which black wire goes with the orange and which goes with the gray.

If you do wind up with a bad coil, then you will have to source one out either from a bike junkyard, ebay, or if you're feeling saucy, you can shell out $300 for a new set from the dealer (It is still available special order). Just FYI, the wire bundle that goes between the pickups and the TCI box also contains the neutral safety/light wire and the oil light wire. On my bike, these seem inaccessible without some major disassembly. So I stripped those two wires out of the original pickup bundle and left them intact, while cutting out the old pickup wires. I also routed the new bundle differently. Taking the bike apart to reconnect them is a winter project for me.

Hope this helps you out..

 

TaZMaNiaK, Excellent write-up!
Kzttdavid, what method did you use to determine the ignition system components were good?
Did you ohm out the coils? Swap the TCI into a know-good system? This would help me determine if your equipment is "good" as you have described it.
I found that the secondary leads (the ones that go to the spark plugs) tend to corrode and drop out. Of three sets of "bad" coils, this was the problem on three out of six coils. I'm in the middle of replacing the leads on a test subject right now (my thanks to the donor, I can't remember who you were). I'll post pics of the process in a short while. This is only possible if the primary coil (where the wiring harness connects) is intact.

 

Thanks for the tips everybody. I will try them and let you know the results as soon as I can.

 

I'm noticing a spike in the instances of No or Weak Spark Issues.

Have you replaced the Fuse Panel, yet? The Fuse Panels on all the XJ-Bikes are about at the Limit of their lifespan. Particularly for those in Humid or Seasonal Extremes Locations.

If the Clips on the Fuse Panels have corroded close to their breaking points; I think the Contacts for the Ignition Pickups and the Push-in Connectors at the TCI Box should be inspected; too.

In several on-going Threads, right now, we have Members who have some intermittent issue with Spark.

I beginning to wonder if there isn't some Common problem that's rearing its head and these Members are on the leading edge of the Storm.

 

add me to the list I've chased the fuse box conections,,,,were the wire crimps to the conector seems to be a problem,,,,I've soldered the crimp an tined the fuse holder ,,,pulled all the clips out of the fuse box to do this,,,,but he real reason is that if this spot is the problem then there's more going on elsewere on the bike,,,,I'm sold for the need to look further,,,,,,,
would there be some cleaners out there somewere

 

I'm going to ask Robert what the best Electronic Parts and Contact Cleaner would be.

I know there are some Spray Parts Cleaners that dissolve all the corrosion and leave the part sprayed clean with a clean and re-newed surface.

What the plastic parts can tolerate is the question.

(Personal aside

I was rummaging through all the Cleaning Agents on my bench, one afternoon, when I was putting new brushes in a Starter. I used what I had left of some Video Head Cleaning Spray-on to clean the Commutator and Brush Mount of Carbon Dust. Worked like a charm.

 

the electrical contact cleaner that comes in the spray can at Autozone worked a heck of a lot better than I expected when I used it. It blasted all the dirt, corrosion and everything right off there and didn't seem to affect the plastic plugs at all. Dabbed some dielectric grease on everything and reassembled. All connections are now solid.

 

Thanks to everybody that replied. It always amazes me how the biggest problems are usually very small. Just hard to figure out sometimes. The cause of my problem was a broken black wire from the pick up coil. It looked like a bad patch job from a previous owner. But I did get to learn more about how the ignition system operates. The fuse box was replaced a couple of years ago. Thanks again.

 

Good Deal

 

In my experience, electrical contact cleaner is a great tool, but I couldn't begin to offer suggestions as to the best one. I have however used a great snake-oil that improves electrical connectivity and prevents corrosion. It is called De-Oxit (formerly Cramalon). Neat stuff and it works. Kept plenty of antenna systems happy with it.