XJ 550 Coil Surgery gone bad!! Question?

I decided to try a little coil surgery to replace the plug wires on my original coils and have screwed up I think. I got the one wire out and exposed the little spear, but the other wire was actually connected some other way. The instructions I read said I was supposed to leave some of this wire to solder the new wire to but somehow the wire broke and I can't see anyway to connect the new plug wire! Am I screwed? Where was this wire connected?

 

did you do it like this?
http://www.xjcd.org/x-wires

 

Yeah, but I ended up breaking the wire on the one side and can't find it or figure where i'd solder my wire to!! The side with the little brass spear went well. I think I screwed it up.

 

Both ends of the secondary coil have a spike for the wire. You may have broken one off.

 

Must have I guess, I never even saw it. I thought I saw a wire that that wire was connected to. That's what some of the directions I read showed, having to solder that one to a wire or something in there. It talked like only the one side had the spear.

 

pictures are nice

 

I'd be ashamed to show y'all the hack job I did on that poor defenseless coil!

 

believe me, i've seen worse. probably done worse

 

This is happening elsewhere... Perhaps an option if guy does a 550 someday:

http://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/cops.118089/unread

Some seem quite upset about it, not sure if it's the product or the guy's demeanor.

 

81 to 83 Honda CB750 coils have removable wires and can still be bought new Cycle Recycle part 2 sells then for about 40$ each and carries the wire and caps too . These coils are made by Hitachi and mount in stock location. Been running them for a few years with no problems . My old coils had cracks in the body, for giggles I took my dremel and tried to rout out the plug wires. Like you one came out with no issue but the other post was gone and made a huge mess on the bench , ended up pitching them . Which was okay as they were no longer being used.

 

if replacing spark plug wires it is better and easier to use the nkg splice and new wires just leave enough of the old wire to splice to coils a few times unless you own a wire stretcher.

 

I am hoping @jj harris will work with @chacal on the cops. I will wait for chacals endorsement of the product as a viable fix for the XJ bikes.
not that I doubt JJ and his work but I just do not want to risk my tci , even with his offer to me, which was quite generous for the mere quoting of facts stated on one of chacals threads
The Ultimate Relay, Switch, Sensor, and Diodes Guide

 

Yeah, I been seriously looking at getting CB750 coils! Really like the idea of replaceable plug wires! Can you use any 7mm zero resistance plug wire or do you have to use specifically made wires for them?

 

Saw a guy uses a small nail sharpened on both ends to splice in plug wire for a coil. He cut the wires and left enough outside the coil so he could splice the new wire on. If I had it to do over again I would have tried that.

 

Here's a pic of the coil I butchered!! RIP Mr. Coil!

 

You may have destroyed that coil but hopefully you learned something from the process and you're in good spirits about it!

 

Yeah, the secondary was bad anyway. I would try splicing first next time.

 

bad secondary would not be fixed by splicing in new wires , next time try triming back wire about 1/4 inch to see if the wire end was corroded then ohm it out

 

I'm sure you're right. I actually stabbed the wires with my meter leads close to the coil and couldn't get a reading there either.

 

arm chair qb and all, it is how we learn by our mistakes. do not be afraid to ask questions of even the simplest nature we are all very willing to help it is what makes this web site so great.
I tried the stabbing to test method could not hit the wire

 

Probably right, I should have just cut them off and tested before butchering the coil as a last resort. Never was quite sure I really hit the wire by stabbing it.

 

best thing about this site is it is an active site and most questions get solid answers quickly. the first yamaha site i joined took days to get an answer

 

Yeah, I'm really learning a lot here. Always been very mechanically inclined but don't have a lot of experience working on bikes. Still trying to get my XJ going, but I will, eventually.