83 to 81 electrics, extra wire

[Kingpaul]

Guys,

I bought a what I believe is an 83 ignitor unit. its in great shape. its for my 81.

the only difference is the is 7 wires not 6.

1 white with black line wire.
do I just not use it?
or what do I do?

 

[JayR]

I had what I think is the opposite situation to yours. I got a new 1982 harness and the Ignitor Unit coupling on the harness has 7 wires and the IU on my MC has 6 wires.

Read posts 37 38 and 39 here should help:

http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31090&page=2

\uc0\u8236 }

 

[EvenmoreXS]

6 pin is up to 1981….

7 pin is 82-83.

The difference is the extra wire is for the side stand switch.

 

[nj1639]

I tested a 7 pin unit in a 6 pin harness connector.......the connectors are different but the 6 that count match.....the 7th wire is a safety something wire. It can be done. Haven't tried the 6 pin unit into the 7 pin harness connector yet.

Yeah, like even more sez....7th wire is the side stand safety switch.

 

[XSLeo]

As mentioned the 7th wire is a black/white wire. It goes to the side stand relay, not the switch. The relay has other inputs, neutral light, clutch lever. When you try to ride off with the side stand down as soon as you put it in gear the bike quits. It does this by grounding the extra black wire on the TCI box.
So to use the 7 wire in a 6 wire bike just ignore the 7th wire.
A 6 wire on a 7 wire should run fine, just be sure to put up the side stand.
Leo

 

[EvenmoreXS]

Did i say switch…..I did mean relay……Leo nailed it…..


http://vintageconnections.com

If you have a new coil, a good reg/rec, a good tci igniter box, and a good battery you should be able to find spark…..You may want to double check some grounds….

I don't think you HAVE to use the extra wire for the side stand, it can go unused.

You may consider getting a new connector to make the two different plugs match. I ordered all my connectors from the company vintage connections….link supplied….

Connectors aren't the problem obviously, but currently I think you have a 6 pin connector on your wiring harness and a 8 pin connector on your igniter box….only using 7 of the 8 possible pins…..right?


I'll see If i have any left over from my rewire….I'll let you know. Having them match won't hurt anything.

 

[Kingpaul]

thanks for all the help guys!!

 

[JayR]

You can use the old 6 pin connector from the original IU if you have it. You'll have to finesse the wires out of each IU.

Did the same thing on the harness side - swapped the new 8 pin connector from the new harness with the old 6 pin harness connector. Better to have a new 6 pin connector but I was in the middle of it and didn't have a new one handy so I improvised.

The connection circled on the left shows 6 of the 7 new harness wires in the old 6 pin connector with the extra B/W left out. Works ok so far.

I terminated with heat shrink and taped it to the harness with electrical tape. Can't notice it.

 

[EvenmoreXS]

You can use the old 6 pin connector from the original IU if you have it. You'll have to finesse the wires out of each IU.

Did the same thing on the harness side - swapped the new 8 pin connector from the new harness with the old 6 pin harness connector. Better to have a new 6 pin connector but I was in the middle of it and didn't have a new one handy so I improvised.

The connection circled on the left shows 6 of the 7 new harness wires in the old 6 pin connector with the extra B/W left out. Works ok so far.

I terminated with heat shrink and taped it to the harness with electrical tape. Can't notice it.

That should work if all components are still good.


In addition:

I and many others can vouch for the pamco. TCI igniter boxes are hard to troubleshoot and WILL eventually be a problem.

Simple is best,... fewer electrical components allows for fewer gremlins....imho.

http://www.mikesxs.net/product/14-0902.html

The pamco replaces the TCI igniter box and allows mechanical movement to tell when to fire the spark plugs.....like an updated version of points but much more reliable and low maintenance.

Money is always a consideration....maybe now isn't the time and I understand that...but keep it in the back of your mind. You wouldn't regret it.


Lots of support here....You will get it.

 

[EvenmoreXS]

Hows it going KingP.? Just checking up.