weird fuse starting habit

cros36

cros36

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this is the nuts and bolts of my wiring diagram.

dia.png


my problem.
dead cold i have a no spark issue. my key turns on the ignition and the light at the same time. so to conserve my battery i took out my running light fuse and my brake light circuit fuse. kicked her over and she started right up. let her warm up. cut her off, put the two fuses back in and she started right back up first kick. went around town as im still in the shake down period. came home ate some dinner, went back out (still warmish) and it started right back up all fuses in.

next day, dead cold it wouldnt start again. this time i take out only the running light fuse, still no start and no spark, i then take out the brake circuit fuse, starts right up.

this is going on day 4 with the same issue.

so something is going on with the lighting circuits (i think), but when the engine is warm, its not an issue. it just seems that something is interrupting the ignition when the engine is cold.

i have good numbers on my battery engine cold. im charging properly. looked over grounds and everything seems good. i have no issues once its warmed up. im not smart when it comes to electrical, but i dont think that im a complete dummy either, this one just has me stumped for sure.

the only last peice of info that i have is SOMETIMES when im getting on her hard...as in WOT 2-5 gears, i will sometimes get a little flicker in the headlight. but past that, i get no flickers on regular riding or over bumpy conditions.

hmmmm.....
 
u'r diagram looks good thats if everthing is done exatly like it,if yes all i can see is it might be fuse block try puting the pamco (with a fuse) directly to battary,leave other fuses in place try starting and see
 
You need to measure the battery voltage under load with everything on and the engine not running first thing in the morning before you start it up.
 
What battery, how good is it? Put it on a battery tender overnight, if that solves the problem.....
 
newish agm from mikes last year.

i broke my voltage meter this morning, getting a new one in the morning so i fresh start full load reading will have to wait till tuesday.

everything is wired with 16 ga. wire. no starter


today it didnt do it, started right up first kick.

i was going to start it mid day with a friend and it wouldnt start up. so i went to take the fuses out, and he says that my headlight never came on. so i jiggled my key and my lights kicked on, and it started right up.

thinking its most likely just the key switch. time will tell. ill let you know.
 
allright. two days with no spark. monday i went out to a friends house, went to harbor freight, went to wal mart went and then to get gas. started first or second kick everytime. went home, had some dinner, went to go for an night ride and got no spark again.

grounds LOOK good. everything looks good.

took some readings this morning (thursday).

bat. 12.70
bat with load (lights) ign. on 12.25
at pamco 11.70-ish
at coil again 11.70-ish
at battery full load after tests 12.20.

went to turn the key off and got a little puff, i now have spark again. im effin stumped.
 
i dont know guys. sometimes i get spark, and sometimes i dont. lights always work regardless. i cannot replicate this problem. when it has spark, it starts and runs great, when it doesnt have spark there is nothing that i can do to get it to spark now...besides wait till the next day or so till it decides to spark and run great. ive tried everything suggested.
 
cros36,

I don't think it is the PAMCO because when it does start, it runs fine, but just to eliminate the PAMCO as a problem, PM me your address and I will send you a new one.
 
From what you say about the key switch, I think that is bad. Try a different switch.
Leo
 
pete, a million thanks for sending the new PAMCO.

about the key switch. when i turn the key on it feeds the fuse block, so as long as the lights kick on power should be getting send through to the pamco as well. i will try it out, but like i said doesnt seem like it would change the fact that the fuse block gets power. just needed a jiggle that one time i think.

i sat and went through connections and grounds so far today. not getting spark since last night. when the pregnant wife gets up from a nap ill go back out and continue to look for more solutions.
 
went back out and tried her out, nothing. did some stuff around the garage for a bit, the wife came out, and i was like..."look, this shit wont start for nothing." turned the key, bam, fired right up. cut it off pretty quick. gonna wait a bit and not touch it and see what happens. right now that it has spark, its kinda funny to me. ill see how i feel when it doesnt spark next time.
 
allright, so it started and ran great last night after a day of no spark. went out with some friends bombing around town, multiple stops started every time.

today, i went out to go for a pre-shitty week ride. got no spark again. i start testing some stuff, got about 12.30 ish at the battery. then i go to test at the pamco.

with my multimeter on, with the key on, i put the ground of the multimeter on a engine fin, and i put the other lead on the red on the pamco.

DSCF8683.jpg



and as soon as i put the lead on the red pamco wire i get a single spark. kinda scared me, wasnt expecting to get a single boom out of the exhaust. this blew the 7.5 fuse. replaced the fuse, kick it, starts up. let it warm up, turn it off, starts great. go for a ride everything is now fine. till tomorrow i can only assume.

thoughts?
 
I would look between the PC board and the plate to see if the red wire is contacting the plate, or very close, perhaps due to some debris. Check the green wire too while you are at it. Of course, you may have just accidentally shorted between the red wire and the nearby screw.
 
Last edited:
pete, got my pamco in the mail yesterday. before i installed it i was getting no spark again. installed the new one, and it started right up. i looked at the old pamco and there doesn't seem to look like there is anything wrong with it as you suggested. i guess only time will tell on the consistency of good starts.

again, pete, thank you for sending the new pamco priority even! so far so good.
 

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