I have a 1980 Spl that eventually I plan to make a street tracker out of, but for now I'm awakening it from a 3 year slumber to teach my grandson how to ride. I had a brake issue that @Jim helped me through (Thanks Jim) and was about to take it out for a shake down run yesterday and it shut off like you hit the kill switch. Hit the starter button, zilch. I just replaced the fuse box with mini inline fuses as the box was crumbling and I have power on every circuit, I have power in and out of the kill switch. I believe that the ignition switch plug in the H/L is red/brown/blue and it is showing that it is working. With the switch on (key) I have power at the coil. The only other clue I have is that the neutral light quit working when all of this happened. The bike was running well and I've started it about a zillion times in the past week. Any thoughts?
-
Enjoy XS650.com? Consider making a donation to help support the site.
XS650.com receives a small share of sales from some links on this page, but direct donations have a much greater impact on keeping this site going.
80 Special Revival problem
- Thread starter 46th Georgia
- Start date
Will it kick start? I guess what I'm asking is, is this an electric starter problem, or is this an ignition "no spark" problem?
Solenoid??? Try jumping the terminals on it
Haven't tried to kick start it because it just shut off for no reason and that was the problem I was looking for 1st. However I WILL try that tomorrow. I've been dealing with my wife's health issues and a customers car simultaneously and I'm a bit overtaxed mentally (not that it takes much).
Maybe the TCI box went bad, or the pick-up for the TCI (on the stator) went bad.
You have power to the coil, so that does tend to point to the TCI system, as William suggests. So...
The orange wire on the coil is the trigger (fire) signal from the TCI box.
Disconnect that wire (from the coil) and hook up a jumper wire (to the coil, NOT the bike's wiring harness) long enough to reach a good ground.
Remove one of the plugs, hook the HT lead back up to it and ground the plug to the engine.
Key on, kill switch to run.
Tap the jumper wire against a ground. When the jumper is grounded, the coil will charge itself. When you lift the jumper, the coil secondary should discharge across the coil and cause a spark..
If there's no spark (and you're 100% sure there's 12v at the coil), then either the coil is bad, one of the HT leads or caps are bad, or one of the plugs are bad.
If you do get a spark, the problem lies with the TCI system.... box, pickup, wiring or rotor.
Give this a try and we'll have an idea where to look.
On the other hand...
If the bike suddenly quit running AND the electric start quit working... then there's likely bigger fish to fry.
The ignition and starting circuits are separate from each other.
So either there's two different problems or something common to both.
If the bike suddenly quit running AND the electric start quit working... then there's likely bigger fish to fry.
The ignition and starting circuits are separate from each other.
So either there's two different problems or something common to both.
Random musings....
The neutral light also quit working. There's a way for all this to tie together... IF your bike is an '81 and not an '80.
My bike is titled as a '79, BUT it's actually an '80. Back in that era, states, for reasons unknown, would often go by the date of manufacture and not the model year like they did with cars. So my bike was titled in Oct of '79... that's what the put down as the model year... even though Yamaha started the new model year ('80) back in August (or so).
So... have a look at your clutch lever, Terry. Does it have a switch and wires attached to it?
The neutral light also quit working. There's a way for all this to tie together... IF your bike is an '81 and not an '80.
My bike is titled as a '79, BUT it's actually an '80. Back in that era, states, for reasons unknown, would often go by the date of manufacture and not the model year like they did with cars. So my bike was titled in Oct of '79... that's what the put down as the model year... even though Yamaha started the new model year ('80) back in August (or so).
So... have a look at your clutch lever, Terry. Does it have a switch and wires attached to it?
Then it's an '81 or newer. That or someone swapped in an '81 clutch perch... which I doubt, 'cause there's nowhere to hook up the wires on an '80.
Now look under the sidestand and see if there's also a switch there?
Now look under the sidestand and see if there's also a switch there?
No. Mfg. date is 6/80
But you say it has the switch on the clutch perch/lever?
'80 does NOT have that switch. '81 and subsequent DO. Either your bike's an '81 or newer, or someone stuck that switch on there. We need to determine which it is before we can troubleshoot it.
Look and see if the two wires off it are connected in the headlight bucket.
Look and see if the two wires off it are connected in the headlight bucket.
Another way to check is pull the right sidecover. That's where the safety relay resides. If there's another relay just above it, it's an '81 or newer... that or it's been rewired that way.
Wires, 1 BK,1 BK/Y, go to a green plug. Same wire colors out of plug to left harness that crosses over to the right side behind coil. Batt has 12.2 V and BK/Y shows power with switch on, BUT the test light is very dim on that wire and that wire only.
And under the right side cover?
