81 w/ lack of power to the coils, ugh

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whitetrashfabrication

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Ello folks! Okay im def a new to the site and i'm hope'n that sombody out there can help me with my issues! (motorcycle that is, doc already said i'm a lost cause).

Okay here we go, i have a 81xs650h thats being bobbed out im almost done with the bike however i seem to have a lil bit of an issue with the not getting spark, granted all the stuff is orig, ive ran threw the system cleaned what could be cleaned etc etc. I turned the motor over the other day with a tech light pluged to the wires that go to the coils and only saw a faint glimmer of life in that tiny bulb in my test light! PLZ somebody point me in the direction i need to be looking or fix'n!

Thnx for any help!,
Josh
 
First I might suggest getting a good meter. Harbor Frieght sells one, Item# 90899, Price $7.99, often on sale at $3.99, with a coupon $1.99. It's easy to use.
If you aren't getting full battery voltage at the coil and TCI box then it won't get spark. This can't be checked with a bulb.
Often the trouble is the key switch, the kill switch, and the fuse block under the seat. Any wire connections between the battery and coil/TCI box. Clean the connectors, a dab of dialectric grease helps keep them clean. If they feel loose you can squeeze the female half to make it tight.
The stock fuse block is a trouble spot. The years of use have taken their toll. The clips that hold the fuses get weak, weak= more resistance= more heat =weaker clips. A vicious circle. Eventually the clips break.
Swapping the fuse block for four individual inline blade type holders with caps is an easy fix. I like the ones Radio Shack sells, a bit cheaper than the parts stores.
Just do one fuse at a time. Solder and heatshrink the joints to provide weather tight connections.
If you want to just test run the bike. Leave the key and kill switch turned off. Run a fused jumper wire, a switch won't hurt, from the battery positive to the red/white wire on the coil. This will feed power to the coil and TCI box. When hooked up kick start to engine. If the ignition and carbs are right it should run.
I've test ran engines this way many times.
If it fires up, then you know the expencive parts are working.
 
Triple check it with the diagram and if swear to god it agrees with it, and your components are good, then post a link to the diagram and we can tell you what's wrong with it.
 
Some you can check by measuring others you can check by substitution or eliminating everything except that part by measuring or substitution. The wiring you can check with a meter or maybe a light and mark it off on the schematic until all the schematic wires are marked off. The last thing isn't a positive check but it's a good strategy if you have a problem.
 
For testing no switches or fuses is ok, just don't run it that. Fuses are our friends, and like friends you can't have too many.
Your repair manual gives the procedures for checking the components.
 
thanx for the advice folks im bout to try some of these things! where would one find a manual, the guy sold me the bike with boxes and boxes of stuff but no manual!
 
XSLEO u are my freggin hero!!!! ok so i did the jumper thing and i got hella spark, so what do i do now!?!?! (my neighbors hate me im sure from my exstatic hootn and hollerin) and BIG thanx to everyone else all u guys rock!!!
 
Gotta love a guy who's in the garage firing up a bike at 12:44AM and hootin' and hollerin'. Don't worry about the neighbors - congrats!

I just got done waxing my bike. What the hell's wrong with us?
 
Now that you know the ignition works with the jumper, you need to find out why it won't with your wiring. To do this you need to trace the voltage along the wire from the battery to the coil to find where it stops.
Your test light may work, a multimeter will work better. Once you find where the power stops you will know what to fix.
 
ThrottleJock, lol theres nothin wrong with us, its all the other ppl that are messed up!

inxs, thanx ill have to print one out!

XSLeo, i may have forgoten that the orig ignition was tied in with the harness i built, after eleminating that i think ill be set! oh and i just use the test light for fast checks i gotta fluke meter burried somewhere in all the crap in my garage, but seriously thanx again that thing was driven me crazy!
 

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