Rookie-XS650 Coil Question-Are they good?

Maine_dad

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79 650 special. I followed the instructions on the forum and am still questioning my results. Are my coils good?

Measured with a Measureup etekcity meter. No battery hooked up.

Primary (two small wires on coils) both read 4.6 at meter setting of 200.

Secondary(i think-orange wire to end of spark plug wire-cap) measured at 20k setting on meter. Right was 13.27. Left was 13.4.

I did notice it seemed a bit finicky, possibly due to dirt/grime in wires. I can clean those up if those readings are good. I cant get a spark. Changed the ignition cables and spark plug covers/caps. Replaced fuse box. New positive wire and negative wire. New battery. Adjusted points. Bike has been sitting 30 years. As noted in my previous post i am a newbie so please treat me as such. If you start throwing out big engine words I may not understand! :) thank you!

Thanks!
 
79 650 special. I followed the instructions on the forum and am still questioning my results. Are my coils good?

Measured with a Measureup etekcity meter. No battery hooked up.

Primary (two small wires on coils) both read 4.6 at meter setting of 200.

Secondary(i think-orange wire to end of spark plug wire-cap) measured at 20k setting on meter. Right was 13.27. Left was 13.4.

I did notice it seemed a bit finicky, possibly due to dirt/grime in wires. I can clean those up if those readings are good. I cant get a spark. Changed the ignition cables and spark plug covers/caps. Replaced fuse box. New positive wire and negative wire. New battery. Adjusted points. Bike has been sitting 30 years. As noted in my previous post i am a newbie so please treat me as such. If you start throwing out big engine words I may not understand! :) thank you!

Thanks!
I saw another post where it said to put the meter at 200 and touch probes together. I do that and it reads 1.1.
 
The readings are a little high on the secondary (orange to plug wire), but should be ok. While you have orange & grey @ harness unplugged, see if you get continuity/ no continuity with points closed then open.
 
So if i understand correctly:
1. Unplug orange to orange wire at one coil amd orange to gray at the other coil.

2.where do i attach probes for checking continuity at points?
 
from each harness wire above to bare metal on motor. then manually open and close points
 
Ok, so maybe that found an issue? With points closed (making contact....is that closed?) I have continuity. If i kove then by hand to break contact.....i still have continuity. So it appears the points are not ever breaking ground. I assume that is not normal? I am going from orange leads at oil to engine, freshly cleaned area that i know is a good ground (i checked continuity feom that area yo the battety negative and have continuity)
 
The points wires are not isolated from the points plate. Pics please.
 
20220824_230421.jpg
 

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Ok, let's move the wires around so that they're not getting pinched or rubbed. The terminal connector usually can go on the spring side. (pic below). Also, the goal is to have no continuity between the wire's bolt and the hole (or any part of the points' base). You may have to play with it a bit to get everything positioned so that the bolt and wire are isolated from the base
POINTS CAM.png
 
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Pics are ok and show order of assembly is ok. Just reposition to isolate

disregard the text labels (for now) - different discussion
 
Not sure if it matters, but usually the points wires are attached to the other end of that little bolt, placed against the spring steel strap that snaps the points closed .....

StockPoints.jpg


PlateAlignmentMarks.jpg
 
Ok, so i took both wires off completely. There is still continuity.....do i have it set up properly?
 

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The wires going into the harness, rather than the coils. You can also test the bolt itself @ the points
 
I Got a spark!!! All this talk had me dig deeper on the continuity thing. What I was finding was I was not getting continuitiy at the points themselves; literally from the bottom of the point to the top of the piece it hits. I sanded those down with some 400 grit and it got better. i also changed the wires per @5twins advice which now seems obvious. Tested for spark again and got one!! It is not consistent though. I get one strong one then nothing. I think step one will be getting the diamond file out for the points for better contact. As for the one and done spark, could that be gaps off? Or there is a capicitor of some kind on this bike right? Could that be an issue? Thank you both for the help! I feel there is progress!!
 
With points closed (making contact....is that closed?) I have continuity. If i kove then by hand to break contact.....i still have continuity. So it appears the points are not ever breaking ground.
Congrats on the progress! The cleaning should not have affected the fact you were getting continuity on the points' wire when contacts were open. Something else did it.


There is a condenser.
 
I Got a spark!!! All this talk had me dig deeper on the continuity thing. What I was finding was I was not getting continuitiy at the points themselves; literally from the bottom of the point to the top of the piece it hits. I sanded those down with some 400 grit and it got better. i also changed the wires per @5twins advice which now seems obvious. Tested for spark again and got one!! It is not consistent though. I get one strong one then nothing. I think step one will be getting the diamond file out for the points for better contact. As for the one and done spark, could that be gaps off? Or there is a capicitor of some kind on this bike right? Could that be an issue? Thank you both for the help! I feel there is progress!!
Hmm....post#10
 
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