XS Charge Ignition, No spark.

Pseudo

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This is my first post on this forum, but I have been looking at a bunch of other threads for ideas. But haven't really come across anything that matches my problems.

So, I picked up a 1979 special. When I got the bike it ran, but rough, it sounded like an ignition problem and I decided to eliminate the points system. I ordered an XS charge full kit, installed it with no problems other than the coil not fitting quite right. After installing it, I went to start it up to time it, but its no longer getting spark. I have tested the coil, it seems good, it is also sparking when the kill switch is shut off. The battery is 3 weeks old, with 12.4v across the terminals.

I have done a little bit of searching on the other threads, for general no spark problems. I am getting only ~11v from the switched power to the coil. ~8.5v when its connected to the coil. I have cleaned the main key switch, as well as the kill switch. It was below 10.5v before the clean, so I think there is still something else causing loss in the circuit.

I'm also beginning to think there may be a problem with the XS Charge trigger. I have also tried the Pamco troubleshooting tips, removing the locating pin and spinning the rotor freely, still nothing. Its the new style kit with the smaller rotor. Any Ideas are appreciated, I want to get this bike on the road before the season is over.
 
So the logic is 2 ignition systems stock + XS kit
No solution
I have no experience with XS kit but with points and Boyer Bransden
To me it sounds as if the Voltage is to low ... battery can be OK at 12.4
But I see a risk that the coil and ignition has to little power.
A service of the wiring to the ignition parts would be a first ...
And fuse holder so the fuses are not loose.
It can be a charging problem that causes the misfiring

is it that one ?

https://www.mikesxs.net/xs-charge-xs650-gen-ii-electronic-ignition-premium-with-advance-coils.html
 
That link is the kit I have.

The bike is completely stock other than the XS Charge kit. From what I've read the xs kit is a copy of the Pamco ignition. The voltage is consistently low, from main switch to fuse to kill switch to coil. all within .2 volts of each other. From what I read the original pamco would still create a weak spark around 7 volts, so thats why I believe its the trigger.
 
I don't think neither points nor Boyer will fire at under 9- 10 V
But it may be so with pamco .I ll take your word for it . But then that does not explain the points misfiring
If by trigger you mean the red one on the pictures I have seen these fail A transistor I do believe
If it was me I would try to contact the seller for any fault finding Procedures -- instructions.

I am still at higher Voltage would be a first and the ground connections.Serviced Reason being 2 different ignitions under performing
 
If you think low voltage is the issue, temporarily hook the ignition and coil directly to the battery to see if that gives spark. Obviously, don't leave it like that, just a couple of minutes should do for testing purposes.
 
I just tried powering the coil straight from the battery. still no spark. I'm going to test the coil again, but I think something might be wrong with the trigger plate.

Still also looking for the electrical gremlin stealing my power.
 
-For the electrical gremlins, I think the best way is to start at the battery. Make sure it is the correct battery for your bike and it is in good shape. Just because it is only a few weeks old, it still could be a marginal battery. There should be a way to test it yourself with a static load test, such as record the voltage. Run a known load on,such as the headlight for 2 minutes then check the voltage again. This is essentially what they do at the battery shop, only there load is a battery tester. I can't tell you what the expected voltage drop should be, but it shouldn't be much. I will see if I can find a bit of research on this.. Of course you can always bring your battery back to a shop and get them to test it.
-Once you are sure the battery is ok, start working your way out from that. Make sure the battery terminals and main ground connection are clean and making a good connection. Next check all of the fuses. I have seen some fuses that will get slightly resistive. Check the voltage before and after the fuses. Look for any big drops. If there are connectors connecting up the fuse box, be sure to check the voltage downstream of the connectors.
-Odds are the problems are corroded connectors downstream. Be sure to have some contact cleaner, an old toothbrush, or soft bristle wire brush and maybe even some wd40, but don't go crazy with that stuff.
- At this point you may want to start pulling out individual fuses to isolate individual circuit legs. I am not sure if the best way is to measure the resistance of a isolated leg or hook it up to the battery and measure the voltage drop. Both should work.
- I guess a good question to ask, is the wiring harness original or is something somebody else made up?

- I don't have any experience with that particular ignition system, but I would be skeptical of getting any spark under 9 volts. You have to remember, it is not just the voltage. 9 volts with a tiny current won't do anything. Still you hooked it directly to a battery and it still doesn't work. Check all of your installation instructions again. I ordered a different ignition kit from those guys and the instructions were crap. Check the coil resistances. Sometimes the spark plug cables aren't making a good connection when you put that stuff together.
 
I had an electrical fault myself last Friday
With the ignition --- From fuses downstream there is a connector one of the pins in the connector
had come loose so when pushing together the connector that loose pin was pushed backwards instead of going
to a proper connection there is a small barb that locks the pin in place that hat gotten flattened so the pin did not lock
Once the barb was bent back and the pin pushed in to its proper position OK Again
Applied a little copper grease. For electrical connection
 
I found my problem, Black and Green wires were reversed on the circuit board when the plate was soldered. I swapped them back, Bike is sparking now. Previous owner used vinyl tubing for fuel line and they're now cracked and leaking. So that is the new task.
 

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