ignition gremlin
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Stage III
Joined: Mar 2007
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ignition gremlin
Hey y'all,
I have an 81 Shovel. Just before riding season ended up here, I was riding to work, and the bike puked out on me. I pulled the plug wire to see if I was getting fire, I was but it was weak. I put a new coil on it and it rode fine to work. I left work and made it about 4 blocks and it died again. I was about to call a tow, when a bike friendly cop pulled up and suggested I tightedn my plug wires at the coil. I did, and it fired right up. I made it 2 more blocks and it died again. I checked for spark again, and it was barely there. It has a relatively new voltage regulator on it. I'm thinking it is the igniton module. Anybody else have this happen?
Now mind you I just had about $2700 bucks worth of engine work done and had put about 1500 miles on it. Just before it died, it was smoking something crazy! Like a friggin chevy with a blown head gasket. White not "oil blue". I am pulling out what little hair I hair I have left trying to figure this ting out.
I have an 81 Shovel. Just before riding season ended up here, I was riding to work, and the bike puked out on me. I pulled the plug wire to see if I was getting fire, I was but it was weak. I put a new coil on it and it rode fine to work. I left work and made it about 4 blocks and it died again. I was about to call a tow, when a bike friendly cop pulled up and suggested I tightedn my plug wires at the coil. I did, and it fired right up. I made it 2 more blocks and it died again. I checked for spark again, and it was barely there. It has a relatively new voltage regulator on it. I'm thinking it is the igniton module. Anybody else have this happen?
Now mind you I just had about $2700 bucks worth of engine work done and had put about 1500 miles on it. Just before it died, it was smoking something crazy! Like a friggin chevy with a blown head gasket. White not "oil blue". I am pulling out what little hair I hair I have left trying to figure this ting out.
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 459
Likes: 1
From: Florida
RE: ignition gremlin
Start with the small stuff. Are the plug wires and plug new or recently changed? Does it have pionts or an electronic ignition? I don't know the official covert year to electric ign. The confusing part of this is the smoke. Smoke from this engine is either oil or unburnt fuel, (maybe from weak spark or a flooded carb.) Are the plugs clean or what kind of color have they changed too?
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Stage III
Joined: Mar 2007
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RE: ignition gremlin
Thanks for the input! The wires are as new as the rebuild, as well as the plugs. The plugs don't have any excess carbon or white burn on them. They are...well.......tan. Just what you'd expect from a "normal" engine. I thought that the smoke might be from raw fuel too. After this weekend, it will have a new ignition module, another set of new plugs and maybe another v-reg. Hit me back if you can think of anything else.
Mike
Mike
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Stage III
Joined: Mar 2007
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RE: ignition gremlin
Thanks for the reply good brother! I'm going over the whole thing this weekend. I ordered another ignition module and it came in this morning, so it will be on before I sleep tonight. They (bike shop) could only get me the 7 pin, so I have some harness butchering to do. I guess they just don't make the round plug module any more. Not even from Screamin'. Since I have to go that route, I will most assuredly re-tighten the grounds.
Tourer
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 322
Likes: 8
From:
RE: ignition gremlin
almost all of the electronic ignitions, aftermarket and hd, only last 2-3 years of good riding (5-10K a year) before they quit. dyna S is an inexpensive unit, and VERY simple to wire. I just went Back to points on my 82. if it breaks down, i can fix it on the side of the road, unlike any electronic unit.
just a thought.
just a thought.
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Mike Barker
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