'82 GS300L Restore & Timing Adjustment - Complete Noob

[Mekanix]

lol doesn't matter in this case AC/DC. Its just resistance we are measuring.

With the plug disconnected from the ignitor you should get infinite resistance from the frame or engine to any of the wires for the pickups.

What happens when you switch the two pickup wires and try it?

[hjacobmiller]

Ha I meant earlier when I was measuring the V between the wires coming to the coils.

Should I get infinite resistance between the O/W wire between the ignitor and the engine when the ignitor is unplugged? I am getting 2.4 ohms resistance which tells me there is a connection which I am guessing shouldn't be there. Could explain the V drop at the connectors at the coils, the left one specifically....

What do you mean switch the two pick up wires?

lol doesn't matter in this case AC/DC. Its just resistance we are measuring.

With the plug disconnected from the ignitor you should get infinite resistance from the frame or engine to any of the wires for the pickups.

What happens when you switch the two pickup wires and try it?

[Mekanix]

The wires coming from the pickup plate.

Swap the Brown and Green/white and that should make the opposite coil fire.

So if the right pickup is good and the left is bad, doing this will make the left fire and not the right.

That will tell you it is definitely the pickup that is bad. If nothing changes and the left still doesn't fire and the right still does fire then we keep troubleshooting.

You don't have a problem with the Orange/white wire.
All it does is supply power to the coils and to the ignitor and we know all 3 are getting power when the ignition is on.


If you disconnect the coils and the ignitor and turn the ignition off then you will get infinite resistance between the orange/white and ground.

[hjacobmiller]

I'm not getting infinite resistance between the O/W & ground but I see what you're saying.

I'll try the test on page 148 in a bit and switch the two as well.

The wires coming from the pickup plate.

Swap the Brown and Green/white and that should make the opposite coil fire.

So if the right pickup is good and the left is bad, doing this will make the left fire and not the right.

That will tell you it is definitely the pickup that is bad. If nothing changes and the left still doesn't fire and the right still does fire then we keep troubleshooting.

You don't have a problem with the Orange/white wire.
All it does is supply power to the coils and to the ignitor and we know all 3 are getting power when the ignition is on.


If you disconnect the coils and the ignitor and turn the ignition off then you will get infinite resistance between the orange/white and ground.

[Mekanix]

There might be some corrosion that would let some resistance show up but as long as its really high it's ok. If its in the M ohm range than its fine.

[hjacobmiller]

Redid all the connections on picks and investigated a couple suspect areas where it looked like there might have been some burning inside the casing.
Nothing like I was hoping to find. Too easy of a fix ha ha.

Switched the wires and still no spark on left coil. Definite conclusion that the pick ups are bad? There's one I can get on ebay right now but I don't want to buy it if I actually need an ignitor.

I'm not sure I understand the test on p.148.

[Mekanix]

When you switch the wires did the right side still spark ?

If so then its the ignitor that looks bad.

the idea for the test on page 148 is for you to set your meter to check for resistance and then put the leads on each of the wires for one pickup and it will fire that plug.

The ignitor detects that something is hooked up, doesn't matter what, and that triggers it to make a spark. I's a way of tricking the ignitor to spark.

[hjacobmiller]

Got it. I tried it and got some spark, but sort of intermittently. Will try more tomorrow and let you know what I get.

When you switch the wires did the right side still spark ?

If so then its the ignitor that looks bad.

the idea for the test on page 148 is for you to set your meter to check for resistance and then put the leads on each of the wires for one pickup and it will fire that plug.

The ignitor detects that something is hooked up, doesn't matter what, and that triggers it to make a spark. I's a way of tricking the ignitor to spark.

[hjacobmiller]

Looks like it may be both the pick up and the ignitor. I get spark on the right from the ignitor doing test on 148 but not the left. And the pick up seems to not give me a spark when I switch the wires either. Which would make sense I guess if the left side of the ignitor is burnt up. No way to test without a good ignitor I guess.

Is the ignitor also called a CDI? Or is CDI a later generator of ignition system that isn't compatible with what I have?

I'm looking to put something in for cheap but I don't know what works together and I don't want to fry anything else obviously. Don't know where to go from here.

[Mekanix]

Anything will work as long as you match the pickups with the ignitor. The pickups have a certain impedance and that changes sometimes with different models. I've only seen it change on the 4 cylinders though.

Well you know you have one good side and one good pickup. Do you mean that when you switched the wires that the right side didn't fire anymore? or did you only test the left? I wanted to see if both pickups are good and make the right side fire with both pickups. That way you could say the pickups are good.

I've been looking at the two manuals and I don't see why an ignitor for a 450 wouldn't work. Maybe someone local on the site could lend a good one to test with. PN: 32900-47020 Its the same for a 250 as well.

Does yours have the mechanical advance?

[Mekanix]

http://www.z1enterprises.com/products01/Dyna-S-Electronic-Ignition-DS3-2-Suzuki-GS-fours-with-ND-ignition.aspx

This is what you would want IF its a mechanical advance.

http://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_nkw=dyna+s+3-2&_sacat=0&_dmpt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&_odkw=dyna+s&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

[hjacobmiller]

But what about the black ignitor box? Don't I have to replace that too?

[Mekanix]

It is the box. Its an all in one. Just give it power and plug the coils in and it works.

So is yours a mechanical advance ?

[hjacobmiller]

I think so, although to be honest I don't know exactly what that means. Let me explain how I think it works (I'm probably wrong). There is one magnetic trigger on the end of the crankshaft, which I believe the pick ups sense as the crankshaft turns, and the pickups send a signal to the ignitor box and the ignitor sends the signal to the coils.

I'm guessing that is a mechanical advance because of the trigger on the crankshaft?

It is the box. Its an all in one. Just give it power and plug the coils in and it works.

So is yours a mechanical advance ?

[Mekanix]

Nope but good effort.


There are two types of rotors on the end of the crank

One is just a solid piece that is stuck to the crank and doesn't move at all. That one is not a mechanical advance and the ignitor does the advancing.

The mechanical advance has a special rotor attached that can rotate forward a bit.
It has a few small weights in it that fly out when the engine rev's up. Thats what advances the ignition timing.

Looks like this http://www.ebay.ca/itm/SUZUKI-GS-450...item5d3292fd4c


The manual and parts fiche show's both types but its depending on the year.