Ignition problems on a 1980 gs550

[madhouse]

Hi there,

I have a 1980 550, and I'm not getting any spark.

From the battery to the coils I have about a 2v drop. Yes two volts. Any ideas on this?

My spark plug caps need to be replaced I think, what do you think? .9M ohms on one, 200k ohms on another, 8k ohms and 9k ohms on the other two.

My coils have very similar readings to eachother. I'm looking at 15.5k ohms on each secondary side, and about 4 ohms on each primary side.

My left coil seems to get pretty warm when I have the ignition on. Right coil stays cool to the touch.

New plugs. Wires are good with .1 ohms each.

Even though my coils have the proper resistance, can I assume the one getting hot is bad?

I've read through hundreds of posts, and I learned a lot of good information, but every situation is unique and your insight is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[tom203]

Your coils seem OK, your plug caps (and maybe wires) are dubious. With ignition on, one coil is likely to get warm, so ignore this for now

You need to clean up your connections to minimize that 2 volt voltage drop

Check out this link to Basscliff's site

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/cbsaunders/gs/plug_cap_replacement.pdf

[cowboyup3371]

Have you cleaned any of your connectors in your harness? You might want to look over everything and clean them with contact cleaner. Replace any connector that looks burnt or is melted as well as consider replacing any terminal that doesn't look right. You'll find terminals and connectors for an inexpensive price at places like www.vintageconnections.com or www.newmotorcycleparts.com (Cycle-Recycle II). Make sure you also get a good crimper when you do not the Walmart specials (Vintage Connections has one for not a whole lot)

[Nessism]

Coil relay mod could save you time having to clean up every connector. Details on Basscliff's website.

To properly clean the harness you need to remove the brass terminals from the plastic connectors (they make small terminal tools for this job), and then clean up the brass and pinch closed the female terminals. It's easier than it sounds and greatly advised for critical connectors like on your ignitor.

Oh, and your plug caps sound bad. NGK sells some good quality replacements - sold a lots of different places.

Good luck