no spark, 81gs 850gl

[striker]

so this bike is starting give me a head ache . Ben having charging issues for a wile and i let it sit for a week or two. now im not getting spark. i think its the cdi box. would like to test every thing before buying parts but not sheer ware to start. can some one tell me how to test the CDI and the coil packs???

[tom203]

I hope it's not the cdi, because you should not have one- you have an ignitor box! Basscliff has mega info on these things maybe start with this one and backtrack around his site.

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/storagecliff/images/electrical_odd-n-ends.html#A17

[SuziQ]

Few things to check.. (with a charged battery of course).. voltage at the coils themselves. The way I found my problem (after checking all connections) was my sticking my hand on the posts of the coils and quickly hitting the starter button (just a quick turn) to see if they where getting signal from the pulsars ( I had full voltage to my coils, but no spark). If connections are good, but no spark, its your ignitor box. Which you can pull from 750's 850 1000 and 1100 of the same year range. Found the same one on a 79 gs1000 at the junkyard.

[Nessism]

Found the same one on a 79 gs1000 at the junkyard.

'79 GS1000 has points.

Yes on finding a good used ignitor. Make sure it's compatible with your bike first though.

BTW, think I have an ignitor in the spares box. PM me to discuss...

[striker]

went thru the tests and found that the igniter and one on the coils are bad. i dont understand it, i had it running a few weeks ago trying to figure out the charging issue. culd a bad R/R fry a igniter and a coil at the same time. the other coil is on its way out as well. the guy i bout the bike frum is a used parts dealer. ben helping me out a lot with used stuff but dose not deal in Suzuki's much. going tonight to see if has some parts for me. im almost fed up with this bike. had it 2 years and got 200 mils on it

[tom203]

"and one on the coils are bad. i dont understand it, i had it running a few weeks ago trying to figure out the charging issue. culd a bad R/R fry a igniter and a coil at the same time. the other coil is on its way out as well"

Do you mean a signal coil is bad? the ignition coils are very durable- it would be odd to have one bad , let alone two- plus how do you know "the other coil is on its way out "?
Are you sure you did tests correctly? the primary resistance of the ignition coil is about 4 ohms- this is easy to check, just disconnect it from harness .

[striker]

ya i got 0 ohms from cap to cap and 1-2 ohms on the wires going in to the coil . the other 1 is 3ohm in the wires in to the coil and 20 cap to cap. on a full battery (13v) im only getting 9v out of the igniter

[tom203]

ya i got 0 ohms from cap to cap and 1-2 ohms on the wires going in to the coil . the other 1 is 3ohm in the wires in to the coil and 20 cap to cap. on a full battery (13v) im only getting 9v out of the igniter

Disconnect the coils from harness. Remove the caps and stick meter probes into plug wires- should be about 12000 ohms or 12k wire to wire- make sure you have a decent multimeter and know how to use it. Across the primary connection (probably male or female spades), you should get 4 ohms. Some meters don't read well this low- what kind of meter do you have?
The tests on Basscliff eliminate things one by one rather than taking shotgun approach - this helps avoid frustration.

[striker]

iv got a good craftsmen meter. ill retest, but i just got some used parts. free my favorite number

[tom203]

iv got a good craftsmen meter. ill retest, but i just got some used parts. free my favorite number

I like free too ! beware craftsmen meters with digital displays- they work fine but may give false readings with a low battery even before "low battery" indicates.

[striker]

thx Tom. that's good to know. i just got it a few weeks ago with a fresh battery. the last 1 i had lasted about 10 years, i think it got wet. there a good meter for the price