Really weird fuse blowing/smoke problem

[nabrams]

A few years back I installed a faulty regulator/rectifier on my bike. I started the bike and things started smoking and instrument bulbs blew out until finally the main fuse blew, preventing further damage.
You may have had a faulty R/R that was failing slowly enough to cause some wire melting before blowing the fuse. The repeated attempts may have caused some more melting.
Anyway, at this point I suggest getting a good multimeter and testing the main electrical components (stator, R/R, coils, etc.) to verify that they're all up to spec (see stator papers in the garage section of this site). You will be a bit intimidated at first but once you find the problem you'll say "Got ya!" and you'll feel better about not having to play guessing games anymore. When I found my R/R putting out 18 volts, that sure clarified the problem.
If all of that checks out OK then check to verify that all plugs are firing (see other posts on how to do this). I'd also try to pinpoint exactly which wires have melted so far, if I were you. It would be a shame to get everything else straightened out and then have short circuits that will mess you up again.

[isaac]

The list:

I've taken a good look around at all the wiring and nothing's melting.

The green neutral light still won't come on, but that's the only bulb blown (or somehow not being triggered).

It's measuring 12v at the coils and the kill switch.

The previously disabled neutral safety switch and kickstand switch had never been an issue before.

It cranks just fine, but won't fire.

Fuel flow is fine (hence my suspicions of spark problems)

I've read stuff about ignitors and signal generators going bad and was wondering if those could have anything to do with this.

Reminders: Bike blew the main fuse last week and died, no dash lights, starter wouldn't come on.

Replaced fuse and the bike fired right up and worked fine for a week.

It did the same thing again this time, blowing the fuse five times on the way home, but continuing to run with the main fuse blown if I held the throttle. It actually got me home like this (main fuse blown but bike still running barely) in first gear at 10mph.

Now after seemingly fixing the blown fuse shorting out problem due to the oil temp sensor it won't start at all. Replacing the fuses and cleaning fuse and main wire connections has done nothing.

What could I have done wrong here? thanks.

[nabrams]

Did you actually check for spark (and see a blue/white spark on all plugs)?
Without that sanity check you're still just guessing as to whether the whole igniter/coil/plug/signal-generator combination is actually functioning or not. If you get even a weak spark you bike should at least sputter (catch a little) on a startup attempt. You haven't played with the carbs or air filter so it is almost certainly not either of those.

[isaac]

It's not sparking at all on any of the 4 cylinders. Something's keeping that from happening.

I'm thinking and hoping it's some simple circuit between turning on the key and the bike lighting up that's keeping the spark from happening.

I'm getting 12 volts to the orange wire going into the back of each coil with the key on. The yellow/black wire going into the front of the right coil is getting about a volt less. The white wire going into the front of the left coil is only getting a little over a volt. I'm not sure what that means, but I'm hoping that's a major clue. Help?

[isaac]

New stuff: The bike blew the bulb for the neutral light. I don't know if this means it's lost the regulator and is going to 18v or whatever, but it seems to me that it would have blown them all if it did that.

I checked the resistance on the primary terminals on the coils. One one of them it's at 3.8 ohms and the other is 4.3 ohms. Those seem to be within acceptable range.

I've seen things about checking the module and if it's bad possibly opening it up and resoldering it. How do I check it? Is it a resistance between the terminals thing? What are the values? Thanks for the help.

[nabrams]

First, the facts:
Your plugs are NOT firing. Now you must start investigating WHY they're not firing.
Also, you blew another bulb (just because they didn't all go at once proves nothing - each one may have a slightly different tolerance) - this points to an over-voltage - perhaps due to a faulty R/R.

What to do:
If you don't do the following process-of-elimination investigation you'll take double or triple the time to find the problem.
First, test your igniter according to the directions in your manual. You do have a Clymer (or other brand) manual, don't you?. If not, then get one a.s.a.p. - you're going to need it. Until then, see if there are instructions on this site or elsewhere on the net. Based on your descriptions, I'd bet the igniter is toast.
If your igniter is fried then you will have no chance of getting spark even if your R/R and stator are fine (note that these are three separate components: iginiter, R/R and stator).
If your igniter checks out OK, then it is possible (although remote) that your signal generator has died - maybe its wiring is fried.
The voltages you mentioned on the coil wires can be verified against what your manual (or other source) states they should be - do they match?
Have you tried swapping in different coils?

[isaac]

nabrams, thanks for the tips.

As far as the blown bulb goes, it's only the one. It hasn't blown anything else. I mentioned that as a new fact because I only fully pulled apart the cluster today to get at it.

I've done a bunch of research on the site in the past day and have found lots of tests on the different parts, and have tested all the ignition components.

The coils came back with a primary resistance of 3.8 and 4.3 ohms. The signal generator has 305 ohms of resistance. I did the 1.5 volt test on the ignitor and it threw no spark. It also heats up when the ignition key is on. I'm guessing it's the ignitor (aka CDI aka ignition module) that's suddenly decided to blow.

Anyway, it looks like I've got three options here: Get a replacement ignitor, get a Dyna S ignition, or open this ignitor up somehow and resolder it.

I've PM'd some people about resoldering and hopefully they'll get back to me. This thing seems pretty difficult to get open without mutilating it since it has seemingly no seams on it, which mean's I'll have to slice it up.

Ideas? Thanks.

[nabrams]

You might be able to get a used igniter on eBay real cheap. New ones are VERY expensive. I wouldn't even attempt to fix the old one.
Also, you'd better check the R/R and stator as well. If those are bad, you may end up frying the next igniter you get because the voltage on the bike is all screwed up - Definitely worth the effort.
At least you've identified the problem - that's at least half the battle won.
Good luck.

[isaac]

Thanks again for all the help, nabrams. It looks like it's definitely narrowed down to the ignitor.

I checked the regulator/rectifier using the continuity test procedures in "the stator papers" section of the garage, and everything appears to be functioning normally. I don't think I can check the stator until I actually get the bike running. Can I?

[nabrams]

I pretty sure the stator papers list a resistance test (Ohms) for the stator as well (it's further down the tree), which will not require the bike to be running.

[earlfor]

The ignitor box should not get hot when you turn the key on. It has to be shorted out internally, thats the only thing that could cause it to heat up.
I would not attempt to take it apart. New ones are about $450.00, so I would buy a Dyna S instead.

When you get it running, check the voltage output on the R/R with the engine at 5K rpm. Voltage at the battery terminals should not be greater than 14.8 volts.

Earl


quote="isaac"]

The coils came back with a primary resistance of 3.8 and 4.3 ohms. The signal generator has 305 ohms of resistance. I did the 1.5 volt test on the ignitor and it threw no spark. It also heats up when the ignition key is on. I'm guessing it's the ignitor (aka CDI aka ignition module) that's suddenly decided to blow.

Anyway, it looks like I've got three options here: Get a replacement ignitor, get a Dyna S ignition, or open this ignitor up somehow and resolder it.

I've PM'd some people about resoldering and hopefully they'll get back to me. This thing seems pretty difficult to get open without mutilating it since it has seemingly no seams on it, which mean's I'll have to slice it up.

Ideas? Thanks.[/quote]