Whats bubbling out of my igniter?

[sark]

I recently acquired a gs45t. I hooked it up to power supply to see if i could get it turned over. It cycled through a couple times and I smelled a horrific stench. I notice some blzck fluid bubbling out of the igniter box. Is this some sort of dielectric fluid? I suppose I need a new igniter. Can anyone shed some light on my situation? Thanks!

 

[BassCliff]

Hey howdy hey!

Hey howdy hey!

Mr. sark,

First of all, let it be known that on this day you are cordially and formally welcomed to the GSR Forum as a Junior Member in good standing with all the rights and privileges thereof. Further let it be known that good standing can be improved with pictures (not you, your bike)! :-D

It sounds as if you've let out the magic smoke! That's almost never a good thing. Most electrical things don't work after you let out the magic smoke.

You can jump these bikes with a car battery, as long as the car is not running. Anything more and the regulator/rectifier can't shunt the excess current. I fear you may need new electrical parts now.

I recommend visiting the garage section via the GSR Hompage and check out the carb rebuild series and the Stator Papers. There's also a lot of great information in the Old Q&A section. I have some documentation on my little BikeCliff website to help get you familiar with doing valve adjustments and other routine maintenance tasks. Other "user contributed" informational sites include those of Mr. bwringer, Mr. tfb and Mr. robertbarr.

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
(The unofficial GSR greeter)

 

[BlackStar]

As BassCliff indicated you have smoked it. That is melted potting material (epoxy encapsulant) oozing out.

 

[sark]

Thanks Bass for that wondeful welcome. Ill try and get pics up ASAP. Right now she's not much to look at though.

So I may have damaged more than just the igniter huh? Actually for what its worth, I think the PO did the damage. He told me he had it running for about a half an hour and then the igniter started to "melt." So it goes without saying that I expected to see the igniter melt.

 

[BassCliff]

If it weren't for electricity...

If it weren't for electricity...

...we'd all be watching TV by candlelight!

Thanks Bass for that wondeful welcome. Ill try and get pics up ASAP. Right now she's not much to look at though.

So I may have damaged more than just the igniter huh? Actually for what its worth, I think the PO did the damage. He told me he had it running for about a half an hour and then the igniter started to "melt." So it goes without saying that I expected to see the igniter melt.

To familiarize yourself with the general electrical goings-on of these bikes, read the Stator Papers (mentioned above). After replacing the charred parts, you'll want to start with a "known good", fully-charged battery and proceed with troubleshooting. I would highly suspect your regulator/rectifier too. You'll need to check all the wiring and connections in the entire wiring harness, from the headlight bucket to the tail light, and make sure they are good,clean, rust-free connections. Make sure all the chassis grounds are clean and oxidation-free. Do the same with the fuse box.

After you've got the charging system repaired, then maybe we can start talking about valve adjustments and carburetors. :-D

Actually, it might be a good idea to go ahead and check your valve clearances. The motor doesn't have to be running to check that.

Have you changed the oil yet? Let us know how it's going.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[Steve]

I hooked it up to power supply to see if i could get it turned over.

Just curious...what did you use for a power supply? :-s


.

 

[Dave8338]

Just curious...what did you use for a power supply? :-s


.

..."now where did I put my jumper cables" :shock:?

 

[Steve]

That's what I thought. :shock:

He's lucky it only 'bubbled' out. 8-[


.

 

[sark]

hey fellas, late morning haha. Let me go check what I used. I'm pretty bad with electricity and all that. Dirt and rocks are my specialty.

 

[sark]

Ok, I used a standard battery charger set to 12volts and 50amps. If it makes any difference I didn't actually see any smoke. But thats not to say the PO didn't. I think I'm going to call a suzuki dealer today to see about that igniter. I'd hate to rely on ebay.

And thanks again Basscliff for your responses. I am surprised and pleased about how helpful people are on this forum.

 

[catbed]

i may be just stupid, but 50 amps seems like a lot to me. when i hook up my charger to crank the engine, i use 2 amps, but it goes up to a little above 10.

 

[sark]

Hmm, you could be right. I really have no idea. I just set my charger to "engine start" which is 50amps.

 

[Steve]

I shudder to think what might have happened there. :shock:


Keep in mind, though, that it is not going to push 50 amps through the system, no matter what, but rather, it will supply up to 50 amps if the starter demands it.

Many times, the "engine start" feature on the charger also increases the voltage a bit because the output might not be properly regulated. Because they are not well-regulated, there may have been a voltage spike.

I have a feeling that if the ignitor was not damaged before, it is now. :-s

Brace yourself when you try to get one at a dealer. IF they can find one, it's not cheap. eBay is alway a crapshoot, but I have bought a fair amount of stuff there for my bikes and have only been disapointed once. It was my fault, though, the product was exactly as advertised, and I was reading it another way.

.

 

[bwringer]

Don't fart around with eBay or the dealer -- just install an electronic ignition. A Dyna is only about $130.

 

[sark]

An electronic ignition? A dyna? Sorry, i have no idea about these. I'll have to google them and see what I can come up with. Might this be a good idea? It looks like a 20 y/o igniter is still gonna cost me 80 bucks. An exra 50 for something new isn't that bad.

 

[bwringer]

An electronic ignition? A dyna? Sorry, i have no idea about these. I'll have to google them and see what I can come up with. Might this be a good idea? It looks like a 20 y/o igniter is still gonna cost me 80 bucks. An exra 50 for something new isn't that bad.

Here's an example of a Dyna ignition from a very reputable dealer:

http://www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=439

This replaces everything except the coils and spark plug wires.

However, you will want to ask the forum or email Jeff at Z1 to verify which Dyna ignition you might need. It's not at all clear which bike you have or what year it is, so you'll need to provide more info.

 

[BassCliff]

Be careful when you jump

Be careful when you jump

Hmm, you could be right. I really have no idea. I just set my charger to "engine start" which is 50amps.

I realize that this is like closing the barn door after all the cows have escaped. :-D

That setting must be for a car "engine start". I concur with the electronic ignition recommendation. I think that's the best option too.

And please don't ever jump your bike like that again. It's not healthy for GS motorcycles and other living things.

Best of luck with your new ignition. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
(The king of the Profound Glimpse into the Obvious)

 

[sark]

I just want to say that according to the PO, the igniter was damaged when I purchased the bike. If my putting the bike on a 50amp charge damaged anything, it didnt damage the igniter. With that in mind, what could cause the igniter to have failed originally?

And thank you all, I'm learning alot.

 

[Dave8338]

I just want to say that according to the PO, the igniter was damaged when I purchased the bike. If my putting the bike on a 50amp charge damaged anything, it didnt damage the igniter. With that in mind, what could cause the igniter to have failed originally?

And thank you all, I'm learning alot.

A bad voltage regulator, poor ground connections, someone else using a laser to try start a bike that really needed carb work? :?

 

[Steve]

A bad voltage regulator, poor ground connections, someone else using a laser to try start a bike that really needed carb work? :?

Not to mention the fact that about 25 years ago, the electronic components tended to last about 25 years. :shock:


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