Subject: Re: My Ambassador has an intermittant!
Author: Eric Lamberts
Date: Jun 11, 2001, 7:57 AM
Post ID: 1707069930
On Mon, 11 Jun 2001, William Dudley wrote:
| Duration of the intermittant can be very short (like one or two missing plug firings) to "long" like 15 seconds. Symptoms: 1. Seems just like I shut off the ignition - power goes away, then the intermittant "repairs" itself and the motor starts pulling again. 2. Generator light goes on (dimly) during intermittant failure. I don't know what this is telling me. 3. Highbeam indicator stays on (if it was on) during failure, implying that lighting circuit is unaffected. 4. Tachometer needle swings wildly after intermittant is restored, suggesting power to tach is also restored. This suggests (to me) diagnosis (b) below. My guess would be (a) an intermittant failure of the ignition feed or (b) intermittant failure of the points (due to oil or grease getting on the points, for example) but I'm looking for other suggested diagnoses in case my logic is incorrect. I also welcome suggestions as to how to debug this. Here are my ideas: One way would be to continue to use the bike but carry a voltmeter and a coil of wire and some electrical tape in my pocket at all times. Another way would be to instrument the bike by adding LED indicators showing voltage present at crucial points: feed to coil, fuse in headlight, . . . Or I could just examine all the connections on the bike, but it would seem difficult to ensure that I've found them all. |
Most likely (99%, although who knows?) an ignition problem.
First thing I'd do would be to clean and reset the points, never a bad
thing to do. I'd also run a new wire from the distributor to the coil,
but
original wiring doesn't mean much on my bike and I have all the stuff to
replace it.
Go for a ride. Cured? Good!
Not?
Run a wire from the battery to the other side of the coil. Cured? Your
problem is is the switch or wiring leading to the switch/coil.
Not?
Try a new condensor, and be sure the distributor insulation is intact.
Cured?
Not?
Dang!! Don't you hate this old ^%$#*& piece a' &^%$#@*& junk? Possibly
coil. Sell your bike to me ;)!! JUST KIDDING! I don't need any more
bikes, although our listmeister would certainly take it off your hands
in his him for orphaned disabled bikes...
hth
Eric Lamberts ew-@unr.edu Reno, Nevada USA.
'00 Yamaha R6, '98 Honda XR400, '85 Yamaha SR500, '85 Kawasaki GPZ Turbo,
'84 Yamaha RZ350, '77 Trimph Bonneville Silver Jubilee special '73 Moto Guzzi
Eldorado, '72 Norton Combat, '66 Suzuki X6, '66 Suzuki T10.