is it the stator?

[activa]

Ok, I have an 87 Force 85. I get no spark on #1. Here's what I did:

1. swapped coils #1 and #2, but still no spark on 1.
2. switched the trigger wires for #1 to where #4 would be (from orange-green on the front module to red-white/green on the back module) and of course connected the #1 coil to the appropriate trigger wire--red on the back module--still no spark.
3. checked resistance on the triggers--all 3 at about 50 ohms, and on the stator, both windings at about 700 ohms.

In an earlier post somebody said that the the stator must be bad... but if the stator can charge a CD module to give spark on the red, it must be able to do the same for the other output (orange) on the same module, right? Maybe I'm not getting how these things work...

PS did a visual check of stator but nothing seemed amiss.

 

[activa]

Re: is it the stator?

Ok, I must be dense, but I can usually figure these things out, so please correct my misconceptions. I'm trying to figure out why #1 won't spark on my 87 Force 85:

1. The stator has three independent sections.

2. One section of the stator feeds the rectifier and acts as a rudimentary alternator to charge the battery.

2. The two remaining sections of the stator feed each of the two CD modules.

3. Each CD module can drive two coils. In this motor, the front module drives cyl #1 and 2, and the rear module drives #3. The red-white/green input to the rear module is unused.

4. I get spark on cyl #2, driven by the front module, and on #3, driven by the rear module. Since each module is driven by a different section of the stator, the problem cannot be the stator itself.

I cannot get a spark on #1. Based on the above assumptions, here is what I tried:

1. I swapped the #1 and 2 coils. Still no spark on #1, indicating that the problem lay upstream from the coil.

2. I connected the #1 trigger wires (green-orange) to the empty input on the rear module (red-white/green) and connected the #1 coil to the red output from the rear module. Still no spark.

3. Since both modules produce spark, and since the trigger does not produce spark from the empty input on the rear module, I deduce the trigger must be bad, right?

BUT WAIT...

Just to be sure, I connect the #2 trigger to the empty input on the rear module, and swap the output (red) to the #2 coil, and... NO SPARK!

What am I missing? It appears that the orange-red trigger input on the front module AND the red-white/green input on the rear module are both bad. Does this make any sense at all? I'm at my wit's end. Any ideas appreciated.

AAAAAAAARRGGGGGG!

Thanks for any help at all!

 

[QuadManiac]

Re: is it the stator?

Good, logical troubleshooting job so far. Have you swapped ignition (spark plug) wires? Does the problem stay with the coil or go with the wire? Could be a large burned out length of ignition wire conductor?

If, logically, this is already discounted as an issue, sorry, i missed it walking through your 'word problem' description of testing, lol.

Good Luck!

 

[activa]

Re: is it the stator?

Good, logical troubleshooting job so far. Have you swapped ignition (spark plug) wires? Does the problem stay with the coil or go with the wire? Could be a large burned out length of ignition wire conductor?

If, logically, this is already discounted as an issue, sorry, i missed it walking through your 'word problem' description of testing, lol.

Good Luck!

Quad, yeah, thanks, sorry I wasn't clear, I swapped the #1 and #2 coil/wire assemblies, but it was still the #1 plug that wasn't firing. In other words, it wasn't either the the wire or the coil, since they both worked when in the #2 position. I'm ready to take to the shop (where does pride end and obsession begin? :/ )

BTW, I checked both stator windings and got ~700 ohms, and the three triggers, and got ~50 ohms each.

 

[QuadManiac]

Re: is it the stator?

and last obvious dumb question... are you testing with the plugs that were there, a spark tester, or the screwdriver in the plug boot routine. If you are using the actual plugs, is it possible that your #1 plug (especially if resistor type) has no continuity from the input lug to the center pin?

I'm sure you are beyond this, but sometimes it the obvious that bites us in the *ss.