It'll turn over, but no spark...

Just picked up a 82 Maxim 550, It's been sitting for while but all in all it's in good shape.

We've been trying to get it started, it'll turn over just fine but we aren't getting any spark at the plugs.

What are some quick checks we could do to elimante possible causes?

We do have the service manual for the bike and will be basically building the bike from the ground up, we'd just like to hear it run before we break it down!

Thanks in advance!

 

spark coil it sits under the tank, chek for cracks you can place a multi meater on it too

 

Just spent a week working on my maxim trying to figure out why I wasn't getting spark on 1&4

I would look at

-Ignition coils (under tank, 2 of them)

[When sitting on bike]
(LEFT) (cylinders 1&4)
(RIGHT) (cylinders 2&3)

There is a "how to" to test your coils using an multimeter, do you have one of these or a friend who has one/knows how to use one?

Also, check to see if you're getting voltage to the coils

There is a common ignition fuse for the ignition circuit, I think this could be your problem because if this has busted you won't get spark from either

As a last resort, the TCI unit can go bad on these bikes. However, there really isn't any way to "test" this. You basically need to find a good one to test to see if this is the problem

Hope you can figure this out! Check the fuse!

 

And check the fuse box. The original fuse boxes are pretty awful and you can have contact problems between the fuse clips and the fuses. You should be reading 12V from ground on both of the two pins of the connectors that go to each coil when the ignition is on.

The engine stop switch, neutral/clutch switch, and side stand relay circuit (if equipped) are other things that can disable your ignition.

 

pickup coils too.. Under left side crankcase cover. Check resistance. This was my no spark problem.

 

are the plugs fouled?

 

Check your battery charge. The TCI unit is picky about having a nicely charged battery.

 

Check for "The Basics"

Spark, Fuel and Air.

If there's no Spark; you have a good deal of Troubleshooting to do.
Begin with the Fuse Panel.
A good deal of Ignition related trouble can be traced right to the old Fuse Pane.

Fuel.
Easily checked.
Spray some Starting Fluid into the Intake Port of the Airbox and see if the highly combustible Starting Fluid will get the Engine to run.

Air.
The problem with Air is having too much.
Check for leaks from where the Manifolds are mounted, the Manifolds themselves, where the Carb Intake Necks are inserted into the Manifolds and the Pivot Points on the Carb Bodies where the Throttle Shafts Pivot.

 

There are also 2 relays that will prevent spark

The sidestand relay and the starter circuit cutoff relay

they should be located under the seat

 

Thanks to all for the info! We found the problem and she starts right up now. We ended up tracing all of the ignition system wiring down and found that there were several wires that either weren't connected or had bad grounds. We cleaned up the wiring and she'll start first time every time now.

Thanks again to for all the help!

Now that we know the motor runs good we can focus on the cosmetics and get to work on the frame.