Ridin' in the rain

Will new stock coils stop the problem of dying when wet? If I let the weather dictate when I can ride, I may never ride! I understand the problem of stock coils and riding in the rain, but will new ones that aren't 25 yrs old stop this? Or do I have to get the aftermarket ones....?

 

Have a look here:
Water proof your coils

 

It also might not be your coils.

Several people have had the problem that when it won't run when it's damp and/or wet out - it was caused by the TCI unit. I've seen this happen personally to another rider in my area - we were out riding for the day, everything fine, ran into wet weather, and when we stopped for gas his bike would no longer fire up. He just happened to have a spare TCI with him -- put it on, hit the starter - vroom.

Note - the original one that caused the problem was in no way wet, or even damp from what we could see. Yet it still failed. Also note that a day later after it had dried, that same unit worked perfectly again.

 

What is a TCI?

 

Transistor Controlled Ignition.

 

A check of the condition of the conformal coating on the TCI should tell you it is time for a fresh coat. I used some stuff we call AMLGARD in the military (LPS carries a similar MILSPEC material). A quick coat and you should have no further problems for years.

 

Like above - it's your ignition module - the black block with labels on it under the side cover - looks like this:

 

Thanks everyone. I've only had the problem once and it was after 30 minutes or so of riding through a very heavy downpour. It was spittin' an sputterin' going down the highway and I knew if I had to stop it would die. Less than a mile from my garage I got stopped by a red light and it died. I pushed it into a parking lot, got a ride home. An hour later it started right up even thoug it had sat in the rain. So I'm not sure what the problem is, just assumed coils 'cause I had heard they were bad about the rain or even dampness. Thanks again!

ck

 

wait...check condition of the conformal coating on the TCI or the TDI?

 

In a pinch you can spray it and the plug wires with WD-40 and it will pull/disipate the moisture from the system. I havenot done it on the bike, but it works on old car ingnition systems. Spray the heck out of the TCI and plug wires. wait 5-minutes and give it a try. not a fix, but it works in a pinch.