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1982 Maxim 550 no spark and other PO tales.

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by BlumpkinKing87, Jun 18, 2018.

  1. BlumpkinKing87

    BlumpkinKing87 New Member

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    Thanks, I figured it out with the help of YouTube lol. The coils measure good, but I can't get any readings at all with the caps on.
     
  2. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    Chacal has new caps in stock. Normally I'd tell you to unscrew the holder for the resistors, and just put new resisors in, but you mentioned that one of the caps is broken.
    I bought my replacement caps directly from NGK, but it didn't cost any less, and they took longer to get to me.
     
  3. Rooster53

    Rooster53 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Try measuring the caps by themselves. They are spec'd at 10K +/- 20%. With the caps on be sure to set your DMM above the 20K ohm range, as the total resistance with caps would be around 21 Kohms. Also, sometimes it is difficult to get a meter lead up inside the caps where the spark plugs connect so it may help to insert a screwdriver to get a good electrical connection.
     
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  4. hogfiddles

    hogfiddles XJ-Wizard, Host-Central NY Carb Clinic Moderator Premium Member

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    You may need to trim off about 1/4" if the plug leads and then reinstall the caps.....the wire ends may be corroded.
     
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  5. BlumpkinKing87

    BlumpkinKing87 New Member

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    I'll check the caps and trim off a little bit of the leads and give that a shot as well. I'm going to order new caps tonight either way.
     

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  6. XJ550H

    XJ550H Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    if they are original equipment caps the inside unscrews(where the spark plug is inserted) this could be loose try snugging it up a bit.
    I would suggest new caps even if yours test out good
     
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  7. BlumpkinKing87

    BlumpkinKing87 New Member

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    I'm just going to replace them anyway die to number 4 being broken and a couple others are slightly cracked. Does the bike require 10Ohm resistance? It looks like all the NGK angled caps are 5Ohm while only a few 90 degree caps are 10Ohm

    [EDIT]: Here's the link to the page I'm looking at: https://www.ngk.com/Motorcycle-Plug-Caps-c543.aspx
     
  8. XJ550H

    XJ550H Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    have you chased the voltage from fuse to run/kill switch then down to tci and coils.
    does the bike turn over?
    also there is a black/white wire coming from tci connector disconnect it it can ground out thee spark
     
  9. XJ550H

    XJ550H Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    I buy mine from chacal. aka Len at www.xj4ever.com you can start a conversation with him ohere or go to his web site and email him.

    it is ok to run 5k ohm because in the overall spec of the coils and caps you will be in spec, or you can add resistor caps to make up the differance
     
  10. BlumpkinKing87

    BlumpkinKing87 New Member

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    The bike does turn over, my headlight works but my turn signals do not. It has an aftermarket headlight assembly and I believe it's not wired correctly because the left signal is solid until I turn it on and then it's dark. Right signal does nothing at all. I think it would be a good idea to buy or make a new wiring harness becuase I have no clue what this guy did with this one.
     
  11. XJ550H

    XJ550H Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    your signal problem is seperate from your ignition problem different fuse.

    could be you just have to clean the bulb sockets and use a little dielectric grease.
    also could be the control needs to be cleaned or 1 or more of the 3 wires inside needs to be resoldered to the little board
     
  12. XJ550H

    XJ550H Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    clean with electric contact cleaner and then lube with a little dielectric grease. clean all the connectors you undo and grease them
    an eraser comes in handy too.
     
  13. XJ550H

    XJ550H Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    could be he plugged the directionals into the wrong wires in bucket. I can id the connectors for you I have an open headlight on one of my 550s
    I will get that info for you tomorrow after work

    this diagram is really cool it is for a seca 550 but will work for you
    http://lumien.se/stuff/xj550/XJ550ElectricalDiagram.html

    seca has 2 indicator bulbs for blinkers a fuel guage and built in volt meter

    we have minimum wiring diagrams here if you go that way.

    shame less plug I have an extra harness for a 550 if you decide to go that way.
    also if you decide it is the tci I will test it for you in my 550 if you want
     
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  14. BlumpkinKing87

    BlumpkinKing87 New Member

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    I just went back out and tested my TCI using info from Chacal's page.

    "3) another common failure of these units occurs if the TCI is continuously grounding the ignition coil (i.e. its output driver is shorted). You can verify this situation with an ohmmeter with the following tests:

    - disconnect the 2-pin plug at the ignition coil and measure from the orange or grey wire to the chassis. You should see very high resistance. This should be pretty close on both the working and non-working channels.

    - if you read a few ohms of resistance or less, then the TCI is bad. A shorted driver will also make the ignition coil run very hot and may ruin the coil."

    I couldn't get a reading from the grey or orange wires to frame, only the white/red to frame. I wasn't getting much resistance in any case so I'm thinking now that it may be my TCI.

    [EDIT]: For reference, what would you want for that spare harness, and is it all intact?
     
  15. Rooster53

    Rooster53 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    The very high resistance or no reading on the orange and gray is a good reading. A defective TCI will read low as Chacal suggested with a bad TCI. This is an indication that the output transistors in the TCI are shorted. No need to run out and get a TCI just yet.
     
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  16. BlumpkinKing87

    BlumpkinKing87 New Member

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    So basically I didn't have my multimeter cranked to a high enough resistance setting? I was using the 20KOhms setting.
     
  17. Chitwood

    Chitwood Well-Known Member

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    I ordered ngk lb05fp caps from my local parts store for the outer cylinders on both 650's that reside in my garage. Measured them when I got them which only took a day, and they were right on 5k ohms resistance. I plan to order some xb05fp for the inner cylinders. The fp suffix numbers are supposed to be more waterproof than just the f suffix. I can see why, the rubber ends fit nice and snug. Also as an added bonus that may make little difference to most is the white letters on them that say ngk. Just that little pop dresses it up a bit I think but purely cosmetic.
     
  18. SQLGuy

    SQLGuy Well-Known Member

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    Stator and rotor of the alternator have nothing to do with no spark. As long as you have a good, charged, battery, you should be getting spark when cranking. A bad rotor, stator, or brushes will mean that the battery will not get charged while the engine is running, but it won't prevent the ignition system from firing the spark plugs.

    If you're not getting spark, here is an article that covers theory of operation and troubleshooting for that: https://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/how-to-ignition-troubleshooting.21932/
     
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  19. BlumpkinKing87

    BlumpkinKing87 New Member

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    Thanks! This is my first street bike, I'm used to Yamaha dirtbikes and quads so this bike is a learning process! So far I've been given a lot of great info and a lot of help, I'm glad I ran across this forum.
     
  20. MattiThundrrr

    MattiThundrrr Not a guru

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    You have the electric gurus on the case. You are in great hands. These guys posts are so far over my head!
     
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