Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Is it possible for an ignitor.....

to go "partially" bad? In other words, to still work and allow the bike to run well but not be delivering as strong a spark as it should?

I could be way off, but I don't think the ignitor actually sends an ignition spark to the coils, I'm pretty sure that it just receives an input from the crank position sensor (engine rpm), and then input from the Carburetor TPS (throttle position), and then spits out a timing signal based on those two inputs, and a pre-programmed advance curve. I thought I read somewhere that you were replacing your coils, is that right?

yep, got nologys and wires.

Because i'm still battling the problem with my plugs being completely sooty black it just seems likely considering what i have already done. As of a week ago i'm running leaner jetting than what i was and what worked fine for almost a year. And after leaning it out it still did it to a new set of plugs. I also have new nology coils and wires. So the only thing i could possibly imagine that could cause this would be weak spark. I've already checked everything imaginable on the fuel side of things and i can see no possible way for the problem to lie there. So knowing the ignition is the other suspect and that the coils and wires are new, aside form some off the wall problem theres nothing else left but the ignitor. But if what you say is correct i'll have to look elsewhere, tho i have no idea where else to look.

You're saying sooty black.... as in the black deposits are dry? Not an oily black type of deposit right?
Are you still trying to track down the vibration prob? I haven't found mine yet and have an appointment to take it in to have it checked out. For what it's worth I changed oil and put in a new set of plugs. Almost five hundred miles on the new plugs and they are the picture of perfection but the vibe is still there stronger than ever so I'm thinking there is no connection between the two probs. If the black is not actually sooty then the black would be most likely from oil fouling. Usually from excessive wear to rings/cylinders/valve guides, ect. I would highly doubt that would be the prob though but it could be caused from a clogged crankcase breather. If it's clogged too much pressure can build up forcing oil into the cylinders. If you already knew all this I apologize for being the "master of the obvious".... just trying to help.


Steve


Steve

No, it's not that. They're dry. It would either have to be too much fuel or it's not burning the fuel thats there. I did check the floats twice too by the way which i forgot to mention above.

Just wondering; is there a lemon law for motorcycles?

Probably is, but at almost 10k i doubt it would qualify. And even if it did it surely wouldn't after being user modified.

Lemon laws usually involve having the same problem fixed X number of times and it still failing.

If you've replaced your coils and wires, you really should be producing all the spark you need for good combustion. I'm assuming you've also gone back to standard plugs? Like I said earlier, I'm fairly certain that the ignitor is just a timing device, and that your coils are doing the spark work.

As has been said the ignitor i guess is not suspect. So in looking at fuel the only thing left i can see is the EVLS. Greybeard mentioned this before but i didn't test it well enough. yesterday i again plugged it off and went for a ride, but this time i went for a fairly long one. The smell on the right is way down tho still detectable. However, hopefully the smell thats left is just residual. Maybe it is the EVLS. I won't be able to tell tho till i ride at least 100 miles because thats about how long it takes till the plugs become fully blackened. So far they look ok. I'll have to wait on the weather, but hopefully thats it. If so, it's staying disconnected.

Well hope it works out for you. Glad I didn't have to mess with any of that emissions nonsense.

No. You need help. Is the fouling on one side only or is it both plugs? If it is one side only, then check the float valve on that side. If it is on both sides, then something is affecting the amount of air/fuel going into both carbs, e.g. over-oiled filter, replacing elements of fuel circuits on both sides. Have you done plug chops at various throttle openings to check that the over-rich condition is at all, or only certain throttle openings? Maybe a dyno/gas analyser test would reveal if you have screwed the mixture up. Try a paper filter element. BTW, as for the "vibration", I reckon that it is just a harmonic from the airbox and some other vibration - they all do it to some extent, mainly in slow traffic about 20 mph in 2nd gear - you just don't use those rpm at that speed in any other gear. My SM did it and so do most of the other BA/SM bikes I know.

End of line is, put the bike back to stock and change one thing at a time until you find what's what. Changing many things at once is a no-no.

But if one side is not "firing consistently* then the bike will not "run well"...it will stumble,stutter or not run at all...