Magneto white wire

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VermontCruizer

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Jun 17, 2009
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Vermont
Hi all! I am having trouble getting my first engine to run at all. Not knowing much about engines, her'a stupid question....I opened up the case where the magneto is and the White wire is not connected to to the magneto coil thing. Does this matter or should the spark plug still spark correctly? Thanks.
 

TerrontheSnake

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Jun 1, 2009
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Oregon
No yanking! you might need that if you choose to use it, more importantly yeah why is it not connected? Has something maybe damaged more than just pulling the white wire off? If so you could have damage to the magneto. The white wire not being there shouldn't make the plug not spark unless it is shorting out somewhere.
 

Junster

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Jun 2, 2009
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Washington St.
Almost for sure the white is grounded out inside the windings if it's just hanging inside the cover. It should go into the winding cover like the blue does. If it's grounded out in the windings the motor will never start. Send a email to your vendor and ask for a new mag/generator. Most are good about sending a part.
 

MikeJ

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May 3, 2009
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Colorado Springs
The white wire should be routed through the kill switch. When the kill switch is pressed, it connects to the white wire (a low voltage) through the switch to the wire that should be bolted to engine electrical ground. When the kill button is pressed, the low voltage shorts to ground and kills engine spark. In simple terms, connect the "other" wire out of the kill switch to a bolt on the engine. Some riders send the blue wire (a high voltage) through some kill switch. I expect the low-voltage kill switch to burn itself out someday if using the high-voltage blue wire. If that happens, you will never get spark until you replace the switch. If you are going to use the blue wire through a kill switch, wrap some insulating electical tape around the end of the white wire to prevent it touching the frame or the engine, and killing your spark.
 

TerrontheSnake

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Jun 1, 2009
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Oregon
The white wire should be routed through the kill switch. When the kill switch is pressed, it connects to the white wire (a low voltage) through the switch to the wire that should be bolted to engine electrical ground. When the kill button is pressed, the low voltage shorts to ground and kills engine spark. In simple terms, connect the "other" wire out of the kill switch to a bolt on the engine. Some riders send the blue wire (a high voltage) through some kill switch. I expect the low-voltage kill switch to burn itself out someday if using the high-voltage blue wire. If that happens, you will never get spark until you replace the switch. If you are going to use the blue wire through a kill switch, wrap some insulating electical tape around the end of the white wire to prevent it touching the frame or the engine, and killing your spark.
My manual says exactly the opposite. I am using the same old kill switch and for a while I didn't have my brakes working so I used the engine compression to slow from full speed by pressing the kill switch hooked up to the blue and never burnt out my kill switch if it was going to burn out it would have. It the same cheapo kill switch that came with the kit, no issues.
 

MikeJ

New Member
May 3, 2009
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Colorado Springs
Amazing! Maybe that is why the confusion exists. Two authoritative documents with conflicting text. I am happy to hear your technique works.
 

xlite

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Jun 18, 2009
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ny,ny
The blue wire is high voltage low current while the white is lower voltage higher current but neither has anything close to what it takes to blow out a kill switch. They generally fail for mechanical not electrical reasons.

I prefer to use the choke to stop my engine and haven't hooked up a kill switch in years. If my engine fails to stop instantly it tells me there's a leak or some other reason running lean. Using a kill switch eliminates this valuable window into engine health.
 

Cabinfever1977

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Mar 23, 2009
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Upstate,NY
the white wire has a free pigtail on the end of it to connect to kill switch and the blue wire has a pigtail to connect to the engine wire and no free pigtail for kill switch and would have to be sliced to hook to 2 things and thats why i would think the white to kill switch would be easier or correct for most people.but its the builders choice use the white or the blue wire to kill switch. if you have no kill switch and you engine fails to stop with choke and your brakes fail you will not like your bike wheels locking up on you or your engine falling off and you flying over the handlebars.
use the manual that came with your kit since the wire colors may be diffrent than other kits.
 

xlite

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Jun 18, 2009
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ny,ny
if you have no kill switch and you engine fails to stop with choke and your brakes fail you will not like your bike wheels locking up on you or your engine falling off and you flying over the handlebars.
Only a problem on 12hp 50mph HT engines like yours :) Mine rarely go over 20mph and the brakes are more than enough to stall it dead.

Good brakes are far more important. I had a guy come over last week with no front brake. Lever but no cable or pads. I refused to install. He said he's coming back this weekend with brakes but we'll see.

That being said I do wire the kill switch for others for just the reason you mentioned. Safety. Just not on my own. I suppose it's better to have one and not use it but I play musical bikes so much it's just one more thing to hook up.

BTW if wheels are locked up or engine fell off then kill switch won't help much. But I know what you mean
.
 

reg454

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Jan 11, 2009
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michigan
Just a question the other day the blue wire came off the magneto and the little wire that comes out of the magneto that grounds the whole thing came off too. So what I did was re-solder the little ground wire and the blue wire back on. It ran good for about 2 hours then all is dead could the magneto have fried? I am going to order a new magneto and cdi this coming up Wednesday and replace both.

I also have a situation where the bolts fro the magneto keep on loosening up I am thinking of replacing the lock washers and getting some blue lock-tight for them any one else have this problem?
 

MB-Monkey

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Nov 19, 2008
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Manchester TN USA
Reg it is possible that the mag is dead if the wires came off they need to be soldered back a specific way its easier to replace the mag coil. as for the bolts i would replace them with the proper metric Allen head bolts from the hardware store with a good lock washer should solve your issue.
 

TerrontheSnake

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Jun 1, 2009
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Oregon
Yeah that's what I was thinking and that must be why there is so much controversy I'll just read each manual and follow the engineers guidelines until they don't work then I'll Jerry rig it :) Lol none of my wires had any pigtails whatsoever just bare wire at the end.