sudden ignition failure

GoldenMotor.com

legnovore

New Member
Dec 14, 2012
3
0
0
oregon
I was riding along and suddenly my ignition failed. hasn't sparked since. CDI and spark plug cap replaced, still nothing. wired up properly, magneto gives a nice AC voltage, cleaned up the spark plug, continuity tested all wires, all fine! what the **** is going on!? someone help!

Legnovore:-||
 

UVsaturated

New Member
May 15, 2008
140
4
0
Dayton, Ohio
If your ignition checks out okay, then you may have an issue with your fuel. Is there any fuel in your carburetor bowl? You can unscrew the small screw at the bottom of the bowl to see if there is fuel in there.

You may have dirt or debri stuck in the needle valve causing the bowl to be empty. You can use the 'tickler' button on the top left side of the carb to sometimes nudge the float and it can dislodge this on occasion.
 

Kioshk

Active Member
Oct 21, 2012
1,152
10
38
Connecticut
Remove the plug, reconnect the spark-plug cable from CDI and place on engine-head. Engage clutch and roll bike to turn engine over; you can walk it, or hand-crank the rear-wheel. You'll see a spark in the plug's gap if the ignition-system's good. If not, try again with the kill-switch disconnected. I suspect you're looking at a magneto replacement. See if you have water in its compartment.
 
Last edited:

Kioshk

Active Member
Oct 21, 2012
1,152
10
38
Connecticut
The magneto is in a compartment in the lower front-left of the engine where the magneto's wires come out; blue, white, and black. The blue connects to your CDI's blue wire, and the black to black. The white wire is a low-voltage wire intended to provide 6V for a headlight...don't use it; once you determine that the magneto works, it is recommended that you cut this wire off where it connects to the coil to avoid it shorting out or being any other type of nusence. The kill-switch's wires should be connected to the second set of female-connectors on the CDI wires...it doesn't matter which wire goes to which. If the kill-switch wires ARE connected, remove them for the second part of the testing procedure I suggested earlier. It is common for the magneto's compartment to become infiltrated by rain/snow-water which results it the fine wire of the magneto rusting and eventually breaking or shorting. It's happened to the best of us (me) many times. As I said, I'm pretty confident your mag's dead. You can get them on eBay for less than $12 delivered; I advise you to buy TWO and always have a spare (order another when one fails). Also, push some RTV into the white sheath and wire-hole to waterproof the compartment. Wickedest1 suggests duct-taping the seam of the compartment-cover too.
 
Last edited: