tosh
New Member
Posts: 10
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Post by tosh on Feb 23, 2008 1:46:33 GMT -5
Hello all wisdom holders-
Im totally new to this and welcome any help. A little new to this customising situation too - but ive thrown myself into it with a cafe racer type vision for my 83 Sr500 fresh from Japan.
I've removed the airbox and standard battery and replced it with a smaller Yuasa YT4B-BS sealed battery (12V, 2.3Ahrs) and mounted it along with the CDI and regulator on a new tray under the seat (totally standard-custom style). Disconnected the Flasher (indicator thingy) as it was busted anyway and put the keys in and turned it to ON - nothin. Realised the 20A fuse had gone - i replaced it with another 20A - it went again.. and so no electrics.
After testing the old battery and new battery for Volt output - noted that the new one was giving just over 12V. So upped the fuse to a 25A. That blew. So went up again to a 30A (dangerous territory Im guessing) - and that didnt blow - but no electrics.
So I decided to hook the old battery back up again (as it was working fine before) and test to see if i could get some lights on the dash - nothing still - eek.
I feel that I may have done something irreverseble -
Have i busted the CDI or Regulator?
Am I very stupid for taking the fuses up hastely?
Should I consult experience before bravado?
Im quite sure the battery or CDI isn't grounded - should they be?
So many questions -
so much time not on the road.
ANyone out there with any ideas?
Thank you in advace - Tosh.
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Post by davedunsboro on Feb 24, 2008 7:26:22 GMT -5
Ouch thats a hell of a fault current ! Its gotta be a dead short or the battery is bum about or something?The CDI & alternator plug/joiners can get transposed but I dont know if this can create a short like you've got going on. Look for pinched wires,screws through wires but mostly check your battery for + - being right .
Never fix electrical faults by upping fuses it always ends badly !Its also the hardest thing to fix if you are unsure of what to do & a good auto lecci friend is a bonus so get in touch with one as it may save you in the long run cheers Dave.
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Post by wotavidone on Feb 24, 2008 19:27:44 GMT -5
Maaaate.... They put fuses in so that all the other bits don't get more current than they can handle put through them, so upping the amps of the fuse is not a good move, though I have done it myself to get home with a shorting fuel pump. Did you see any smoke? All electronic bits have a small quantity of smoke in them which is vitally important to the operation of said electronic bits. As an old electricain once said to me, "Son, never let the smoke out of you electrical components, they won't work after you do that."  Seriously, try your damndest to get an electrical diagram for your model year, and don't power anything up until you've been through it wire by wire and checked every single connection. I don't reckon its that hard, just go through it wire by wire with your thinking cap on. Mick |
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Post by StewRoss on Feb 25, 2008 2:27:14 GMT -5
Sounds like a major short to me... SR  |
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tosh
New Member
Posts: 10
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Post by tosh on Feb 25, 2008 2:38:21 GMT -5
Thanks lads -
So the short of it (ha - well its not so funny actually) is that the CDI and regulator wires got swapped (colour coded now). That took a couple of degrees to work out (my mate's an electrical engineer+ thank G). SO now the electrics seem doodle-dandy (headlight, display, etc), but I still haven't got it started. I've even changed the plugs. The alternator is working cos the display dims when i turn on the headlight. Have I let smoke escape from the CDI?(Mick - I love the story about the smoke) Is there an obvious sign that it could be the CDi?
It just feels like there's no spark to get the thing movin.. can i test this by removing the plug and looking for a spark when I kick it? Am I an idiot?
Lads - I appreciate your time - my girlfriend is at her end over mine.
cheers.
t
.. I know im a fool for upping the fuses - live and learn though.
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Post by StewRoss on Feb 25, 2008 3:46:12 GMT -5
Pull the plug out and earth the thread against the head. Hold the end of the cap...you should have a strong spark when you run the kickstart through...don't touch the end of the plug while you do this...it would hurt! SR  |
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tosh
New Member
Posts: 10
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Post by tosh on Feb 26, 2008 19:57:37 GMT -5
Thanks SR..
So it seems the newer sealed battery is already flat -
the old stock one is enabling a spark -
so next thing... get a charger for this battery.
SO happy it aint the CDI..
Cheers again.
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Post by StewRoss on Feb 27, 2008 1:23:30 GMT -5
The spark will occur even without a battery installed if all is OK with the CDI system... SR  |
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Post by flannelback on Mar 5, 2008 9:39:08 GMT -5
I've got a wimpy little spark on the kick with my '78, and I got a new coil
on the way on the off-chance that'll fix it. I'll let you know how that comes
out.
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JohnOldgit
New Member
Would you like a ride?
Posts: 9
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Post by JohnOldgit on Mar 6, 2008 5:40:17 GMT -5
Quote: "So it seems the newer sealed battery is already flat - the old stock one is enabling a spark - so next thing... get a charger for this battery. SO happy it aint the CDI."Ignore the battery regarding any ignition problems. I have run both XT and SR without any battery at all, the ignition is just kick and go. IF you ever need to change the CDI, make sure you get the right one for your machine as they changed the CDI timing from 1980 onwards.Quote: "I've got a wimpy little spark on the kick with my '78, and I got a new coil on the way on the off-chance that'll fix it. I'll let you know how that comes out." Howmuch did the coil cost? A lot more than a new plug I suspect 
Take the easy but slow route that goes through the system methodically and, hopefully, cheaply. Try a new plug and compare the spark. Remove the plug cap from the HT lead and hold the tip of the lead around 5mm from the engine case and you should see a fat blue spark jump the gap, if not, trim 10mm off the end of the HT lead to make sure the connection is clean and kick it over again. If you still have a weak or no spark, check all connections, especially the bullet type as they can work loose. Make sure wires are clean and not covered in oil, grease, crap which can all soak away current.
If you have a multimeter, disconnect the feed to the HT coil and test the resistance of the Primary and Secondary coils. Plug the black lead of your meter into the black wire coming from the coil and the red lead into the orange wire (pinkish on mine) and you should get a reading of around 0.98 Ohms. Then connect the red lead from your meter to the end of the HT lead (with plug cap removed) and you should read around 12K Ohms.
If you haven't got a manual to follow, get one, they're essential.
I have a pdf copy you can download at the URL below - 97MB so will take a while even on Broadbean! Right click the link and click 'save link as' or 'save target as' depending on whether you're using Firefox or Internet Exploder.
www.oldgitsuk.dsl.pipex.com/MySR/YamTTXTSR500HayMan.pdf
Good luck to both of us as I'm having a similar problem! JohnOldgit
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