Coil will shock me but no spark! (dirt squirt)

[RylanCoffey]

Hey everyone, i know ive posted alot of stuff this week and for that i apologize for blowing up the feed. But im super close to getting my bike to run and ive ran into an issue. You see my coil is working i believe because i can shock the fool out of my self if i hold it while kicking it over... but no spark is coming out of the plug. Ive tried 2 plugs and neither worked; starter fluid will not ignite when pulled into the motor, its almost as like my coil is no good but yet it still shocks me enough to make me jump! I dont know whats going on and id love to get some answers from you hodaka genuis! , anyways i dont have my kill switch hooked up so i dont know if thats why im not getting any spark or not. I have uploaded some pics of my coil and kill/run switch. Let me know what yall think is going on and if you guys could tell me how to correctly get the kill switch wired correctly to the coil the easiest way possible would be great.
Thank you guys very much!

Rylan

[matt glascock]

Hopefully the fix may be easier than you think, Rylan. That is not an intermittent switch like most dirt bike kill switches (the kind where you hold the kill button down until the motor stops running and when you release the button you can restart the motor). It is actually a push button on/off switch. Wire it back in, push and release the button once, and try again. Also, I will reiterate the importance of a proper spark plug cap.

[RylanCoffey]

Ok ill put another spark plug cap on, do you have any idea on how i wire that on and off button to the coil?

[matt glascock]

I apologize Rylan. I think I read your post incorrectly. So, you are not getting spark with the kill button totally disconnected. That is a different story. The kill button circuitry merely grounds the coil to the frame. With it out of the circuit altogether, you should be getting continuity through the ignition circuit. You might try a better grounding of the plug. In the picture, you are contacting the plug to the pipe - a painted surface - and might not be getting surefire contact. I made a little jumper wire for the type of testing you are doing. Basically a couple feet of 14ga hook-up wire with an alligator clip at either end that you can connect directly from the spark plug base to the cylinder head. Try that and let us know how it goes. If you are getting enough voltage to give you a nasty jolt, you are getting close. It may be something as simple as the contact at the end of your plug wire. Also, try a plug that you know for absolute certainty works. Steal one from a working lawn mower if you have to. We are just chasing spark here. Don't try to run the motor with it. It has never happened to me, but I know folks who have experienced more than one defective plug from the same box. Sure its a long shot, but we are in the elimination of variables stage now. Also, for a bit of future planning when you get that baby to run, make absolutely sure you have a dependable way to shut it off in the event of a run-away motor. I made that mistake when I was about your age and the experience was decidedly NOT cool.

[RylanCoffey]

Ok thank you matt! I have a spark plug tester and ive tried it on 2 plugs; one brand new and the other very old, perhaps ill go get another one and try it because neither of them showed a light that they were working. So my coil should be working fine without the kill button? This is confusing for me because wiring is not my cup of tea. If you have any idea on how i hook up my ignition button to my coil would great thank you!

[thrownchain]

The ignition will work without the kill switch, the switch is there to ground the circuit to stop the motor. But without that switch, if the bike starts and goes to 7000 rpm, you have no way to shut it down except pulling the plug wire. To wire in a 1 wire switch, splice it into the wire between the points and the coil. With a 2 wire switch splice one lead into the same wire and run the other wire to a ground point, the coil mount is as good as any. Really very simple. The difference in the switches is the 1 wire grounds the system when you push it, the 2 wire is a on / off set up.

[viclioce]

If you are getting zapped when you touch the wire, you may be getting power from the coil but the plug is either bad or the power thatvis zapping you isn’t strong enough to fire across the plug gap.

Matt’s suggestion of trying to make sure you are getting a good ground at the head surface is reasonable. And making sure the plug has a correct gap.

You could also test the plugs you have tried on another motor source like a lawn mower. If the plugs fire elsewhere, then it is likely the coil needs a rebuild like Kelly has shown on his videos, or that as Matt suggested the plug is not tightly connecting to the top of the plug.

The worst case scenario would be that the coil just isn’t good enough any more. But usually Kelly’s rebuild tips will fix them most of the time. Here’s a link to Kelly’s video!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=peofkWZDiDI

Can you get your hands on another 6 volt coil to test with? It would at least tell you if the problem is the coil. Victor

[thrownchain]

Also make sure all your ground connections are clean, motor to frame, frame to coil mount. Etc

[RylanCoffey]

Will do! No i dont have another coil that will work, but i have a spark plug off a honda that im going to test next that i know that works. If it has no spark then ill be sure to clean the grounds. I was also thinking it could be my spark plug cap, Matt strongly believes i should put on the proper spark plug cap which i think will help. I had a guy just clamp the plug on the wire witnout stripping it back further, so im wondering if i strip it and put a better cap on it if it will give it the connection it needs to spark

[RylanCoffey]

And yes my switch is a 2 wire, if anyone has a picture of a 2 wire connected to the coil please show me. Pictures is the best way for me to learn

[viclioce]

On my Toads, the coil has a double black & a double blue connector. So the kill switch connects black to black & blue (ground) to blue. If you don’t have the same connectors you can change them or just splice them in. Victor

[RylanCoffey]

Ok thank you, i have another kill switch ill look at for reforance

[RylanCoffey]

My sparkplug from my honda does not work either, should i just go ahead and rebuild the coil?, nothing else is working and ive cleaned the coils grounds and eveeything. Still zaps me but no spark. Im thinking on rebuilding this coil or i will buy another off anyone if you have one for a good price

[RylanCoffey]

If i were to roll off the bike, would that generate more power to get it to spark?

[RylanCoffey]

I also have another magneto and stator thats practically brand new. Should i switch them over onto my motor and give it another shot?

[Tether]

Might not apply in this case because you are getting zapped but are the points clean and gapped properly. In my experience no spark is usually a problem at the points.

[RylanCoffey]

I will check, i havent yet

[thrownchain]

If you have a complete other ignition, switching it out wouldn't hurt any.

[viclioce]

One thing I learned from Danny Cook is to use a couple of popcicle sticks to hold the flywheel in place. This will lock it in tight enough that movement isn’t an issue.

Then set your point gap and tighten down. Then just remove the popcicle sticks and it should remain at the gap you set.

What point gap are you using? Victor

[RylanCoffey]

I have no clue and i dont know how to check, im learning how to work on these bikes

[RylanCoffey]

Ive also ran into another issue, i decided to run some fuel down my fuel hose and well its leaking like crazy out the bottom of my carb , so i took it off and re tightened everything and i have it as tight as u can get it, but it still leaks like crazy, should a gasket set for my carb? Oh and by the way, what is this hole on the side of the carb that squirts fuel out the side in my picture and is something suppose to be there? Is that why the call it a dirt squirt please let me know

[matt glascock]

Hi Rylan, One of the rites of passage for the vintage bike wrench is how to manage a carburetor that has not seen fresh fuel and clean air in God knows how long. Now is the time for a complete dismantling, cleaning, inspection and replacement of all worn parts and service items (gaskets, O-rings, washers). A carburetor that freely overflows fuel likely has a problem with the needle valve/seat, the floats, or both. The floats, needle valve, and seat work as a system to regulate the height of fuel in the float bowl - critical for proper carburetion. Here's the good news: there are numerous threads on this forum describing carburetor rebuilding many more youtube videos going into great detail on rebuilding the Mikuni carburetor. Thankfully, the Mikuni carburetor is an elegant, efficient, yet simple instrument to work on and believe it or not, fun to rebuild. Lots of folks on here can help you every step of the way.

[RylanCoffey]

Thank you! I am going to place an order for a rebuild kit soon

[matt glascock]

Good call! That will provide everything for bringing that carb up to spec.

[taber hodaka]

A condenser problem will also create a almost non existing spark.-------------Clarence