pistons missing

[CanDman]

I hate to have to post this....but I am less than a week away from attending my first rally and my Candy is not running so sweet and if I don't sort this out before thursday I will not be able to attend the rally.
The problem:
a little while back I had posted that there was a flat spot in the engine near the red line to which everyone replied was probably the rev limiter.......but just for peace of mind...cleaning the carbs was not a bad idea......so I had them cleaned by a friend.....well a week later....my girl stopped on the side of the road.....on an extremely hot day mind you.....but when I tried to start her....she sounded like a Ducatti.........real low and bassy......had her towed back to my friends .....and he did a further inspection...and a further carb cleaning... and said that there was an ignition coil issue that will need to be replaced (eventually) ...seems that the carbs were swapping ignition in pairs.....when cold and hot....back and forth....time intervals I did not get.....so I proceeded to replace the coils. Picked her up today and went for a spin .......only to have her shut off while coming to a stop..again the Ducatti came back......1 or 2 pistons was not igniting......called my friend and was advised to bring the bike back...on my way back...I babied it on the throttle....but the piston(s) starting igniting intermtittenly.....until finally when arrived back to his place all 4 pistons seemed to be firing on all(s)......But I still believe the problem has yet to be found .........and time for me is running out....
Kev
 

[SlowOldGuy]

Does the tach go dead when the cylinders aren't firing?  If so, then it could be the 2/3 coil/circuit. 

What kind of coils did you install? 
New or used? 
Known condition? 
Stock ignition? 
What condition are the spark plug wires in?

If you can make it happen, try swapping the coil leads and plug wires and see if it follows the coil.

If you're having a hard time determining which cylinders it is, start carrying a small spray bottle of water to see which exhaust headers are not hot.

DavidR.

[CanDman]

Hi David and thank you for your help......the coils that were installed were brand new Dynatek coils......apparently they are supposed to be pretty good....now as for the tach......I never really looked at it while running....another thing was the sound....seemed to jerk a bit when closing the throttle.....hmmm spark plug wires....I never thought of that..... "Make sure vacuum hoses are in good nick! One operates the petcock.".............was one persons thought......... and he also said Message flagged Saturday, July 21, 2012 1:54:12 PM ................................If the problem is fuel,
It could be the petcock dying,
Kinked fuel line when they put the tank back on, clogged carbs,


Hmmmmm
Could it be as simple as a lame spark plug?.....they have not been changed in a while......there maybe 6-7000 Kms
on them now.......whats funny is it seemed to running nicely for about 10 minutes under city driving conditions...then suddenly as I was coming to a stop and throttling down...the engine just shut off......it started up immediately...but like I said.....1 or 2 pistons were gone.....and then came back...but sporadically....a few times ..the bike jumped once the pistons fired back on....and I was glad I was holding on.....
CanDman  

[paulfj03]

I would put new plugs and wires on anyway.... the plugs for sure, and wires,...... at least maybe cut the worn ends of the wires and screw the caps in freshly.

It would be nice if that was it....

[Travis398]

the coils that were installed were brand new Dynatek coils.....
CanDman  

Did the stock ones work?

[weymouth399]

the coils that were installed were brand new Dynatek coils.....
CanDman  

Did the stock ones work?

I just replaced a set of brand new dynatek coils. Now thats what FJ stands for, Fucking Junk. Check the coil wires like suggested, on the coil end. Ours were fried or not installed right.

Bob Snarky W

[CanDman]

the coils that were installed were brand new Dynatek coils.....
CanDman  

Did the stock ones work?

I was advised that the stock coils needed replacing...and that they were old and on the way out......so I replaced them with with the Dynatek coils....I was told that they were far superior to the oem coils....they needed some adjusting to fit...but I assumed that it was done properly........I am pushing this week to finish a house by Thursday.......and I will be logging some long hours.......very doable....but limits my time to do the work to the bike myself....I am hoping to get some good news on Monday .........but I will throw some of your advice his way......thx for all your help and I will hope to be up and running by Thursday.
Kev

[CanDman]

the coils that were installed were brand new Dynatek coils.....
CanDman  

Did the stock ones work?

I just replaced a set of brand new dynatek coils. Now thats what FJ stands for, Fucking Junk. Check the coil wires like suggested, on the coil end. Ours were fried or not installed right.

Bob Snarky W

Hi Bob....I am still getting familiar with all the new parts and systems..but I still have much to learn. When you say you just replaced a set of brand new dynatek coils....are you saying that they are junk or that the yamaha stock coils are junk....I am a bit confused......if the tek coils suck...which ones should I be putting in them...
Kev 

[Travis398]

Put the Yamaha coils back on till you figure out what is wrong.   Unless you know for certain they don't work.

Bob's post was confusing to everyone, not just you

[CanDman]

Put the Yamaha coils back on till you figure out what is wrong.   Unless you know for certain they don't work.

Bob's post was confusing to everyone, not just you

I am convinced that the coils were going if not already gone.....I am hoping that it is as simple as plugs and wires....could be the fuel line routing...could be a dirty carb......could be a tank vent(Randy-T)....or a pet pussy.. ......sorry...pet cock........settle down Klav........ ........but thanks to all your great advice at least I have something to pass along to my buddy.......
Kev

[weymouth399]

OK  If I didn't come across right.
I changed out a 15 race maybe 30 gallons of fuel red Dynatek coils.

Reason. On the coil side, the wires, all four had connectors that were burnt off or not installed correctly. The car didn't pull hard ran OK to 9500 rpm but over struggled. I installed a factory yamaha black set with all molded wires to the coils and yee haw hold on now pulls 10,500 no prob and pulls hard all the way.

In the legend world I have seen more DNFs because of red Dynatek coils than stk yamaha coils. It's the first place you check after the ground. This is 16 years of experience racing these cars and many years before that at the dealership working on these bikes too.

I will try to get Travis to post pics, or can show you this weekend RALLY TIME

Bob W

[CanDman]

Bob.......I would never question a man with your credentials...other than not understanding what you are saying... ...and if I am understanding you correctly.......the FJ stock coils are better than the Dynatek aftermarket junk...yes? So your recommendation is to uninstall the Dyna's and replace them with new stock 84 or 85 ignition coils.......is that right??...now that might be a bit challenging with 4 days to go....but if that is what you are saying then I will pursue this course.....Paul has offered his 91 if I am unsuccessful....I should also change the spark plugs and wires? the carbs were cleaned twice so I will hope that that is not the problem.......I will also check the fuel hose routing to make sure it is routed correctly......hopefully....this will solve my problem....thank you so much for your experience and willingness to get me there to thank you in person.....first shots......taquilla......Jose Cuervo....on me...
CanDman  

[weymouth399]

Yes that is what I'm saying, I'm sure others have their own thoughts.
If you have the dynatek CDI box you want 86 and on 1200 coils. 3.0 ohms vs 2.8 if my memory is correct.
I don't know what next day to Canada is but I have some. There are some parts hoarders up there too.

When my 86 had fuel delivery problems it just ran out, dead, pull over.
Carbs can be a issue but not normal on top end, unless a carb diaphragm isn't sealed. Easy to check.

Yes re cut wire ends install the wires correctly first at this point, check spark if plugs if they are questionable replace them.

Bob W

[CanDman]

I just thought of something..........I have an 85 fj1100....but I have turned it into an 85 1314 cc....with a bored 1200 cylinder head and the biggest bore kit wiscoe pistons I could install........so should I replace the 1100 cdi box with an 86 1200 cdi box as well as 86 ignition coils? Fuck....I can't believe I forgot this.......
CanDman

[Pat Conlon]

Kev, you should be fine with your oem ignitor box.

You do know that proper fuel line routing is important with the gravity fed bikes, right?
If not routed correctly, the line will pinch when the bike heats up.

The single fuel line (from the petcock) runs *under* the 2 branch lines (which goes to the carbs)

Pat