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Ignition - or lack of!

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Oggers:
Right- this blinking bike is doing my nut  >:(

Finally after epic wiring problems, new regulator fitted and all wired up. Sprung into life first kick - Hooray. All sounded fine. So, as we are all bound to do, I did the usual cursory checks after buying a new (to me) bike. Tappets - fine, clean plugs- fine, clean points- fine, check points gap - fine. All good.

Reading about on this forum, time to do a bit of static timing - before I think of buying a strobe and doing the dynamic. Consult Haynes manual. Off with the blue capacitor wire for 1.4 cyl. Test lamp between Earth and breaker terminal, Ignition on. Turn the shaft, test lamp lights more or less at the right point, but I also noted quite a bright white glow at the points. This did not seem good. Lamp was disconnected and capacitor rewired as it was originally. Tested votage across battery with ignition off - 7V and seems to be charging! Very odd. Tried to start bike - no chance. Tested voltage across battery with ignition on - 3.5 V. No spark at points when gap is flicked open either! All fuses good by the by.

So - have I somehow goosed the capacitors? No idea how as  I was very careful to follow Haynes instructions. If so, can I get replacements easily enough?

All deeply frustrating - especially as I had it running quite nicely! >:( >:( >:(!

Lobo:
...slightly confused by your ‘bright white glow’ at the points... do you mean as in burning up !

If so the only explanation I can think of is that the coil has been taken out of the loop (somehow) ... and you’ve applied battery positive directly to one side of the points, and ground to the other. (eg as in the 2/3 points wiring in my attached pic)

This would indeed fit the approximate description of your woes. All said I’m surprised at the ‘white glow’ as I’d have figured any wiring might have failed first.

The battery ‘charging’ indication is likely the poor thing recovering after such a discharge.

Replacement capacitors (and indeed new points!) are very easy to come by (eBay, David Silvers etc), my guess is the capacitor still ok, though you’ve got yourself a much bigger headache in the meantime.

This fault is too big not to be something obvious....

Oggers:
Hi Lobo

Many thanks for the respose. All I can say is that I attached one end of the test lamp to the 1.4 breaker terminal, the other to ground and turned ignition on. I disconnected the capacitor blue wire - as per Haynes instructions. The "glow" could well be the points frying - I have no idea, but it didn't look right for sure! I simply cannot think I have done anything daft - but that is is not to say I didn't...

.Can you explain the discharge of the battery when ignition is turned on - that seems most significant.....

Do you think the cure is new capicitors - and don't fiddle again!

Cheers

Bryanj:
Dont understand why you would need to disconnect capacitor.
Haynes manual are ok for lighting barbecues, go to alladins cave and download the Honda one

Oggers:
Bryan

I did so as Haynes said so. It said something like disconnect blue wire from capacitor - so I did. Do you believe in so doing this caused my grief? Can't see it myself.....

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