KTM LC4 no spark? HELP!?

Corvidcee · 12-21-2010, 10:52 PM

G'day,

I posted this on KTMTalk and got very little/no replies.. Can a guru here help? Put me out of my misery.

As per the title, I have no spark on the LC4. Here is what I have fault Found so far.

Ignition Coil:
I was worried I had a faulty Ignition Coil, So I removed the white/blue coil wire and ran 12v to it, I go a spark so I assume all is actually ok here, leading me to believe that its not recieving any current to spark.

Pulsor Coil:
So, I havent pulled the generator cover off (because its a mission) but I have checked its resistance, I am recieving 100ohms, which according to the manual and a few threads I have read is well within the threshold of acceptable.

On KTM Talk someone suggested the kill switch may be faulty.. However I dont see how this can ring true since the bike will turn over with the starter.. I just get no spark at all...

Please help if you can, I am all out of ideas and frankly I cant afford to take this to a dealer.. My wife rang me tonight to let me know she was stuck at a car park in our car with brake fluid pissing everywhere..

So the world is poo'ing on me at the moment! I need a nice change :)

Thanks Fellas'

Lyle

wrk2surf · 12-21-2010, 11:43 PM

try clipping off a small slice on the end of the plug wire and clean up inside of the housing/screw..

Corvidcee · 12-21-2010, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrk2surf

try clipping off a small slice on the end of the plug wire and clean up inside of the housing/screw..

Thanks for the suggestion, its a good idea. however, when I tested the ignition coil I ran 12 volts to it with a plug in the plug cap and got a decent spark, I also tested cont. through both ends and its fine.

gunnerbuck · 12-22-2010, 07:27 AM

Pull the plug to the CDI and check the cluster of wires going into it... These have a habit of chafing over time and may eventually wear through...

Corvidcee · 12-22-2010, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gunnerbuck

Pull the plug to the CDI and check the cluster of wires going into it... These have a habit of chafing over time and may eventually wear through...

Ive checked these.. no probs.. All looks good.. check continuity through the block of wires from one side to the other and all connections check out..

Im officially stumped

gunnerbuck · 12-22-2010, 11:38 PM

Luke is the go to guy on electronics...

The CDI could be faulty or your Stator... I would pull the side cover and have a look at the condition of the stator... It could be that some debris from the flywheel or elsewhere has torn things up under there... You only need to remove four bolts, seperate the gaskets hold and the stator is in your hand... all of 5 minutes...

trailcutter · 12-23-2010, 02:52 AM

def check the cdi contacts,,,have seen this b4 ,particularly when going from very hot day temps to very cold night temps,,in same day,confirm integrity of each male /female contact...

Luke · 12-23-2010, 03:02 AM

What year/model is this LC4? If it's 2003 or newer then the stator has no effect on spark (until the battery runs down). The CDI gets it's power from the battery through a bunch of switches. On the '02 and earlier bikes the orange wire at the CDI has the power. If your bike's newer, check the wiring diagram to figure out which one it is. Look for 12v there. If it's not getting power then check your wiring- including the safety switches.

If the CDI is getting power, listen for the flyback. With power going to the CDI it should create a very faint whining sound like a tube TV. I don't know if that is a good test, but it's easy to do. Also check the pulse generator. With an AC voltmeter you should get something (between a fraction of a volt and a couple of volts) from the pulser coil when the bike is cranking.

Checking the coil with the battery is a good idea. However, I'd suggest that in the future you use some sort of ballast- like a 10 ohm resistor or a turn signal sized light bulb. The coils for a CDI ignition aren't designed to take continuous current from a battery the way points ignition coils are and they can burn out quickly.

rz35027 · 12-23-2010, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gunnerbuck

Pull the plug to the CDI and check the cluster of wires going into it... These have a habit of chafing over time and may eventually wear through...

I

+1... I've found a broken wire just behind a bullet connector in here before...something to check

Queen of Spades · 02-02-2013, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corvidcee

Ive checked these.. no probs.. All looks good.. check continuity through the block of wires from one side to the other and all connections check out..

Im officially stumped

Corvidcee, I'm having a very similar problem in this thread, and just happened across your issue from 2010. What was the outcome of your investigation?

12-21-2010, 10:52 PM	#1
Corvidcee ^OP n00b Joined: Dec 2010 Oddometer: 3	KTM LC4 no spark? HELP!? G'day, I posted this on KTMTalk and got very little/no replies.. Can a guru here help? Put me out of my misery. As per the title, I have no spark on the LC4. Here is what I have fault Found so far. Ignition Coil: I was worried I had a faulty Ignition Coil, So I removed the white/blue coil wire and ran 12v to it, I go a spark so I assume all is actually ok here, leading me to believe that its not recieving any current to spark. Pulsor Coil: So, I havent pulled the generator cover off (because its a mission) but I have checked its resistance, I am recieving 100ohms, which according to the manual and a few threads I have read is well within the threshold of acceptable. On KTM Talk someone suggested the kill switch may be faulty.. However I dont see how this can ring true since the bike will turn over with the starter.. I just get no spark at all... Please help if you can, I am all out of ideas and frankly I cant afford to take this to a dealer.. My wife rang me tonight to let me know she was stuck at a car park in our car with brake fluid pissing everywhere.. So the world is poo'ing on me at the moment! I need a nice change :) Thanks Fellas' Lyle

12-21-2010, 11:43 PM	#2
wrk2surf BITD/Rallye Joined: Dec 2007 Location: THE exact center of California/Bass lake/Yosemite Oddometer: 5,306	try clipping off a small slice on the end of the plug wire and clean up inside of the housing/screw.. __________________ Thanks for the 2013 support: DUNLOP, BELL HELMETS, Kriega USA, Carbon-pro.com, Ride 100% Goggles, Renazco Racing, Sidi/Motonation, Acerbis USA,KLeN, FMF, Mx1west,,Masters paint and body, Magura , motolab ,and Freedom Cycle

12-22-2010, 07:27 AM	#4
gunnerbuck I.Hopp. Joined: Nov 2005 Location: N.V.I, B.C. Oddometer: 3,076	Pull the plug to the CDI and check the cluster of wires going into it... These have a habit of chafing over time and may eventually wear through... __________________ 640 A x 2

12-22-2010, 11:38 PM	#6
gunnerbuck I.Hopp. Joined: Nov 2005 Location: N.V.I, B.C. Oddometer: 3,076	Luke is the go to guy on electronics... The CDI could be faulty or your Stator... I would pull the side cover and have a look at the condition of the stator... It could be that some debris from the flywheel or elsewhere has torn things up under there... You only need to remove four bolts, seperate the gaskets hold and the stator is in your hand... all of 5 minutes... __________________ 640 A x 2 gunnerbuck screwed with this post 12-23-2010 at 07:12 AM

12-23-2010, 02:52 AM	#7
trailcutter NRG Joined: Sep 2010 Location: S/Coast N.S.W. Budawangs./ Jerawangala...OZ Oddometer: 169	h def check the cdi contacts,,,have seen this b4 ,particularly when going from very hot day temps to very cold night temps,,in same day,confirm integrity of each male /female contact... __________________ ADVENTURE ,MUST ENTAIL A DEGREE OF RISK , AND UNKNOWN OUTCOMES.

12-23-2010, 03:02 AM	#8
Luke GPoET&P Joined: Aug 2004 Location: Idiotville, OR Oddometer: 3,748	What year/model is this LC4? If it's 2003 or newer then the stator has no effect on spark (until the battery runs down). The CDI gets it's power from the battery through a bunch of switches. On the '02 and earlier bikes the orange wire at the CDI has the power. If your bike's newer, check the wiring diagram to figure out which one it is. Look for 12v there. If it's not getting power then check your wiring- including the safety switches. If the CDI is getting power, listen for the flyback. With power going to the CDI it should create a very faint whining sound like a tube TV. I don't know if that is a good test, but it's easy to do. Also check the pulse generator. With an AC voltmeter you should get something (between a fraction of a volt and a couple of volts) from the pulser coil when the bike is cranking. Checking the coil with the battery is a good idea. However, I'd suggest that in the future you use some sort of ballast- like a 10 ohm resistor or a turn signal sized light bulb. The coils for a CDI ignition aren't designed to take continuous current from a battery the way points ignition coils are and they can burn out quickly.

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