spark plug boot resistance

[Wyomingcowboy]

I have a 98 kawasaki bayou 220 4-wheeler and am trying to chase down a no spark situation. How much resistance should the spark plug boot alone have? SHouldn't it be near 0? Mine has around 5k. The wire has .1 ohm, the coil has around 5k which is in spec but the boot itself has 5k. I can't find specs for the boot but the wire and coil are good.

 

[DavidC]

The boot should have no resistance. zero is a direct short. 5k is high resistance but not open. The reading should be the same as holding the leads in each hand and not touching anything, essentially an open.

Dave

 

[fest3er]

I'd expect at least 1M Ohm, if not infinite resistance. 5k ohm is very low for an insulator. The boot is probably at least partially carbonized (or burned), thus encouraging the 14kV-30kV pulse to take a path other than through the spark plug gap. In very humid weather and in the dark, you should be able to see the spark arcing outside/through that boot.

If you can't clean it off the surface, replacement is the only option.

 

[rscurtis]

Don't rule out the fact that the boot could have a static resistor built into it.

 

[DavidC]

Don't rule out the fact that the boot could have a static resistor built into it.

Really ?. Never heard of such a thing, but the last gas engine I had/have is in this

Guess I need to get out more :-laf

Dave

 

[Wyomingcowboy]

I think the static resistor option is the case here. It is a "hard" plastic type boot. Not hard(ened) rubber from excessive heat, but rather a hard plastic. I did a little research on some motorcycle forums and there was mention of that type of boot there with a 5k ohm resistance. Some said they removed it and replaced it with a simple rubber boot like you would find on a car.

As for another question I have - does anyone here know how to check the stator, charging coil, or spark "exciter" on this machine? I have a repair manual and I'm not getting much help. I was able to fix and find a nasty short I had but I still am getting no spark. The ignition coil checks out, as does the CDI box, am having trouble finding how to test the voltage regulator/rectifier but all of the info for testing the others involves a running engine....which mine does not.

I traded a guy for it a year ago after he claimed it was getting no spark. I was able to pull start it right away and it drove fine 3 times........then all of a sudden I got no spark too. I had some kids mess with a little and they pulled a bunch of wires and tried to put it back together and caused my dead short - which I fixed. But I have this no spark condition that is driving me nuts. Like I say - the CDI box is fine (actually a new one) and I have tried two different ignition coils - both of which check out fine with a meter. My next step is to just start buying parts and hope to get lucky! Any tips???

FWIW - I have been a TDR member for years and have always gotten tons of help when needed on here and have been able to offer tons of help myself. I joined a Kawasaki forum expecting something similar and it is like crickets on that dang site. The TDR is easily the best site there is!

 

[mwilson]

You don't have a kill switch issue do you??

 

[B.G. Smith]

If the boot shows resistance on a meter it will conduct electricity. I would remove the existing plug wire and boot and try a new wire. The wire is screwed into the coil I believe. Mike has a good point, the kill switch is on the left handlebar and it is a three position switch, two of which are off. I owned a 220 until about three years ago. bg

 

[BigPapa]

Regulator/Rectifier has nothing to do with spark, nor the main part of the generator. Also, I would not attempt to remove the wire from the coil. It may or may not be removable from the coil. Kawasaki does not offer it separately, so it is probably not replaceable. If it's made onto the coil, you will be buying a new coil if you mess up the wire.

First, I would suggest you replace the plug cap. It's an NGK LD05F. It has a resistor in it and should have 5K ohm resistance. You should be able to go buy a new one at your local dealer for less than $5.00. We sell that cap for $3.99. The cap screws onto the wire. There's a "sheet metal" looking screw inside it where the wire goes.

Here are the electrical specs for your machine:

Here's the ignition system diagram:

You need to make sure you don't have an issue with the ignition switch, kill switch, or wiring. If there is no issue there, I'm going to say you have a bad pulsing coil or a bad ignitor, or "CDI". We've never found a reliable test for the ignitor. The best thing is to find one from a friends machine that is working and switch them. The one for your machine fits 1996-2011 KLF220's and KLF250's. They are VERY expensive. You can buy one at amsdiscountparts.com for $328.51, part number is 21119-1457, but of course they are non-returnable, so you need to try someone else's before buying one. The pick-up coil, or pulsing coil, part number 59026-1135, sells for $101.46, again, non-returnable.

 

[Wyomingcowboy]

Thanks for the help guys.

I will double check the kill switch to eliminate that for sure. What is a pulsing coil and where is it?

 

[B.G. Smith]

Thanks for the help guys.

I will double check the kill switch to eliminate that for sure. What is a pulsing coil and where is it?

I believe #2 on the schematic above is the pulsing coil and is located behind the flywheel. On my post above what I meant to say was that if you are getting a reading on the plug boot from the center wire to the boot then it will short to ground as the boot goes all the way down around the base of the spark plug. bg

 

[Wyomingcowboy]

I do believe the exciter coil on my 98 is in the CDI, correct?

 

[BigPapa]

The exciter coil is under the flywheel and is part of the stator. The pulse coil is on the outside of the flywheel and is available by itself.

 

[Wyomingcowboy]

OK - I have another CDI I have tried and still no luck. The kill switch is fine. One of the Kawasaki forums were stating that the regulator does in fact have something to do with spark. I'm looking for a way to test mine now.
As far as the exciter coil and pulsing coil goes: is there a way to test those?
I think I have found the pulse coil (Same as pickup coil?) there is two wires - black and blue - coming out of the engine case. the problem is that my wiring diagram doesn't listy a black and blue wire. They have the pickup coil listed as having a black/white and black/yellow for the pickup coil. Every other wire color for this diagram is correct (KLF220-A11)

I am getting about 5 volts from each of the 3 alternator wires when I crank it over.

 

[BigPapa]

I posted the wiring diagram for the ignition system above. All wire colors are listed. Nowhere in that diagram is the Reg/Rect or the generator listed. It has no bearing on spark. Only the items in the above wiring diagram have anything to do with the ignition system.

All diagrams and drawings I have posted are from the factory Kawasaki Service Manual.

Here are the inspection procedures for the Ignition Coil:

Pickup and Exciter Coils:

and the CDI unit:

This drawing illustrates the Pickup and Exciter Coils:

If you want inspection procedures for the charging system let me know, but I'm telling you, they have nothing to do with the ignition system.

 

[Wyomingcowboy]

The picture of the pickup coil and exciter coil are showing a connector right next to the CDI unit in front of the handle bars correct? I have no such connectors on mine. My connectors are down near the recoil starter. Unfortunately I won't be able to check them until at least tomorrow aternoon or maybe sunday. Thanks for all the help.....I'm feeling much better about finding the fault now.

 

[Wyomingcowboy]

OK - I got back to testing things today and the pickup coil has 116 ohms of resistance - which is within spec. I don't know how to ID the exciter coil.....
I only have three wires (besides the blue and black wires of the pulse coil) coming from the stator area - all three are yellow and are in one connector. My wire diagram calls that the alternator.

Also, is the diagram you have here showing 7 wires from the CDI box? Mine only has 5....one has been cut off at the connector - the grey wire with red dots. It was cut off real close to the box and has plenty of dirt in it so it looks like it's been that way for quite some time - if so, that wouldn't explain why all of a sudden I went from having spark to no spark though, right? The other end of this greay wire has a male plug and I can find no female plug close by that it should fit into – there is one female plug that is attached to a brown wire that is spliced into the ignition switch and clear back to the 4 wire starter circuit relay.

All but one of my wire diagrams show either 7 wires or 5 wires for the CDI box..... The only Diagram that matches the CDI box portion of my machine except it shows that the gray wire (which is cut on my machine) going to the ignition switch....which on my machine the ignition switch only has two wires coming out of it - a brown and white, and they both follow along with a different diagram.................WTF is going on with this stupid machine?!?!?
The diagram that matches my CDI arrangement is listed as being the UK/Europe Models (KLF220-A1/A12

I'll attach as many pics as I can.....

 

[Wyomingcowboy]

View attachment 90130View attachment 90131

 

[Wyomingcowboy]

Here is the best (maybe 2nd best) diagram I could find to attach. It is the only one that shows 6 wires coming from the CDI box like my machine has.View attachment UK-Europe Models KLF220A-A11-A12.pdf


Here is another one (KLF 220A11) that shows 5 wires from the CDI box. View attachment A11.pdf

Both of these show 3 wires for alternator and 2 for the pickup coil.

 

[Wyomingcowboy]

Maybe I should attempt to fix that gray wire at the CDI connector and then plug that wire into the brown wire? I'm just afraid of frying the CDI box....