I just picked up a 1980 CX500 that seems to have no spark. I'm trying to source parts and trouble shoot. The book I have says nothing about motor cranks but does not turn over. I pulled the clutch side spark plug gave it a crank and saw no spark. I'm not sure what the issue is but the CX500 forum is down and I'm not all that smart when it comes to diagnosing electrical issues. I saw some talk about coils, stators, CDI replaced with an Ignitech. It turns strong and is getting plenty of fuel. Can anyone help me pin point the issue and possibly turn me on to a good place to find new parts?
Thanks
Ryan
Sourcing parts and trouble shooting
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Re: Sourcing parts and trouble shooting
If the starter motor cranks but doesn't turn the engine over the problem is the starter clutch.
If (as I suspect you mean) the starter motor turns the engine over but the engine does not start and you have no spark the problem could be the ignition.
When you "pulled the clutch side spark plug" to check for spark, did you make sure that the side of the plug was properly grounded? Aside from the danger of damaging the electronics by not loading the coil properly, it won't spark if it isn't grounded. The rocker covers have rubber gaskets and the rocker cover bolts have rubber seals so the laying the plug against the rocker cover won't work. A proper spark tester is really the best way to do this.
The CDI ignition in pre-1982 models is triggered by extra coils attached to the stator. They sometimes fail. Is it really surprising that a 20+ year old CDI box could fail too? The CX forum is back now and you can find better info about this than I can give you there.
Was the plug wet when you took it out? If it was, that could have prevented it from sparking, even with a good ground. If it wasn't wet and it wasn't grounded (you may have spark and not know it) the problem could be fuel related. Is there fresh gas in the tank? Is the petcock strainer blocked (rust or dirt in the tank can do that)? How about the settling bowl?
And just because we have all done it at least once: Were the kill switch & the petcock both turned on?
If (as I suspect you mean) the starter motor turns the engine over but the engine does not start and you have no spark the problem could be the ignition.
When you "pulled the clutch side spark plug" to check for spark, did you make sure that the side of the plug was properly grounded? Aside from the danger of damaging the electronics by not loading the coil properly, it won't spark if it isn't grounded. The rocker covers have rubber gaskets and the rocker cover bolts have rubber seals so the laying the plug against the rocker cover won't work. A proper spark tester is really the best way to do this.
The CDI ignition in pre-1982 models is triggered by extra coils attached to the stator. They sometimes fail. Is it really surprising that a 20+ year old CDI box could fail too? The CX forum is back now and you can find better info about this than I can give you there.
Was the plug wet when you took it out? If it was, that could have prevented it from sparking, even with a good ground. If it wasn't wet and it wasn't grounded (you may have spark and not know it) the problem could be fuel related. Is there fresh gas in the tank? Is the petcock strainer blocked (rust or dirt in the tank can do that)? How about the settling bowl?
And just because we have all done it at least once: Were the kill switch & the petcock both turned on?
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