no spark

[aedlee]

i have an 83 i believe that is first generation. i have no spark on any cylender. was told could be ground. going to start by checking ground and then proceed to tci. any other suggestions. bike ran fine then just would not start. i just recently replaced the guage asssembly but it ran fine for a week after that

[bkuhr]

Did simular thing few weeks ago, placed helmet on handlebar, then would not start. Took about 5 minutes to figure out had acutated emergency stop switch on handle bar.

 

Other than this, items in ignition system include fuse, key switch,tipover switch,sidestand switch, side stand relay, neutral switch, clutch switch

 

More involved are pickup coils/connector low left side, ignition coils/wires/resistor caps, spark plugs and defective TCI

 

Unless absoultely sure no spark, also could be fuel issue.

 

Have you relocated TCI to top of aircleaner? Would make troubleshooting much easier.

[aedlee]

no just bought bike a year ago and am in process of fixing little things. it turns over fine but no spark. i was told a ground problem could cause that. i have checked all cylinders no spark to any. so i am going to test ground and tci. kill, tip and shift, all cause bike to not turn over.

[Dano]

Since you'll have the neccesary stuff out of the way, pull the TCI out, re-route the wires up around the starter solenoid and put that thing on top of the air box. Much easier to diagnose and swap out if needed. Now if I could just find the link to the TCI diagnoses sheet that someone came up with so you could print it out and use it.........

 

Someone?

 

Anyone????

[dingy]

Dano,

 

Is this one you are referring to?

 

aedlee,

 

Check ignition fuse in fuse block, second one down. Check that it is secure in fuse block, these tabs weaken and do not provide good contact.

If bike is cranking, the only switches involved would be the tip switch in headlight bucket or the side stand switch.

 

Try starting with bike in neutral & side stand up. If it starts, probably side stand switch.

 

Check pickup coil connector. Located near rear shock air damper adjustment, behind side cover.

 

Gary

[Dano]

Yup Gary, that's it. Finally dug it out of my VR book and found the link at the bottom of the printed page.

 

 

http://www.venturerider.org/images/tci.jpg

[aedlee]

still no luck all switches test good. i am not sure where or how to get to the tci. according to what i have read i have to take the battery and half the top off to get to it. is that why they say to relocate it.

[stevej]

yes, that is why everyone says to relocate it. I am working on the same problem with my 92, no spark, pretty much narrowed it down to it has to be the tci. It is a real pain to get to, so once out, you will want to relocate it to the top.

 

I don't know what the right way is to get it out, but I removed my air cleaner, battery box, the left side of the fairing, headlight and gauge assembly.

 

Removing the fairing and headlight and gauge assembly did not do anything to make it easier to get at things, but it did make it easier to see what I was trying to get to and I wanted to check all of the wiring connections behind there anyways.

 

I also removed the bolts that hold the coil assembly in place so that I could reposition the whole assembly to get at the machine screws that hold the tci to the underside of the coil assembly. I did not have any tools with a short enough shank to get under the tci to remove the two machine screws with the coil assembly in place.

[aedlee]

i dont want to be done riding, but if i start taking it apart i may as well fix the back end and the second gear problem while i have it down, but i really don't want to be done riding for the year. i know it will be for the best. so now i will tear it down and have it painted so next year when the time comes it will be ready.

[Dano]

Ahhh, don't give up so easily. Take out the air cleaner, battery box and possibly pop the carbs off and pull them out the left side. Of course, you'll have to take the lower fairing legs off, easy to do. You could also remove the AIS system (which you should do anyway since it's useless and cap off the ports on the jugs with caps). Using a 1/4" ratchet with a 1/4" socket on it, get a #3 Phillips (the big one, don't use a #2, you'll strip out the head) driver insert. Using a mirror laying down on the motor so you can see the screws, invert the ratchet and insert the phillips driver into the screw heads. They've been in there for 25+ years so they'll be tough to break loose, but you can do it. Make sure you have the ratchet set to reverse before you start!

 

No need to remove the upper fairing, not gonna make it any easier!!

 

Good luck,

 

Dan

[Yammer Dan]

I have yet to have a TCI go all at once until it wouldn't fire at all. Usually they just start dropping a cylinder at a time.

[mbrood]

Check to see if pin "D" is grounded.. if it is... one of the safety switches is killing the ignition.

 

You can actually back the pin out of the white housing and the ignition WILL be turned back ON... but it won't care if the side stand is up or down or if the kill switch is thrown or not.http://www.bergall.org/temp/venture/tci/tciplugs.jpg

[aedlee]

that is why i thought it wierd everyone i have talked to says you usually don't lose them all at once. or without warning. i rode it the night before went out the next day and would not start. cranked and cranked. so i wondered at first if i flooded it.so i let it set, but it did no good. pulled back plugs and nothing. no spark. i was told it could be a grounding problem. so i pulled the batt. and checked for continuity between ground wire and coil ground. it was good all of them. cranked with side stand down in gear, and in neutral. clutch in and out.

bike on main stand, level. it is just strange no indication at all of any problem.

[aedlee]

when my kill switch is engaged it won't crank.

[mbrood]

With the ignition ON, you should read +12 volts at each of the coil outputs on the TCI.

 

With the ignition OFF, you should see a resistance reading of about 23k Ohm from the ignition fuse to each of the inside of the spark plug caps (10 for the reistor in the cap and 13 for the ignition coil secondary winding).

[dingy]

With the ignition ON, you should read +12 volts at each of the coil outputs on the TCI.

 

With the ignition OFF, you should see a resistance reading of about 23k Ohm from the ignition fuse to each of the inside of the spark plug caps (10 for the reistor in the cap and 13 for the ignition coil secondary winding).

 

 

Do not use an Analog meter for digital circuits.

 

Only use a Digital Meter, it has to do with the bridging circuits in an analog meter. You can destroy an integrated circuit chip with an analog.

 

An analog meter is one with a swinging needle that is read against a scale behind the needle.

 

Gary

[aedlee]

i am going into with drawls. i have not been able to ride for week and a half. i need my daily fix.

[aedlee]

actually thought about taking my sons kz1100 for a ride. but he needs a new back tire.

[aedlee]

unpinned d like you said. it lives. so i have a ground problem in the side stand correct.

so tomarow i look for a short. then put it back together. i will wait on the second gear

problem till winter. i am just skipping it for now. it will take a little more time to fix that one.'

thank you for all the advise and guidance. i hope to do a venture ride soon it looks like a lot of fun.

[KB2RWW]

that is why i thought it wierd everyone i have talked to says you usually don't lose them all at once. or without warning. i rode it the night before went out the next day and would not start. cranked and cranked. so i wondered at first if i flooded it.

 

My 1984 did the same thing, would crank but no spark. I found that I had no power going into the TCI. I had power at the plug but not inside the TCI. I found the terminals wear corroded from a bad battery that had leaked all over them. after cleaning up the connections on the TCI and plug I had to repair the prong that supplied power into the TCI and all was well again.

I would check the connections on the TCI real good, You may have the same problem I did.

 

[aedlee]

it is running again.now for the fun of finding the short. at least i know where to check now. then to put it all back together. going to be a long day tomorrow. but well worth it so i can ride again.

[mbrood]

The "TCI disable" (here called B/W Kiickstand SW) kills the ignition if, in gear the sidestand is lowered, the tipover switch is detected or the "engine kill" switch is engaged... so you have three main areas to look at.

 

The side stand switch is actually two parts, one goes to the dash monitor and the other to the TCI.

 

Check page 7-3 of the service manual for these...

 

http://www.bergall.org/temp/venture/pdf/8385servicemanual.pdf

[aedlee]

as long as i leave black wire out it runs. can i unplug the switches and see if it changes. or is it possible a bare wire, somewhere causing all this. i found the tip switch.

i unhooked it no change. so still chaseing wires

[aedlee]

what is the downside to taping off the d in to the tci. i can not find out where the short is

the indicator on the gauge works like it should on and off with side stand. the tip switch works like it should. but somewhere i am grounding out still.

[aedlee]

if i remove the relay and hook up the d pin to tci it runs. i hate wiring shorts. so could relay be bad. causing short.