DonB

TJF Well don't that beat all. Matt finally sent in his old TCI to replace the one I had sent him. Of course he "FORGOT" to send me the money I had spent on postage as per our original agreement. Once I have a chance to take this TCI apart and see if its repairable you would be welcome to it if it works OK. I'll get back to you on this. db

Jeremy I had the same problem and I used the rubber end from an eye dropper. I had to cut it down in length and then I siliconed it to the dash. db

TJF I have a spare TCI that I sent this person and if you can call this guy up and get it from him you are welcome to try it out. Matt Hayes 231A State Route 180 Chillicothe, Ohio 45601 (740) 703 - 9936 He keeps on saying that it's in the mail but it never shows up. Good luck if you can get it from him. All I would want is your old TCI if you're successful DonB

The 2nd gear problem was fixed in 1985 after serial number 0001413

I would suspect the "Battery Tender" first. Is it truly a battery tender or does it constantly produce a small charge thereby "cooking" your battery. I bought an Odessey P680 MJ in the spring of 2005 and have had it on a Hotshot 1.25 amp battery tender ever since without any problems.

Well I had a spare TCI that I was going to let people use and keep if it worked OK but then I sent it to a guy who needed it, who then then decided that he would just keep it without sending back his old one. Just all our luck that the guy I send it to is nothing but a deadbeat thief. This is him ==================== Matt Hayes 231A State Route 180 Chillicothe, Ohio 45601 (740) 703 - 9936 phayes85947@roadrunner.com ======================= We all lose out with this turkey!!! db

Crazyyamaha Yes I found information on the GM pinouts and I did apply 5 volts to the sensor and the output is 4.5 volts which would be too high for the TCI. Otherwise it works just like the 1G sensor. I'm going to try 3 volts into the GM sensor and this may work. Just haven't gotten around to it. I'll report on my findings later. db

Kcfinfan Here's some info that was posted awhile back that might help you. I have a few other articles if you want them. db ======================================================= Centre Yamamoto 6444 Clark St. Montreal, QC H2S 3E6 (514) 273-8879 They advertised in the Magazine CYCLE CANADA April 2005 that they could repair 50% of CDI's, TCI's,Digital Igniters ic Ignighters and most non-sealed electronic components. ================================================================================================== The TCI for 83 is different than all later years although there is a way to get around this. Over the years Yamaha kept making improvements to the TCI up until 1990 when they went to a digital TCI. If you find you need a new TCI get the latest model available preferably one for an 89. On an 83 the vacuum hose for the Spark Advance Senser is located on the atmostpheric side of the throttle plate. On all later years this was moved to the vacuum side of rhe throttle plate. All else is the same, so, if you just switch your TCI to a later model your spark will retard when it should advance and advance when it should retard. To get around this you merely have to disconnect the vacuum line from the carburetor and connect it to where you hook up your vacuum line for syncing the carbs. Remove the rubber cap from the brass tube, connect the vacuum line and then take the rubber cap and put it onto the brass nipple on the carb where the vacuum line was orginally connected. As far as checking the TCI, at the moment there is no way to check these except thru the proccess of elimination. After making sure all connections are clean and tight, the battery fully charged, the pick-ups checked, the coils and wires checked and the spark plugs checked to no avail then you know that the only thing left is the TCI. I read the other day that someone on this forum was working on some tests for the TCI but at present I don't believe they are available. There used to be a fellow up in Canada who was rebuiling the TCIs but I think he sold his Venture and no longer frequents the Venturer's forum. His name was Dave Watts. One thing that you should look out for is the electrical system ground. The ignition and charging system on these bikes doesn't use a reguler frame ground. On the negative side of your battery you will notice the large wire going to ground down near the water pump. You should also see a short pig-tail wire coming off the ground wire and plugging into the wiring harness. If this connection is missing or dirty it will affect all of your electronics, especially the TCI and the Stator. Some times when people redo their battery cables they forget about that little pigtail and it MUST be connected. Dick ============================================================= I understand that the older TCI units had a whole run or two of poor quality power diodes and the main electronic repairs were replacing these with newer (better) ones. Of course the most common electrical problem is those two connectors getting corroded. I believe GGRABOSE has a good start on testing these units (posted back in July... http://www.venturerider.org/forum/s...php?t=6274&page) (but here's his text The Easy Way To Test The Tci On The Bike Is As Follows. Tools Required A Digital Volt/ohm Meter I've Seen These Sell At Autoparts ( Walmart) Stores For $10. 1. With The Engine Off, Key Off, The Small Plug On The Left Houses The Pickup Coil Wiring. The Orange wire On The left Of The Plug is The Coil Commons Or Center Taps. You Can Place The Black Lead Of Your Ohm Meter On Either this terminal or ground And Measure The Pickup Coil Resistance On The Other Four Leads Should Be Around 115 Ohms Or So On Each Terminal. If All Four Of The Pickup Coil Measurements Are Good You Have Just Verified The TCI Inputs Are Not Shorted,the Wiring Harness And Quick Disconnect Plug Is Good, And The Pickup Coils O.k. If Any Reading Other Then This Let Me Know And I'll Tell You What To Look For. 2. The Right Side Plug Has TCI Outputs To The Coil Packs. Take Your Ohm Meter And Check Placing The Black Lead On The Red/White wire This Is The Switch Ignition B+ Input. And Measure The Coil Pack Resistance To Each Of The Output Wires I Believe They Are White,Orange,Gray, And Yellow. Each Should Measure About 3 Ohms Or So. You Have Just Verified The Outputs Are Not Open Or Shorted, The Coil Pack Wiring ,Quick Disconnect Plugs And Primary Coils Are Good. 3. Now With The Engine Running And The Volt Meter On Volts Selection Place The Black Lead On The Red White B+ Wire And Look At Each One Of The Output Wires The White,Orange,Yellow And Gray Wires. You Should See About 1.5 Volts At Idle. What You Are Measuring Here Is The Average Voltage Difference Between The Red/White Power Source And The Outputs As They Momentarily Fire To Ground Producing The Excitement For The Coil Pack To Operate.if You Rev Up The Engine The Voltage Will Swing Higher Just Like A Tach As The Firing Pulses To Ground Are Happening More Frequently. If You Have 0 Volts On One Or More Of Your Outputs Then Those Internal TCI Circuits Are Not Working. The Digital Voltmeter Cannot Track Fast Enough To See The Firing Pulse But The Average Voltage Measured Means It Is Happening. 4. There Are More Things To Verify Coil Pack Output Resistance About 13 K Ohms To Ground,plug Wires, Side Stand Sensors.TCI Ground And Such But This Should Help For Now. I Have An O Scope At The Shop I Plan On Using It To Detect The Pickup Coil Pulses And Look At The Actually Firing Pulses To The Coil Packs As Soon As I Get My TCI I Ordered. Also Going To Try To Fix The Old One That Is Only Firing On Three Cylinders. I Suspect A Cold Solder Joint On The Board Or Defective Output Transistor. Let Me Know How It Goes Or If You Need Any Help. __________________ Mike Brood home of the USS Bergall http://www.bergall.org/bergall.html

Russell I wouldn't mind getting 6 of them. Let me know how much to mail by USPS to Windsor, Canada Donald Brechun 850 Lynn St. Windsor, ON Canada N9G 1G8 TIA

OK here's 2 pictures of the dipstick. hope they help db

Old John How about if I mail my digital camera to you to take a picture with. db

StuD Well as Bradt said it could be to enable the Americans to convert from metric to Imperial or I could say that you use the ruler to see how much gas is left in the tank or maybe it just happened to be lying on the pool table when I took the picture. But actually I was only trying to let anyone looking an idea of the size of the tools. Boy you guys are sure picky. db

Tim Well I finally was able to take a picture of my original toolkit which came with my 1985 1200 ride when I bought it in 2003. Sorry I took so long. db

Tim I have an original toolkit for the 1985 Std Venture 1200 and I will take a picture for you later on today when I get a chance. db

A search on Google returned this. ======================================================== http://www.carquest.com/common/images/myth.gif If you set a battery on concrete, it will quickly loose its charge. http://www.carquest.com/common/images/truth.gif Although it is true that after a period of time batteries do self-discharge, placing them on concrete won't speed the process. What you place your battery on is not as important as the type of environment you expose it to. A battery that is stored at cooler temperatures (not below freezing), and protected from severe extremes, will last much longer than a battery stored at extreme temperatures. ==================================================== DonB