ignitor problem on 1984 v65 magna

[hre21]

when i got this bike it would only run on the back cylinders, i replaced the ignitor for the fron cyl. and it ran fine, for 1 day, then the same thing again, i thought i might have gotten a bad ignitor so i put another one on it,same thing cranked and ran perfect all day long, but when i tried it the next morning, its not firing on front cylinders, any idea where to statr looking? thanks for any help

[Magna86]

so are you getting no spark from the front coils? Maybe the coils are going bad and killing the ignitor. Check the ignition switch could be going bad also.

[hre21]

i can switch the wires on the ignitors, and it will fire on the front and not on the rear.

[Magna86]

when you say ignitors are you meaning CDI box or pulse generators? The pulse generator are working either way just one at a time. Then the CDI box must be going bad because it tells the coils to fire and when. Find one used on ebay-new prices are crazy. My extra one was like $40. If everything checks out ok this is my guess.

[hre21]

it is the cdi box,the one with the red connector, i have replaced it 2 times,it will run perfect all day,but when i try it the next morning it will only fire on the rear cylinders, something keeps making it go out, i assume something else is bad making the cdi box go out, i just dont know where to start looking? thanks again for any help. i am open for suggestions.. thanks

[hre21]

OK, i noticed the voltage regulator getting pretty hot on this bike, so i unplugged it, i have ran the bike down the road a few times, and so far it has not fried another cdi box. is it just a coincidence of could the voltage regulator be causing the problem?

[lragan]

There is a history, and a very long thread about, regulator failures on 3rd Gen Magnas.  Haven't heard so much about rectifier/regulator failures on the first gen bikes.

One of the failure modes on the 3rd gen bikes causes the output voltage to be too high.  The usual manifestation of this malady is the battery boils over, dries out, and is toast.  It sounds like your bike never runs long enough for this to happen because of the failures you document here.

If your regulator has failed in this same manner, it is at least conceivable to me that it will cause your failures.  Have you measured the voltage across the battery terminals with the rectifier/regulator connected?  Should not exceed 15 volts with a good battery, or 16 with a bad one.

[hre21]

no i havent measures the voltage across the batt. i was going to but i am scared that with the regulator hooked back up i might burn up another ignitor. but i will try it, i have a spare ignitor.. thanks

[lragan]

no i havent measures the voltage across the batt. i was going to but i am scared that with the regulator hooked back up i might burn up another ignitor. but i will try it, i have a spare ignitor.. thanks

If ignitors are more expensive than batteries, you might want to put in a new battery first.  At least make sure the one you have has plenty of fluid in it.  A good battery can be damaged by a faulty rectifier/regulator module, but it takes longer -- at least a few minutes.  And a good battery will limit the voltage, unlike a bad one, which will let it soar.

[Charles S Otwell]

It's kind of trival I know, but have you checked all the pins in the related plugs for signs of corrosion or over heating? Doesn't the V-65 have a problem with one of the electrical plugs getting to hot from bad connection?

[TPV65]

hre21,

Have you diagnosed the problem yet?  I have a 1986 V65 and I haven't had that problem yet.  Keep us updated on your progress and the hopefully a successful solution.  You never know when someone else will have a similar problem. Hope you get her running for more than a day.

[hre21]

i replaced the voltage regulator, and havent had any more trouble.