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View Full Version : 83 ATC 70 cheap resto help



BlueRaven
08-11-2014, 12:57 PM
Hello everyone! I bought my first 3 wheeler over a month ago (for $50 I might add) and now after 3 weeks of waiting for a coil I'm eager to see this thing run. But as fate would have it, I'm still being denied the satisfaction. So! I come here seeking aid in my plight. First I'll start off with the known facts:
1983 Honda ATC 70 (verified by vin decoder and sticker on side of the machine)
New parts that I have purchased and installed personally (some of which are irrelavent for this discussion but I'm putting in anyway):
Front hub and rear axle carrier bearings
All 3 tires (some directional generics)
Drive chain
ZoomZoom carb and carb to intake spacer (both missing when I bought the trike)
Grab bar
Stator kit
Universal 6v-12v ignition coil (still question this thing)
NGK Spark plug and boot
Fuel lines and filters on both lines
Air filter

Now the issue at hand. After replacing all that stuff I still can't get it to start. I'm thinking the points since it seems to be a common issue. Is there an easy way to do it? I'm struggling with working in the small opening provided in the flywheel. The last thing I wound up doing was just pressing the point tight against the shaft so that when the lobe cycled around it would open the point. Obviously that method didn't work. Why? I don't know unless it's the generic coil that is giving me problems.Also the coil is mounted to a piece of metal cut from a coffee can since the mounting holes didn't align with the factory bracket on the frame. I tested the metal first for continuity to deem it's worthiness and figured it should work. I even put my test meter to the coil before installing and it appears to be within tolerances. I don't believe fuel is the issue since i can smell it coming out the exhaust after so many pulls. Aaaand... that's about it I think. Any ideas? Oh! On a further note. All electrical contacts have been cleaned up and treated with dialectric grease. I also have not tampered with the top end or the piston. The rotating assembly spins freely but I honestly haven't checked the compression. I was told it sat for years before I bought it and was running before that. The original carb was pulled for cleaning and is kept as a spare for another machine the previous owner has.

wonderboy
08-11-2014, 04:36 PM
Start by getting your point gap set correctly, which dictates the ignition timing.

To do this, you need to make up a timing light. The manual describes this pretty well. You get a 12 volt automotive bulb and a battery. Connect the bulb to the points wire and connect the other end of the bulb to ground. Now, as you rotate the flywheel by hand, you watch the bulb. The bulb will toggle between bright and dim as the points open and close. You want this to all happen when the flywheel is at the fire mark. If the bulb doesn't change, you have to adjust the points with a wide flat bladed screwdriver. There is a slot in the armature plate and a corresponding notch in the points that lets you tweak them with the flat screwdriver (you'll have to loosen the mounting screw just a touch).

Grab the manual here: http://www.kb0nly.info/ATC/index.php?dir=ATC70%2F
it will make the process a lot more obvious (pictures).

90guy
08-11-2014, 05:30 PM
I'm curious about this stator kit you bought. Why did you buy it is my first one? And where did it come from? Next is the points gap. Read the manual Gap them to spec. Then The coil is another curiosity. I am currently having coil problems on the one I had bought where the guy had replaced it. So after that thing I am going to need to buy an OEM coil.

BlueRaven
08-11-2014, 07:43 PM
Thanks wonderboy. That'll be an easy rig for me to set up. Especially since I have both laying around. 90guy, the stator kit includes new points, coils, condensor and wires. After using my meter on the original parts I discovered they were all out of factory specs and tolerances. I found the kit on eBay, don't remember the seller. There was also another kit that included the stator plate (which I did not replace) and had all the components already attached to it. Much pricier piece though. As for the coil, I ordered it through a local bike shop. I don't know how it can work for both 6 and 12 volt systems (all info I've come across says mine is a 6 volt system and I don't know if any harm would be done with a 12 volt coil).

wonderboy
08-12-2014, 11:36 AM
There are two coils under your flywheel: one provides the current to the ignition coil, the other is the lighting coil, which powers a headlight if you ever install one. The reference to 6v or 12v is typically referring to the lighting system voltage, which is why the ignition coil can work on either system (since it doesn't care what the lighting coil is doing). I think the ignition coil you bought is probably fine, but can you report your meter readings you saw from testing your original coil? Also keep in mind that the spark plug wire is easily changed on these coils, and is a common failure point (the wire corrodes, so you can either clip a bit off or just get a new wire)

I'm thinking you really should pull the flywheel and give the points a close up inspection. They may be pitted or corroded. If they aren't too bad, you can file them, but they are cheap to replace. If replacing them, you should get a new condenser too.

BlueRaven
08-13-2014, 03:40 AM
Ah, that makes sense. I was worried that the increased ignition coil voltage would adversely affect the spark plug. The stator kit that I bought replaced all the parts under the flywheel. So the two coils, the points and condensor are all new. The old coil readings are: 1.9 ohms (off tab that the small black wire connects to), the plug boot was 8.84k, and the plug wire itself is unknown. I didn't measure it because it was too short to allow any stripping to get to fresh copper. The combined stator coil resistance was 3.2 ohm and my condensor measured out to be .324uf. For added info I also rebuilt the cut-off switch on the handlebar for clean on/off positioning.

BlueRaven
08-16-2014, 08:41 PM
i finally got it to start up and run today (yay!) still some idle and run tweaking to do but that should be fairly easy. But I've come across a new snag, it has something rattling inside the case... now i'm going to presume it has something to do with the transmission since there's no noise when just sitting still and idling, I hear it only when in motion. Once again this thing has been sitting in storage for quite some time, is it possible that something seized up and then broke? Anything else that these things are notorious for? I'll probably replace the front fork too since I found out today from the previous owner that the trike met a culvert at full speed *eye roll*