Tecate CDI Recreation - For Sale

[RubberSalt]

I grabbed a handful of my stuff and snapped a picture.
I've included some failed parts just for the fun of it

[Thorpe]

Excellent job Rubbersalt! Hell of a commitment, and solution to the problem of the tecate cdi! I applaud you!

[RubberSalt]

I've concluded. Testing is a pain!!

My kicker has been slipping and getting worse and worse and worse. Between the fear of it kicking back while experimenting with different diodes and it slipping.. Makes it hard to start! Last time it kicked back, I ended up limping for a few minutes lol. 3.6v is to low for that diode!!

I'm currently waiting for a washers and a spring. I used the diagram below from partzilla to diagnose it. Besides dirty oil, I could see a weak spring(92081A) being part of the problem. The Rachet(13078) and Gear-spur(59051A) could be the problem depending on teeth. The plastic piece(13070) could also be at fault.

I'll be pulling mine out in the next few days for diagnostics. Once out, I'll analyze, and make changes as needed in attempt to repair it. I'll create a new thread for this part once it comes.



I should invest into some quality boots.

[RubberSalt]

I can kick it again!! Cut back all the teeth on the smaller racheting gear. Added a new spring to the racheting side too. (2 springs now). It rachets and has a good loud racheting click.

I'm sure griding away probably ruined it. I wouldn't be surprised if it's hardened.

It turns out my phone either didn't save the pictures of the work as it was happening(only the before!), or I lost it . Makes a write up much more difficult. Ive got another tecate I may need to do this too. I'll be sure to grab pictures then!

I installed my light up spark plug boot last night. It's cool being able to see it fire with the plug installed. Should make troubleshooting much easier.

https://www.amazon.com/HardDrive-Lig.../dp/B00DX8AG0K

[RubberSalt]

Now that my kick start works, and my stator is rewound(again), my carburetor is cleaned, I can get back to testing.

Oh. And the light up boot did what I expected! light up.. and rob spark power. It wouldn't barely fire with it on

I rewound my stator to a 200 ohm set up with 34g wire. I decided to hang out around the OEM area for kicks and logic.


Attachment 234428

[Maico]

How is this coming along??

[barnett468]

.
Yes that gear is (or was) hardened.

I wouldn't use 2 springs.


PREVIOUS KAWASAKI INTERNATIONAL R & D PROJECT ENGINEER AND ATV DEPARTMENT SUPERVISOR

[BGP]

Gabriel! This is some cool stuff. Remember me helping out with the pipe making? Now I have a question for you... maybe you can help with this CDI related conundrum.

A few years ago I bought an aftermarket CDI unit that was marketed as "tested before shipping, direct OEM (HA2) replacement, higher rev limit, better overall performance" and so on. My OEM 85 250R unit is still good but I was curious so bought it. However, I rebuilt the trike before I got a chance to try it and a bunch of other toys got in the way of finishing the 250R. SO, I finally got to completing it this past month and remembered the new CDI and decided to give it a try. Well, 100% of my attempts at starting it resulted in having my knee shoved into my pancreas! Nothing but kickbacks with the aftermarket CDI!

I emailed them but have yet to hear from them. Surely due to the warranty being up. Nevertheless, I put the timing light to it and the OEM fires precisely on the mark... buttery perfectness. The aftermarket unit, on the other hand, fires an amazing spark but does so about 30~40 degrees too soon. IE: if noon is the firing mark, the strobe lights it up at what would be 1:30 on a dial. As you probably know, timing it not adjustable on these engines.

Here's the question: What the ?

PS: I'll probably end up boiling the unit to get the potting material off to get at the components. What dictates timing? Too small a capacitor? I also feel like buying a used flywheel and machining off most of the leading edge of the "triggering boss" to set back timing.

[RubberSalt]

I do, i reflect on those days a ton!! I've since(got a real job) invested into a slip roller, an Alpha tig 200x welder (with bottle), much better tooling, and more in depth knowledge. lol. I've still got that ultra ugly pipe!! It's my favorite trophy.

Base timing is set by the flywheel/trigger coil. This is always at max advance. The CDI controls everything from here. As far as timing in the CDI. It's a balance between the capacitors and the resistors (except in a blaster, then it's a joke of a CDI lol). Changing just the cap will more than likely get you what your looking for. There's a good chance the value on the cap will be missing when you pull it apart. If that's the case, you can pick up a capacitance meter cheap, or just experiment. Bigger caps retard timing more, small advance it. In the case of the Tecate, with 3 caps, there is a lot of resistance/capacitance tuning involved. The resistors slow the charging speed of the caps, retarding timing. They can also attenuate frequencies.

If it's electrically similar to the Tecate and several other CDIs I've played with, then you may be able to measure the main cap without taking it apart. Take the wire going to the coil and the kill switch wire and hook them to a cap meter. Adding a capacitor in series will lower the total capacitance (weird, I know). If you add a cap, and it fires even sooner, then you may try adding one in parallel, or pulling it apart and placing a bigger one in there. I'd expect to see a 1uf-2uf cap in that 250r.

Another idea would be to make a plate that the pickup coil bolts to, and the plate bolts to the engine, giving you a little wiggle room. It's been sometime since i've had the flywheel cover off on a 250r, I'm not sure if there is any way to adjust that. Another option would be to pull the keyway on the flywheel on rotate it 30 degrees or so. My brothers 89 trx is a pain in the arse to kick start. It kicks back 95% of the time. I've learned to simply kick it 1-2 inches as hard as i can and back my boot off before it kicks back. I don't know why it starts like this opposed to me kicking all the way... It's been that way since he got it, and it runs amazingly well. So we haven't tore into it lol



For an update on the Tecate CDI: After the stator rewind, I've got a strong spark. Everything was put on hold for a while. I had some troubles with my neighbor (my POS crooked brother). I came home and found everything in the shop I built... outside in the yard... Me and the lady ended up moving in with some friends. Until last night, I wasn't sure how long I'd be here, but it looks like I may be around for a bit. I can get back to work on this and focus on getting it running.

After the news about the living situation... I've ordered a new intake (mine was holy). I've got problem with the marine grade wires I choose simply being way to big for the rubber connectors. I'll either drill the rubber out and make the wire fit, or source thinner wire. With the exception of the end, I've got a complete CDI encased on wax (testing - in case it needs torn apart).

My engine is out of the bike, sitting on a bench at the moment. After a leak down and finding a leak, I decided to pull the paint off. Cant decide if I want to paint, or leave it raw lol. Either way, knowing I've got a stable home again, I can get to work on this!!!

[RubberSalt]

Here's some pictures that are a little off topic. I did find quite a bit during the move. This includes my KLT200 repair manual. Someday, i'll get this scanned in so we can have a PDF of it.



Made a universal leak down tester. Accuracy within 2%.



Removing the paint from the engine. It did not hold up well at all. Paint stripper worked well on everything but the jug it self. It barely touched it.



So much junk after the move. It needed a new home.

Got a storage unit.
Articat 300 2x4
Blaster
Tecate
1/2 Tecate
YT 175
ATC90
Suzuki LT250E
KLT200
Go ped (tiny wheel on top of everything on the left lol)
Tons and tons of parts in boxes and cabinets

Picked up an 82 RM125. Needs a CDI, go figure. I think it may have tranny issues. The shifting felt funny.

[RubberSalt]

.
Yes that gear is (or was) hardened.

I wouldn't use 2 springs.


PREVIOUS KAWASAKI INTERNATIONAL R & D PROJECT ENGINEER AND ATV DEPARTMENT SUPERVISOR

I'd prefer a single spring that was stiffer, but I didn't have one on hand and didn't feel like sourcing one. So far the 2 springs is working. I'm just waiting for the day it binds up and it quits working. If that happens, I'll update this. Currently, theres very minimal kicks on it. But every kick.. kicked without slippage.

[99gsxr750]

What paint stripper did you use? I want to do the same to my motor and most likely leave it bare or somewhat polished at that point.

[RubberSalt]

I want to say it was goof off. I picked it up at lowes. It was a thick gel like substance I just painted on with a brush and power washed off.

[jeswinehart]

Glad to hear you are going to be back at it soon Gabriel !

[Dirtcrasher]

That printer is great!

What type of 3D printer do you have? They're going down in cost....