1982 Big Red 200E no spark?

[d.walker43]

Hey guys. My buddys Big Red 200E is havin problems. It has mysteriously lost spark. We cleaned the carb right before it happened, after everything was reassembled we tried to start, didn't start, so we checked for spark and had none. It ran a few weeks ago, but was very hard to start. We usually had to push start it the first time, and it was always a long and grueling process. Once it was warmed up though, it pull-started in 1 or 2 pulls usually. Then it would run like a charm the rest of the day. This thing never sees any maintenance, my buddy doesn't actually own it some relative of his does, he never does any work on it but never sells it and just tells my friend "you can ride it whenever ya want" even though he never does even basic stuff to it. Anyway, so it got to the point where we couldn't start it anymore, so we cleaned out the carb. It was super dirty, I assumed that was the problem. I wouldn't be surprised if it has never had the carb gone through before (my friends grandpa was the original owner, bought it new in '82. Its been at the farm all its life) So anyway we went through the carb and put it back on, it didn't run, and has no spark all of a sudden. I don't really have any idea, my only suspicion is that we may have somehow messed up the carb while cleaning, and it could be running too rich and fouling the plug. I don't really know though. Any help is appreciated, we might be coming to Trikefest so it would be good if we can have it running before then Thanks guys

[oscarmayer]

you need to check each and every wire connection and plug on the trike. check both fuses I the rear.
in my sig is a link to download the factory service manual. have at it and good luck. wiring for E and ES the same.

[barnett468]

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the first thing i would do is remove the plug and tell us what color it is . . if it looks dirty, clean it with a wire brush and brake cleaner or get a new plug . . put the bike in the shade and lay the plug on the head and turn the engine over and tell us if it has spark and whether it is yellow or pale blue.

[barnett468]

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it appears that after over 2 years i still don't have an edit button so i will add this to my post above.

if you have spark, i would connect an 8" long clear tube to the float bowl drain hose then tape the end to the top of the carb then open the gas valve then loosen the drain screw on the float bowl . . if the gas level in the tube goes above where the float bowl meets the bottom of the carb by more than maybe 1/8", your gas level is likely too high which would cause the plug to foul . . on most carbs, the gas level should be around 13/16" below the bottom of the carb body but i'm not sure exactly where it is on this carb . . if the gas is too high, the needle night have debris in it or it is not properly seating or the float is stuck etc . . if the float is brass, it is adjustable for height.

[oscarmayer]

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it appears that after over 2 years i still don't have an edit button so i will add this to my post above.

LOL now THAT is funny!

[d.walker43]

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the first thing i would do is remove the plug and tell us what color it is . . if it looks dirty, clean it with a wire brush and brake cleaner or get a new plug . . put the bike in the shade and lay the plug on the head and turn the engine over and tell us if it has spark and whether it is yellow or pale blue.

Aight, thanks. I wont be out there for a few days, once I get out there though I will take a look at it. Thanks. I do recall that when we pulled the plug out when we first tried to test it, it was super black and nasty, but for all I know that plug could have been 10 years old. When we put the new one in we tested for spark and it had none, we put it back in and never took it back out to look at it, because we knew it obviously wouldn't run without spark.

[barnett468]

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no prob, you're welcome . . with your new info, it does sound like you might have knocked a wire loose as oscarmayer suggested . . you might also, unscrew the spark plug cap and clip around 1/4" off the end of the coil wire . . sometimes these get a bad connection.

[d.walker43]

Aight guys, I'm out here right now. I think I've learned a thing or 2. I put the plug back in and tried it, then looked at the plug and it doesn't look dirty or anything. However, I did look at the wiring and it's pretty ugly looking. Check out where it goes into the CDI, it's pretty narly. I'll admit I've never had to mess with wiring on a trike so I don't want to just dig into it, if someone could help me out that would be great. I honestly have no idea what the problem is at this point. Thanks.


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[redsox]

wash that thing. clean it up so you can see and then check the wiring. take your time and do it right. it'll be worth it. its not that hard. be patient. the more time you spend preparing, the more fun you'll have riding. check every connection. i'd say you were on the verge of failure prior to your carb job and you just bumped/jostled it into submission. better to happen at home than a few miles out.

[barnett468]

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wow . . ok

1. yeah, what he said.

2. is there a green wire connected to one of your coil mounting bolts?

3. is there a black wire with a yellow stripe connected to your coil with a spade connector?

4. exactly what color is the darker wire in your photo? . . it looks like medium blue with a yellow stripe . . if it is, they both go to the pickup under the shiny cover in the photo that says CDI.


remove all that electrical tape on the last 4" of those wires . . if the wires are butchered, install new wires up to where they are butchered . . make them around 2" longer.

remove the two screws on the cover and make sure they aren't grounded.

if either of the wires to the pickup are broken off, which looks like they are, you can do the following:

cut all ends ends so they are even length.

strip back exactly 3/4" of the outer coating on all the ends

slip a 1 1/4 inch long piece of small diameter heat shrink tubing on one end of both wires and move it at least 2" away from the end of the wire otherwise, it might start to shrink when you solder the wires.

spiral the ends of the wires together so it looks like the photo below.

solder the wire without letting the exposed part that you are soldering touch the engine . . it will suck the heat out of them . . if you need to press on them with the soldering gun, you can put a piece of wood like a 2 x 4 or a pint stir stick behind them.

hold a match under the tubing with the tip of the flame around 1/4" away from the tubing while slowly moving it back and forth from one end to the other until you see the tubing shrink up tight.

reassemble

if you do not have the tubing, you can use liquid plastic or liquid rubber like you dip the handle of tools into . . if you dont have that or a soldering gun etc, you can just use electrical tape after you twist them together but repair them properly at some point.

if there is a gap in the cover where the wires go thru, seal it with black rtv silicone after assembly so water will not get inside.

[barnett468]

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oops . . i forgot to include the following, but since i have no edit button, i will simply make a new post.

the clip on the top of the cover, is flexible and it is supposed to hold the wires, therefore, you can carefully pry it open just a little with your fingers and reinstall the wires then hold them in place as you bend it around them or you can use needle nose pliers or similar to bend it.