Honda ATC185S Engine no spark

[BarnBoy]

Hey, I just picked up a Big Red 200es. It has been converted to chain drive with a 185(I think S) engine in it. I really bought it for parts for my 200m. The engine ran till the CDI quit but I am not sure if the CDI is indeed the problem. I would like to test the A.C. generator and CDI box but I am not quite sure how. I have downloaded the service manual, but that is not really clear on testing the CDI. I know the ignition coil is not it because I swapped it out with the one in my 200m which is indentical and still no spark. Can anyone help me as far as testing the CDI? Are there any other things that I can check? I know that the spark plug is not the culprit but on the old ones electrode is burned off. Even with a new plug there is no spark.

Thanks.

[ZacH_GrifF]

I had this issue before but never found away to test them. Everyone told me to test all the other ignition components and if all checked out to just replace the CDI. The cheap ones off of Evilbay have always worked just fine for me.

[Gearheadtom]

^What he said, CDI's are hard to test. Basically easier to eliminate everything else first.

[ZacH_GrifF]

Here's a link to the cheap ebay cdi's they usually work fine. If your wiring harness connector looks like it is messed up you can get a new one here.

[BarnBoy]

Ok, thanks, I will probably get one of those then. The guy I bought the bike from said that the CDI had gone on him before, so maybe there is something else wrong?

[3wheelrider]

[QUOTE=BarnBoy;1382100]Ok, thanks, I will probably get one of those then. The guy I bought the bike from said that the CDI had gone on him before, so maybe there is ....


If it was me I would check all connections if you havent + the end of the coil wire & trim if necessary. If you had another CDI laying around it wouldnt hurt to try but I would check the blk/red wire coming out by the pullstart. Test it with a meter. Sounds lik e a dead stator/exciter more than likely.....
-You can also try unplugging the switch on the handlebars to eliminate that as a cause just in case...

[BarnBoy]

I was planning on checking the wires before I got the CDI. By coil wire do you mean the wire that attaches to the spark plug that comes off of the ignition coil? How do I trim it? I noticed that the spark plug boot was not tight on the plug. Does that matter?

[3wheelrider]

Trim 1//4" off the end that goes to the sparkplug. 1st unscrew the boot off & trim the wire there. The inner wire is usually too short or inside the insulation just a bit there. It will still run but usually it needs it. Screw back boot onto wire when your done obviously...
If the boot was loose on the plug-maybe, but probably not. But I wouldnt leave it like that either. Replace the boot with a NGK or used OEM one thats still good. I would do those 2 things even if there not the cause of your issue,-you did try a NEW sparkplug didnt you??-lol-

[BarnBoy]

Ok, thanks. lol yes I did try a brand new plug. I tried to test the black/red wire coming from the stator with a test light and I got nothing. I then tried on the 200m and still got nothing. Maybe a bad ground from the light, so I will try again later. Also will unplug the kill switch to see if that helps. If it is a problem with the stator, then I just need to remove the flywheel and it is underneath there, right?

[3wheelrider]

Ok, thanks. lol yes I did try a brand new plug. I tried to test the black/red wire coming from the stator with a test light and I got nothing. I then tried on the 200m and still got nothing. Maybe a bad ground from the light, so I will try again later. Also will unplug the kill switch to see if that helps. If it is a problem with the stator, then I just need to remove the flywheel and it is underneath there, right?

Yeah -just get the correct flywheel pulller and thread it on by hand. Its also left hand .thread. Screw it on to the left! Under there is the exciter coil on top and lighting coil on the bottom. Find an old oem assembly and swap it out as a whole.Or-buy an aftrmarket eciter(very cheap) & unsolder the exciter and remove. Solder on the new one....

[BarnBoy]

Ok, thanks for all the help. I think the engine is a 185s. Serial number TB01E-3062954. Hope that fixes the problem.

[kb0nly]

I would almost bet on the CDI, seems like every time i get one with a no spark condition the first thing i do is just grab a spare CDI and toss it on and it fires up. I go through CDI units like arse wipe here. I replaced six of them this summer alone on a junkers i got running and fixed up for people.

If you have a voltmeter set it to AC volts, put the positive lead on the black/red wire and the negative lead to the motor case, pull it over a few times, you should see voltage. If it was an electric start you can usually read around 10-20v AC output on that wire when spinning it over with the starter. But even with the recoil you will see voltage, if you have an analog voltmeter that works even better for this cause you can see the needle swing on the meter faster then you can see the digital meters digits change up and down.

I made a test light for checking them this year, my old faithful one broke. I just took a 24v bulb, but a 12v bulb would work to its just what i had laying in the junk box, and put a clip lead on for the ground and a bullet connector to plug into that wire. Its definitely possible you have a problem with the stator coil if water got in there and corroded it all, but usually even then i find its just a broken solder joint and a quick touch up with the soldering iron gets it working again. Its just a coil of wire, unless it gets really messed up there isn't much to go wrong.

Check your kill switches, and even disconnect the wire to them, usually the black wire from the CDI unit, can't count how many times i fought a no-spark condition only to find out it was a rusted up kill switch shorting the kill wire.