Hey...laughing is good! And remember, when it comes to electrical issues...check, then check again.... Everything that could be a possibilty.

 

Well, you said laughter is a good thing. Well, you all can laugh now because I totally screwed up. But.......I think my screw up led me to the problem. Okay, first things first: When I said the 3 yellow wires from the stator were grounded, I don't think I unplugged the wires from the harness. So today, I am out in the garage checking the yellow wires today and they were NOT grounded. I kept checking ALL the wires coming out of the stator. The pulse coil wires kept giving me different readings, then all of a sudden read open. HHhmmmm... I kept checking and getting these roaming numbers then it would read open again. So, I tore the ATV all apart again. I put the "stator on a half shell" on my workbench. I again checked the yellow wires and they weren't grounded. I checked the pulse coil and got nothing. I had clips on the wires and was able to lightly squeeze the pulser and then it started roaming again all the way up to 180+ before it read open again. I honestly think I have found the problem. This explains all the symptoms, doesn't it? Spark, no spark, start, die, run for a while... it all makes sense! So, I just ordered a new pulse coil and will try to get it wired in as soon as it gets here. I have a gasket on the way too. Let's hope this is the last time I have to tear this thing apart. It's getting REALLY old! Oh wait, it really is OLD... it's a 1988!!!! Ha Ha!

Jackie (who is seeing a faint light at the end of the tunnel)

 

Pickup coil is heck of a lot cheaper than a complete stator. Hope that's the problem.Didn't the manual have any sort of resistance spec checks on the pick up(pulse coil) also? Although not 100% accurate,resistance checks are pretty close unless it is one of those hard to pin point erratic problems under real life operating conditions which sounds like yours has been.

 

Yes, I agree, Old Polaris, a pick up is A LOT cheaper! I found out that no one manufactured a stator for my ATV, and I would have to have it rewound if defective. A rewind at Ricks in NH is $175. Both manuals had resistance checks for the pick up: 90 - 140 ohms. When I would test and it was a little out of the parameters, I would just think it was the temperature fluctuations or my non-fluke multimeter. it never showed open until today and I didn't believe it at first so I kept testing. On the workbench, with the DVM hooked up, at one point it was roaming up and down quickly, until it just went open again. I wasn't even touching it! Snarky little thing! LOL!!!!

 

Yes in most manuals resistance values given allow 20%+ or -. Any out side of that range I just replaced them.Again hopefully this little coil will save your sanity..

 

Thanks, Old Tech! I feel fairly confident that this is the problem because it is the only test that produced bad results. Keep your fingers crossed and thanks for all your help!

Jackie

 

Electrical...yuk! So the stator checked good on the ATV...Right? Just because I'm curious, when you removed the stator from the bike, and checked it, how did you check each phase of the stator to ensure no shorts....on the stator mounts...where the bolts go thru and is attached to the bike case? Anyway, I hopes it the pulse coil....sounds like it very well may be.

 

Okay, I have the stator and pick up out of the crank case cover. My question is: can the two wires coming off the new pick up go directly out of the rubber grommet? Or are they somehow hooked to the stator itself? The two wires from the old pick up seem to be going back into the wire bundle that is connected to the stator inside some type if insulation. I'm thinking this is where the wires are spliced from the insulated wire to the bare wires that exit the rubber grommet in the crankcase. I'm just not 100% sure because this is new territory to me.

In other words..... can I just snip the wires from the old pick up, mount the new pick up and thread those wires through the rubber grommet and out of the crank case cover? Directly from the Pick up to the CDI and no where else?

Why does everything have to be so difficult? LOL!!!!

Thanks in advance guys!
Jackie

 

I have never replaced just a pick up coil, I have always replaced the stator and coil as one unit. However, I don't see any reason that you can't do what your saying. Snip, take wires thru grommet, solder and use heat shrink for protection of the wires/soldered area.
Maybe more savvy ( in this area ) folks will get in here and help. OPT, Merryman...ect.

 

Pick up is entirely separate from the stator. A coil into itself. You can hook up the new pick up coil,snip the old coil wires,pull them out of the grommet. Pull the new wires through the grommet and run then up to the cdi connector. Splice the two new wires into stubby ends left on the cdi connector when you cut the old pick up coil wires at that end. Do a temporary splice as you want to check for spark once you have the stator cover back on. If no spark with the plug grounded on the cylinder,reverse the pick up coil leads at the connector as there is an IN and OUT wire on the pickup coil.Wire colors and orientation may not always jive with your wires on the connector when installing a new coil. Forget about the old pickup wire in the harness. Just leave it as is if you want as it ain't hooked to nothing at either end now. You just bypassed it like a car jumping off the highway and taking a dirt road.. Hope this new coil finally solves your problem..