Ignition slip?

[David Mantle]

Has anyone ever experience a situation where the engine suddenly ceases to run and appears to have the ignition slip?.
My 1983 GL1100AD suddenly went onto two cylinders then cut out yesterday. It sounds as if the timing has slipped . She wants to run , fires on four , but doesn`t run ( if that makes sense ). All the exhaust pipes get warm , so I know the fuel is getting through and is igniting. She just doesn`t want to fire properly. As soon as I stop pressing the start button she ceases to run ( or at least sounds as if she wants to run ).
A good friend of mine said that it sounds as if the timing is out - but how can this be when the timing mechanism is keyed in place and therefore fixed?

 

[joedrum]

it seems that you need to check the basics ....if the timing is right crank and valves the only thing i know of that could make the timing slip is the timing advance unit can loosen up and slide out some so that the pin the holds this locked together can fall out its happen to me before ....biggest problem is that the ignition is behind the wheel fender and swingarm to get at .....the bolt at the end of the unit can loosen and cause enough play for this to happen ....thats the only thing i know that would cause timing to slip and be all off :mrgreen:

 

[ekvh]

On the older models, these symptoms were from the ballast resistor. When the starter button is pushed, full voltage to the coils. Maybe someone else will opine who's am 83. Randall has a section on his site about this

 

[ekvh]

Try this, https://www.randakks.com/TechTip38.htm

 

[dan filipi]

Moved to 1100 tech section

 

[David Mantle]

it seems that you need to check the basics ....if the timing is right crank and valves the only thing i know of that could make the timing slip is the timing advance unit can loosen up and slide out some so that the pin the holds this locked together can fall out its happen to me before ....biggest problem is that the ignition is behind the wheel fender and swingarm to get at .....the bolt at the end of the unit can loosen and cause enough play for this to happen ....thats the only thing i know that would cause timing to slip and be all off :mrgreen:

After thinking about it I agree - it can`t really be anything else. It looks like I may have to drop the engine cause the cover on the auto advance unit is impossible to get to whilst inframe.
Still apart from the Rugby and F1 racing tomorrow I have nothing else to do . Still it`s only an hour and half job to drop the motor ( I know I have done it so many times ) . Hopefully that should be the problem.

 

[dan filipi]

I would check your getting power to the coils with ign on not pressing the start button.
Also check the 4wire plug from the pickups next to the battery is making good connection. The wire is very small, I had one break off.

 

[slabghost]

Could be bad gas. Water in the float bowls or dirt blocking up a couple carbs. If one of the timing belts loosened it's possible it jumped time on one side. Let us know what you find.

 

[snowdog]

you really need to check for at the coils when not cranking ,also the glass fuses are famous for making bad coon.

 

[David Mantle]

it seems that you need to check the basics ....if the timing is right crank and valves the only thing i know of that could make the timing slip is the timing advance unit can loosen up and slide out some so that the pin the holds this locked together can fall out its happen to me before ....biggest problem is that the ignition is behind the wheel fender and swingarm to get at .....the bolt at the end of the unit can loosen and cause enough play for this to happen ....that's the only thing i know that would cause timing to slip and be all off :mrgreen:

After thinking about it I agree - it can`t really be anything else. It looks like I may have to drop the engine cause the cover on the auto advance unit is impossible to get to whilst in-frame.
Still apart from the Rugby and F1 racing tomorrow I have nothing else to do . Still it`s only an hour and half job to drop the motor ( I know I have done it so many times ) . Hopefully that should be the problem.

Yep , that was the problem . The bloody bolt had loosened and caused the auto advance unit to move off the shaft. During this movement the locating pin on the shaft sheared. I found a spare and loctited the bolt . Next ruddy job is putting the engine back in the frame. I do not have time to do that till next weekend because of work ( doesn`t it just interfere with the enjoyment of life LOL ) :Egyptian: :thanks:

 

[joedrum]

wow david glad you got that figured out .....the on thing now is the chance of being 180 dgrees off on the rotor ....if after the motor in and it still doing the same thing ..backfiring and all .....you can switch the plug wires from front to back and back to front and this put it back in time ....you have a 50-50 shot here good luck :mrgreen:

 

[snowdog]

glad you are going to be running again i have owned a old gw for 2 mounths and i
ve had the motor out 2 times some say after 5 times it gets easey

 

[dan filipi]

What Joe pointed out is the problem I had, 180 out of time. Swapping coils primary wires took care of it.

 

[danf]

Wow.... :shock:

 

[David Mantle]

wow david glad you got that figured out .....the on thing now is the chance of being 180 dgrees off on the rotor ....if after the motor in and it still doing the same thing ..backfiring and all .....you can switch the plug wires from front to back and back to front and this put it back in time ....you have a 50-50 shot here good luck :mrgreen:

I have already meet this little blighter before - timing out 180degrees. I have made a plug up that reverses the wiring to the plug that connects the unit to the loom ,, i.e. connects white to blue and blue to white. Should she be out by 180 I will simply connect up this plug and run the bike as it is. That is until I have to take the engine out again for whatever reason.... clutch , stator etc .

 

[David Mantle]

She started first press of the button and purrs like a kitten - a very angry kitten mind you . One on steroids and with a serious attitude problem LOL.

The comments about the timing being 180 degrees out made me think of when I last had this problem as mentioned previously. That was when I stripped and installed all new auto advance equipment , bob weight springs and vacuum unit. In that particular instance I assembled the bob weights incorrectly. That is when I made a patch cable to connect the blue/white and white/blue leads to reverse the timing.
This is about the only way I can think of for the timing to go out of sync. Every component is keyed to ensure that they can only go together one way and therefore cannot be wrong if assembled right.

 

[joedrum]

tes everything locks together ....but the rotor deal that locks into the advance can go in 180 degrees off ....it dosent have just a one way fit but a two fit ....thats how it can get 180 degrees off .....im glad im not the only one who has either forgot to tighten that bolt or didnt tighten it enough.....it sould work simply great with the plug deal you made ....

how do you like the hydr clutch you put ......i have to hook mine up on the 82 i have that i put a 1200 motor in ...this is the same bike where i had the same problem you had ...i transplanted an 83 ignition on the 84 1200 motor ...its all running fine now ....cant wait to get all done and on the road ....but way to busy to work on it anytime soon ..... :mrgreen: