[motoguzzibill]

I own an 06' Electra that is giving me a "learning experience". Problem began this riding season as unusual difficult starting. Previous year the bike fired quickly. This season I experienced several times when I had to crank it for an extend period to get it to start. Recently on a several hour ride it ran well for the first hour or so then began to "miss" but quickly re-catch. Almost felt like a valve sticking for a moment. Towards the end of the ride the misses became more frequent and much longer. Now the spark at the plug will sometimes show, but it appears weak, and other times nothing. Glad it's not my primary ride.

I've installed a new battery and checked it with a volt meter. I don't think a weak battery is the issue. The bike cranks over easily, voltage is adequate. I did the meter checks on the coil and cap and they check out. When running the bike is charging properly. I checked and cleaned the ground by the battery box. I have the aftermarket "performance" TCI installed (been in for a while,not new) and wonder if it may be the culprit but haven't found any diagnostic checks that I can test it with. I have my old TCI but it's the original black one that is not recommended. Swapping them out is not easily done because the wiring connectors have been changed from original to install the aftermarket unit. Might there be another poor ground? Might there be a safety switch like the sidestand switch causing a problem? Any tests for the TCI?

Looking for suggestions/leads to solve this problem.
TIA,
Bill 

[heloego]

   Had a very similar problem with mine. Has it been giving you the same problem since you changed the battery?
   I had a similar problem and discovered a loose ground at the battery. a bit of Loctite on the terminal screw and so far no further problems.
   That may not be the issue on yours, though.
   If you still have the side stand switch installed you could disconnect it for awhile to see if it's the culprit.
   A loose RH switch connector at the Kill Switch terminals/wires could give you the same problem.

[motoguzzibill]

This morning I disconnected the sidestand switch and saw a beautiful spark. Bike hadn't been touched since the night before so all electrical parts were "cold". Replaced the tank and plug and cranked the starter, one or two pops then nothing. Pulled the plug, no spark.

Next thought is to let things "cool" again, do the diagnostics on the coil again, and see if the spark returns. I'm wondering if the coil checks out when cold but breaks down quickly when juice is allowed to flow for a bit.
Any thoughts?
Haven't checked the cut-off switch but the bike has less than 3K and has always been garaged. I blow out the switches with air after washing to avoid connection issues, but anything can happen.
Bill

[heloego]

If everything else checked out it does sound now like like it may be the coil and/or it's connector.
Checking the connector is easy enough, but if that's not the problem a coil is cheap.

Our hosts in Fort Worth can provide you with a new one PN 502027. REFW will get it to you much quicker, but it will cost a bit more.
Call Tim Hirdler at RE Fort Worth 888.415.8986. Incredibly helpful guy who's been doing parts for RE for years. And he saved me a BUNDLE on my '06 Electra project!
 
If you haven't checked the voltage regulator/rectifier singhg5 has a great video on youtube that makes it simple: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scHdtXjTSlo

Hope this helps.

[heloego]

Forgot to mention that the e-bay stuff does not include the plug cap.

[Kevin Mahoney]

They had very weak battery cables where they attached to the battery. Remove them and check. Cheap and easy if that is the fix

[High On Octane]

Check that all your connections are tight, battery tests good, and charging system is putting out at least 14 volts.  But, what you are describing is tell tale coil failure; coil works fine when it's cold but starts missing when when it's hot.  Run the bike at/around home until it starts losing spark, and immediately test the coil.  There is a primary resistance test and secondary resistance test.  Primary you test the wire input leads' resistance.  Secondary you test from + input to the coil cap where it connect to the spark plug.  Secondary resistance should be around 3.5 ohms.  Primary is typically .5-1 ohm, but not sure of the exact spec for your bike.  Any constant fluctuation of readings indicates you have a bad ignition coil.  If the coil gets bad enough you will completely lose spark all together when it gets too hot.  That is what happened to me recently on my 2005 YZ450F, kept stalling for several minutes on the trail and I'd get breifly stranded.  But also happened on my '58 Enfield, the coil for my electronic ignition started to fail and got a bad misfire when hot.

[motoguzzibill]

Appreciate the responses and suggestions. I checked the cables and they are good. Not getting any spark now, cold or hot. I purchased and will soon receive a new TCI (CDI) and coil advertised on ebay for $27 including shipping. The TCI/CDI is the one listed for the 125 Suzuki, the picture looks just like my "performance" TCI. Figured for $27 it's worth a try.

CDI Box / Ignitor Coil for Suzuki GN125 GS125 GS400 425 450 ET LT ST LX TX
Found this ebay listing in my search of the forum, very helpful.

I agree my prime suspect is the coil based on how the problem began and continued. Parts will arrive Saturday, I'll report when I've made some substitutions and have hopefully reached a solution.
Bill

[High On Octane]

Not very often CDI boxes fail.  Ignition coils fail all the time.  Just saying.   

[Mick Bailey]

The original encapsulated coils are more prone to failure than the metal-can oil-filled type (such as the Lucas). They also have a narrower tolerance on dwell time and when changing the TCI it's important to ensure the dwell doesn't exceed the OEM TCI's dwell. I've pushed the dwell up with those original coils and the spark is a lot fatter, but the coil gets hot very quickly and will eventually break down internally. Under the same conditions a Lucas coil holds up just fine.

[motoguzzibill]

It's been a few weeks since I received the new coil and TCI box purchased off of Ebay. The coil wiring connections are different and will require new connectors, the TCI box appears the same as the "performance" one I purchased from CM a year or two back.

Before trying any new parts I checked all the wiring and connections of the ignition circuit. All seemed well so I checked for spark and on this particular morning it was home! Fired the bike up and watched it idle peacefully for a few minutes and suddenly it quit. Pulled the plug and no spark! I quickly installed the new TCI, easier and faster than changing the coil, and the spark reappeared, stronger than before. Took it for a short ride, hoping for the best, expecting the worse, and it continued to run.

I was able to extend my ride this morning to 50+ miles and the bike ran normally. There is an occasional hickup when rolling the throttle on at a low speed which may be due to carburetor adjustments, but I'm happy to be thumping along at 60-70 mph.

Is there was a way to diagnose TCI failure? Felt like I was shooting in the dark when I bought the new unit, but ended up hitting the target. Certainly worth the $27 for the box and coil (which I'll likely need sooner or later).

Thanks for everyone's input and may my experience help someone down the road.
Bill N.   

[Mick Bailey]

I have a test rig for testing TCIs, but it's not the kind of thing most people would care to set up for a one-off diagnostic. It consists of a variable-speed motor drive with degree wheel, custom reluctor, Lucas Rita pickup, ignition analyzer, oscilloscope, strobe, coil and plug.

Probably the best way to test a TCI is by substitution with a known-good unit, which is pretty much what you've already done.