[Johnny Gaijin]

so my cl360 was running fairly well. sometimes making little popping noises that make me think the timing needs to be adjusted (is that right?) but other than that everything seemed good. then a few days ago she started idling really high (was at 1.2 now at 1.8 or 2 or so) so i put my hand behind the pipes and they both are spitting out air like they should but the left pipe is cold air and the right pipe is warm. pulling the plug on the left pipe hardly affects the idle at all while pulling the right plug kills it.
i didn't see a spark on the left plug when i held it against the fins but i could feel a charge zapping me a little bit through the rubber...

so what gives? where do i need to start to fix this?

thanks in advance,

johnny

 

[Johnny Gaijin]

oh forgot to mention...

when i give the bike throttle she still goes. it's not running exclusively on one cylinder. i got no trouble going 80 on the interstate it's just at idle that i've got problems.

 

[FR]

Sounds like you need a new spark plug resistor/cap for the left side. Easy and cheap place to start anyway. You shouldn't get zapped by it when you're kicking the engine over.


FR

 

[krapfever]

Try unscrewing the plug cap from the plug wire, cutting about a 1/2 inch off the end of the wire and screwing the cap back on. The connections sometimes get loose after 30 years of pulling on the wire to check the plugs.

Honda go sideways!

 

[Johnny Gaijin]

i just started it up in the dark. it's only running on the one cylinder. the plug wire on the side that isn't running is arcing electricity in a few spots. i guess wherever it's touching metal...
so do i just need to replace the whole wire or is this indicative of some other problem?

 

[FR]

Replace the wire if you can, I don't know if it's possible though, it may be epoxied into the coil...

FR

 

[jbranson]

Probably need to replace the whole wire/coil like he said. But try the new spark plug cap first....sometimes if the cap is really bad the wire will try to spark to ground wherever it can because it can't get to the plug.
Also check that plug gap, make sure it's not too large.
JohnnyB

 

[ROSKO]

I had this same issue with the 450, tryed everything with no result. Finally stumbled across the answer, the coil bracket had cracked from vibration! Literally in two. So at low rpm's it would cut the ground in and out, idle at 1000 one sec. and 3000 the next. Meaning one cyl firing then the other kicking in. check for that, with one cold exhaust it sounds about right.

So I guess I'm saying 'Ditto'...Just replace the whole coil/bracket/ assembly.

BORN TO LURK, FORCED TO WORK.
www.NYCvinMoto.com
www.VinMoto.org

 

[Johnny Gaijin]

hmmm. my idle is inconsistant. sounds like that might be it. can you get coils from honda or do i need to hit the junkyard?

 

[ROSKO]

Honda, junkyard, ebay or... the fine folks here. Whatever is cheaper. I'm sure someone has a coil assembly kicking around.

Try to get the part #

BORN TO LURK, FORCED TO WORK.
www.NYCvinMoto.com
www.VinMoto.org

 

[Johnny Gaijin]

what do you guys think about this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1974...001QQitemZ110065044367QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V

there's another guy charging $25 for one coil but it's a hell of a lot cleaner looking than these are...

 

[UngaWunga]

I think buying 40 year old coils is just asking for trouble.
Buy new ones if you're looking to solve a problem.

Two pretty good places to order cheap parts...

http://www.hvccycle.com/hvcpartscatalog.htm
http://www.mikesxs.net/

BAM! $16 coils... scroll down a little.
http://www.mikesxs.net/mikesxs-electrical.php?category_id=2.1

 

[Johnny Gaijin]

i don't know much about stuff. i can use that coil even though it says it's for a 650? and if so which spark plug cap do i need? can i use one old coil and one new coil or do i need to replace them both?

thanks for the info and the links.

 

[UngaWunga]

quote:
i don't know much about stuff. i can use that coil even though it says it's for a 650? and if so which spark plug cap do i need? can i use one old coil and one new coil or do i need to replace them both?

thanks for the info and the links.

Yes, its for a points type ignition. If you have a question, give the guy at Mike's XS a call and tell him what you're trying to do. It might not bolt right on because the bolt pattern might not match exactly, but it will work with your ignition system.

Wouldn't hurt to get new spark plug wires and caps as well.
But give them a call.

 

[Johnny Gaijin]

cool, thanks a lot.

 

[texmawby]

dynas rule!

tex