1982 Maxim 400 NO SPARK PLZ HELP dohc

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Vinners2002

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No spark. My ignitor is good, tested it on my second bike. I have lights and all the wires traced but not hooked up yet. The starter works, the HI and LO works etc just I have zero spark and I'm losing faith in this $300 parts bike, I thought I could get running. :( The poor kiddo was left outside forever at one point. The plastic connections turn to powder. What's my best option?
 

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Poor bike, I hope you're able to bring him back.

Throwing this out there; have you checked your ignition coils? Also, I'm just assuming it turns over and all that jazz, just no spark?

Something odd i had with my bike is to check the pick-up coils. Mine were covered in iron filings and metal shavings so the spark was either nonexistent or intermittent (depending on the day). From what I could tell it was stored, uncovered, next to a metal saw and the cover was loose. After a lengthy cleanup it sparked and started up for me.
 
Maxim-umm said:
Poor bike, I hope you're able to bring him back.

Throwing this out there; have you checked your ignition coils? Also, I'm just assuming it turns over and all that jazz, just no spark?

Something odd i had with my bike is to check the pick-up coils. Mine were covered in iron filings and metal shavings so the spark was either nonexistent or intermittent (depending on the day). From what I could tell it was stored, uncovered, next to a metal saw and the cover was loose. After a lengthy cleanup it sparked and started up for me.
Click to expand...
The pick up coil is on the left side of the engine on this 400 Maxim? I had spark yesterday, now today I don't. My electrical connection blocks are in poor shape but everything seems to be working otherwise. I would doubt my coils are bad all of a sudden. Even with all the aftermarket lighting I put on this thing to make it road legal again...
 
Lynn Moore said:
I hope you bring that baby back too! I had an 82, brand new and loved it. But if you ever want to get rid of yours let me know.
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I've had it running multiple times but now it has zero spark. I'm gonna try to get to the pickup coil and see what it looks like. If I don't get it running or something, I'll probably end up parting it out or selling it whole, maybe with my other XS400 K maxim
 
Yes, pickup coil is on the left side. It's a bit of a stretch, but worth an easy shot. To check just remove the cover and see if they're dirty, off calibration or both.
 
Maxim-umm said:
Yes, pickup coil is on the left side. It's a bit of a stretch, but worth an easy shot. To check just remove the cover and see if they're dirty, off calibration or both.
Click to expand...
Drain oil first I'd imagine? I did also check that I have the right plugs, which I don't...but they have worked before. Hahah, but I don't think that would make big enough difference. These are D8EA instead of DR8ES-L.
 
Haha, yes drain the oil. Better safe than sorry;)

When I first got my bike they had the D8EA plugs and that's what I originally replaced them with. Got it running like that without major issues. I now have the DR8ES-L plugs because I actually read the manual. I can't tell if it made a difference. My bike is non-running since I've stalled on my project for a few years now.
 
You'll never believe what the issue was....freaking kickstand switch. On my other maxim, I cant crank or anything when it's down. On this bike...it.kills the spark. I had it on the center stand too. Smh.
 
:doh: I didn't even think of that. I even removed mine because my relay was faulty and prevented spark...totally forgot about that. In any case, happy to hear you fixed that issue and can start getting it running again! :thumbsup:
 
That is a on-going issue with my Maxim as well, do yourself a favor and eliminate it lol. It can be dangerous, I've had mine act up on some bumpy roads with cars behind me going uphill, a terrifying experience. Save yourself from having to share that experience.
 

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