spark issue

[khof]

so i have an 1982 xs 400 and it was running less than a year ago. starter takes a poop, so i put a working starter on it and it turns over great. now i have no spark when cranking over. but when i get done turning the engine over and turn the key off itll either backfire or turn the engine over. so i pull a plug out and ground it to the block and everytime i click the key off it sparks. i thought this was very interesting and hopefully someone has an idea of what is happening. thanks in advance

 

[Wolfe_11B]

What kind of 82?

 

[Wolfe_11B]

Anyhow, it sounds like something funky with the safety/starting relay. Did you only messwith the starter, or did you fumble with any other wiring?

Clutch in, or bike in neutral when starting?

 

[khof]

i guess its a xs 400j maxim...lol didnt touch anything but the starter. bike is in neutral with me not touching the clutch.

 

[BBS360]

The spark when turning off the ignition isn't necessarily a bad thing. If anything it proves that the coils are good and that the circuit to the coils is complete.
The ignition coils charge when the ignition & kill switches are on. Whether it's the points, TCI, or ignition switch turning off again, they all break the circuit, causing a spark.

I don't have a wiring diagram for the maxim but I think it might also indicate that the safety relay is working. If it weren't working I don't think the coils would charge for that final spark or allow the starter to turn over.

Since you are getting that final spark a timing/TCI issue might be to blame. The coils are able to produce sparks but aren't getting the signal from the TCI to do so.

The coils seem to be ok but doing a resistance check on primary/secondary coils might be a good idea.
Reseat & clean all the connectors in the timing, TCI, and ignition circuits.

Not sure about further TCI troubleshooting. Just got my first TCI bike a couple weeks ago....

 

[16VGTIDave]

I had the same symptoms when the TCI module died on my DOHC Maxim. Run through the testing procedure in the manual to confirm.

 

[khof]

okay thank you for all the information. does anyone have a link to the manual for this bike.

 

[Wolfe_11B]

http://www.xs400.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4503

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