xt-unreliable
 

Two weekends ago after a nice trail ride and cruising the tarmac home my 1989 xt 600 just died. Being on top of a hill I tried bump starting it for about 2 miles. No go. pushing it for another mile to an operable phone ,I had it towed home. Next weekend I cleaned the filters, changed the plug and it fired right up and off I went. For about 4 miles and it quit again , called the wife. she brought a spare plug , I took off the air filters...carbs are Keihin cr33's. It cranked right up and I drove it home. Since then I've order a new ignition coil and this weekend I'll order a new cdi...thinking my problem has got to be electrical...I hate not having a dependable Bike ...Any suggestions? Mike

It can be as easy as the switch for the bike stand or a another wire/ground. CDI is also an option, but i think its best to discuss after you try new parts..

Sounds like ignition coil or the pickup coil. Sounds like one of them fails when they get hot.

I agree, if you have the side stand switch and it is not already bypassed, do so. Just follow the wires up from the switch where the bullet plugs are. One male, one female. You can bypass there. The wires MUST be connected to signal the side stand is UP.

If this is not an issue, check the stator outputs for AC voltage as well as continuity of the coils. Even the trigger coils will generate an AC signal you can measure with a voltmeter on the AC scale.

Since your bike has the older CDI module, it could have died or dying as well. If this is the case, check out the Zeeltronic programmable CDI. Model number is PCDI-XT. Order at www.zeeltronic.com. Email them as the unit is not listed yet.

Ok I sent Borut an e-mail. I asked that the cdi could be a plug in and ride operation. Programming electrical boxes is not something I am comfortable in doing. And yes the side stand switch has been by-passed for quite a while now. I'll post again when parts arrive and everything is up and running... Thanks Mike :mchappy:

Good deal. Do you have a wiring diagram? His unit comes with the stator plugs ready to plug in, the short wiring harness has bullet connectors for the NON-Sidestand model. If yours originally had the side stand you will probably have a 3 pin plug close to the CDI which has a solid black wire, a blue/white(maybe yellow) stripe and a solid blue wire.

Cut the black wire and the solid blue wire (may be skyblue) from the bike wiring harness plug leaving the wires as long as you can, if you have bullets, crimp them on the wires. The solid blue is your neutral light wire from the neutral switch itself and will plug in to the sky blue that goes to the neutral light. It already has a male bullet connector so either crimp on a female bullet or otherwise connect the solid blue to the sky blue. This will bypass the CDI and the neutral light will function normally.

The black wire is a ground for the CDI, Again if you have it, crimp a female bullet connector and plug in the CDI Ground wire.

The remaining orange and black/white stripe plug into corresponding wires on the new CDi unit.

I hope this is clear. As a matter of explanation the OEM CDI monitors the side stand switch and the neutral switch. The neutral function passes through the OEM CDI, you will be bypassing the new CDI with the neutral switch wire and adding a means to plug in the bike ground. The old side stand wire is not used and can be cut or just left alone.

My guess is the CDI or a wire going to/from it.

Is the bike running okay 'when' it is running ??

Thanks Steve I'll be sure to follow your wiring instructions once the cdi arrives, and yes Ted the bike was running fine befor it quit. Now I'll just have to wait. I'll be installing new front break pads, and rear hyperpro spring tomorrow. I'll check the wiring connections over the weekend. Thanks Mike

ok :D The new cdi came in the mail today. Thank you Borut! The new ignition coil already installed. Thank you Boats.net...now for a day off to get the cdi installed and running. I'll definitely be a happy fellow once I can ride again. :clap: :mchappy: :clap: Mike

I am anxious to hear others who are using the new Zeeltronic unit. Please post your results. If you have wiring questions, please ask. Borut is also very good at technical questions as well.

He is in the middle of rebuilding his XT550 engine. His crank bearing were very loose. He purchased this bike to have a test bed to develop the programmable ignition PCDI-XT I had asked him if he could build one for the XT's.

As I've stated before, the Zeeltronic unit is ONLY for the older CDI type of ignition. The one with wiring pigtails coming out of it, not the built-in plugs.

Say Hey Mezo beer , Hey Steve , a schematic came with the cdi. It does seem pretty straight forward as far as matching the colored wires to their corresponding colored wires. Some of the wires look like they are used for programming. If I can't figure it out (Saturday) I'll post it here. Thanks Mike

None of the wires are for programming, the programmer plugs into the plug that has the red plug in it. The extra wires over and above the OEM wires are for additional functions, like a shift light and other functions. It is all spelled out in the wiring diagram. You don't have to use any of the extra functions, just tie them up out of the way. Besides the stator connections you have 3 wires, coil output, ground for cdi and a kill wire. That is all you need. Other than the coil output which is a plug and play and the kill wire which is a plug and play you have to supply a ground to the cdi. Ground on the oem wiring harness is black. If your neutral switch wire looped thru the CDi you will have to bypass it, blue/yellow from neutral switch connects directly to the sky blue going to the neutral light.

thanks Steve, your making it easier and easier. The new cdi is much smaller than the stock one, how did you mount yours? Regards, Mike :scooter:

I used the same stock bracket that goes over the CDI and bolts to the inside of the area behind the steering head.

I would tape or otherwise protect the extra pigtail from moisture, maybe put a small plastic bag over it and put plastic ties on to secure it.

Ok coil and cdi are installed and rather than using a battery I have a capacitor by kedo installed. I've only had the opportunity for a short ride , less than 5 miles, so the motor barely got warmed up. I have new rear turn signals and blinker relay installed but they do not light up, could it be the wiring needs to be reversed at the rear turn signals, or does this make a difference? I will take the turn signal switch apart and clean it with some electrical spray and reassemble, then switch the wiring on the new rear blinkers. Hopefully this will do the trick. Now for the big question...while at idle with my headlight pointed at a wall to see the reflection, the light dims as I rev the motor! I would think it would do exactly the opposite, because I should be creating more electricity as the magnets are rotating quicker around the stator. Is this an indication of a stator needing to be rewound? Thanks Mike