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Posted by Chris in San Diego on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 18:49:41 :
Especially when you don't even suspect the problem is electrical!
It ran fine hot wired, then I put in the wiring harness with ballast resistor. Then it ran as if waay lean. So I try jets. I try reaming out a jet. Slight improvement, but not running like it ought to. Rebuild the carb- six times! So I wonder about the coil? Coils can make it surge, like leanness. Take out the 6-volt coil I was running on 12v with a ballast, - now it runs great! Change jet back to the standard. Runs pretty good for a couple weeks, 100 miles maybe. Starts surging again, especialy on hills. No biggy, my guess is that that used coil wasn't too good. I have yet another used coil. Swap it out, runs like the proverbial
primate with the polychrome posterior. For a couple weeks.
Then, today I finally get around to swapping out the new-defective Chinese ignition switch. The one with the bad contact- the wipers run in ACC, but not in ON- kinda hard to drive in the rain, jiggling switch back and forth. The engine backfire when I try. Swap in the new switch, a much better one, Hecho en Mexico. Now, no start. Unless I twist the switch to the 'start' position while I hit the starter pedal. But it won't run, unless held in 'start'. Hmmm, check voltage at ballast. 12v on each side. Hmmm, try old Chinese switch, same problem. Hmmm, runs on the ballast bypass wire, not on he ballast? Turn on key, check volts at coil- ZERO. That darn electrician (Me!) who made the little wire from the ballast to the coil crimped it poorly. Replace it with one new six inch wire with two new terminals- runs GREAT! Only now it won't shut off.... I guess that white wire for the three-wire alternator does need resistance, like the usual idiot light bulb. It's been working fine since I put the harness in- the bad connection at the coil gave enough resistance to make it work well! Now it works fine with the white wire unhooked. I guess the old alternator has enough residual magnetism saved up over the years to self-energize it's 'field'.
So it looks like I've fixed several problems today that I didn't even know I had this morning!
Hmmm, I wonder how it will run with a slightly leaner jet now....
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