1990 v-max with no spark

[charles]

at first my wifes v-max would just cut out while riding it. like you were turning it off really fast as most of the time it would stay running. I put a new batt, plugs,and stater in it, now it lost spark on all four plug but the weired part is that if you turn the off switch to off without the motor turning it over it will back fire, I have a 85 that I'm fixing and have some extra parts, I tried a different cdi box and a few other parts, the rectifier had a couple of wires that look bad so I put mine on it. it seems like it's a safty switch to me. I need to figure this out before my wife stings me up she loves her bike.

Thanks for any help

I need the over flow bottle,starter,stater,some misc for my 85,

I have a four extra heads,complete gasket set,rear rim,rear pumkin,a bottom end motor minus the trans its a big bore is what I was told with new bore, some misc, to sell

 

[MaxMidnight]

A few things to check.

1) Do you have power going to and from the ignition fuse?

2) Do you have continuity across engine cut out and side stand switches.

3) Do you have power going to the ignition module and coils?

 

[one2dmax]

Sounds like it could be a bad key switch. Easy enough to bypass for now. It could be any number of other issues. Email me with info on the stuff you have for sale and pricing. not sure how interested I will be but i'm always gathering and selling parts.

I do have an electrical loaner program you could take advantage of too.

Sean Morley
[email protected]

 

[06VMAXIMUS]

Shit! We're neighbors Charles! Whereabouts you live in Elyria? I had a Yamaha YSR 80 that had the same symtoms, and like Sean already stated, it was the keyswitch. Welcome to the forum!

 

[PATMAX]

Hi Charles, Elyria huh? What part of town? I lived on Gulf Road by LCCC for twenty years. So I'm guessing that Yamaha shop on the west side is no help, Kennedy's is it? You found the right place for help. If Maxcruiser can't help you out, I might be able to help, at least with some of the parts you mentioned. And the parts you have sound interesting to me. Welcome aboard and now you are no longer a stranger here at this forum. By the way. What are the last four numbers of the VIN on your 1985. We are tracking down all 85s with a registry. Thanks Patmex

 

[06VMAXIMUS]

Kennedys sucks. They are the bozo's I went to back in 99 when I wanted to buy a vmax. Salesman wouldn't give me the time of day, so I left and went to Penton Honda and bought a CBR! I wouldnt buy a single friggin thing from them, and still don't to this day. I drove all the way to Brunswick (40 miles) to get my 06 vmax just so I could bypass Kennedys. OK, off my soapbox! Patmax, my brother lives off Abbe on Sandalwood Dr. by LCCC....I didn't know you were rooted in this area at one time. Small world!

 

[PATMAX]

Hey Bob, I don't want to hijack Charles thread. Yeah, that's my old stomping grounds. I'm a 1982 EC Grad. Cedar Pub has plenty of my $. Alot of the family is still there. Youngest brother lives in Amherst north of the airport, south of Spieglers farm. Other brother runs a funeral home on 57 in Elyria. You never came across Vmax guy Gary Haynes from your town? All Out Racing was his business/shop. Bike named "Christine". Hope you can help Charles out. If you guys hook up, maybe you can give me an idea of the condition of the parts he's looking to unload. I think I have everything he is looking for. Nice hearing from a Homer! Sounds like your Kennedy experience is the same as mine. I spent lots there as a kid redoing an old Bonneville way before the Max came along. They are useless. Even as a kid, I was a better technician than what they had on staff. Did better at Cleveland Motorcycle Supply. Later, Patmax

 

[PATMAX]

Sorry Charles, got carried away talking to Maximus. Here is what happened to my 90. I could be riding and bike would just die like it lost all spark, everything electrical was still working, lights, horn, starter, digital tach. Someone told me about a little inch by one inch relay that sits right in front of the TCI box you checked earlier. You have to pull the left scoop (opposite side from the key side), and pull the black plastic cover that holds all the relays and flasher unit. It is held by a square rubber mount. In fact the wires that go to it are identical to the wires to your coils. Try switching that out with the one from the other bike. I was told they sometimes get water in them since they are right there behind the frame neck area. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you! Patmax

 

[MaxMidnight]

Charles

Does it loose all electrics or just the ignition?

The quickest and most efficient way of establishing what the problem is will be to take a logical approach and move to the next step based on what you have measured in a previous step.

You can occasionally strike lucky by replacing this or that component by guess work but you are more likely to waste time and money. :damn angry:

 

[06VMAXIMUS]

Sorry Charles, got carried away talking to Maximus. Here is what happened to my 90. I could be riding and bike would just die like it lost all spark, everything electrical was still working, lights, horn, starter, digital tach. Someone told me about a little inch by one inch relay that sits right in front of the TCI box you checked earlier. You have to pull the left scoop (opposite side from the key side), and pull the black plastic cover that holds all the relays and flasher unit. It is held by a square rubber mount. In fact the wires that go to it are identical to the wires to your coils. Try switching that out with the one from the other bike. I was told they sometimes get water in them since they are right there behind the frame neck area. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you! Patmax

:hijacked:Yes, I apoligize as well for the hijack!
I can walk to Cedar Pub from my house, we use to go there all the time for ".25 cent draft night" . Stumbled home many times! I also am just a half mile from Gary Hanes, and I ran into him this summer at a poker run. He has bought a zx14, and doesn't ride the Vmax as much now. Charles, I would be willing to give you a hand with the bike, but I do not know the max inside and out like others here do!

 

[adamax]

As far as I understood, all 4 no spark.
please verify all 4 coils receive their shared 12 volts from the ignition fuse.
The TCI controls the coils individually, so either the TCI is toast ( the less likely guess ) or the TCI is not receiving an input as he likes ( the more likely one ), so have to check the ignition switch, the side stand switch, the neutral switch, starting circuit cutoff relay, the diode, etc... Charles, have you got the service manual and a multimeter ?

 

[charles]

I tried from my 85/86 v-max the key switch, cdi box and handle bar start switch will these work on my wifes 90 v-max.??

has any one ever rode a v-max with the 1340cc ariens big bore kit.?? I have a motor that is missing the tran gears, I would like to keep the motor if it is worth doing, I don't want an unreliable bike, it would have the 4 into one kerker and I'm sure I'd have to jet the carbs for it.??? I have a venture rear pumkin, I would hate to sell it to find out it's worth doing.

 

[PATMAX]

Yes Charles, everything in those years are the same. I have ridden the big bore Vmax and they have noticably more torque or low end grunt for lack of a better term. They do eat the gas up though. You are looking at a sizable investment to redo the trans and you will want "undercut" gears which provide a more positive gear engagement when shifting. Sean Morley can help you on this site. I'm guessing you would send it out and that is another few hundred in shipping. You might be better off selling your spares to fix or mod your current bike. Did you get the parts you needed yet? My brother is visiting me in two weeks and you could pick them up at the end of the month. He lives on University off Abbe Rd/ 57. I can sell or trade you. Let me know. What part of Elyria are you? Patrick

 

[one2dmax]

the 1990 has different electronics. The key switch is one of the few items that are the same.

 

[charles]

I'm on 16th street the last four numbers on my title are 4554. I have two manuals and a tester. I'll have to go and start checking some parts first I*'m going to put her parts back on, how will I know if my cdi box will work on my wifes.?? theses were in a box with my 85 I have three of them.??

if someone wants to make an offer on the motor and all the parts I'd think about it as I'm laid off right now, so I'd rather have a two running bike's. theres a box with some misc and a new oil pump, the butterfly tube has nitos pipes but no set up with it. the guy that I bought this from got it from his dad when he past away, ( he didn't know if his dad's buddy did the work or he had it sent out) the arins motor with the 1340 cracked the case bye the shaft going to the swing arm, he found another motor an had it bored to fit the pistons they are in a box the crank is in the case, he then found a stock running motor and started putting it in the bike an thats when he past away this guy had too many bikes an cars and he's into ninjas so he sold it to me.

 

[PATMAX]

Dang Sean, I don't mean to steer a brother wrong. Is the kick stand relay different? The CDI, the stator, vboost module, reg/rec different? All thought they were all the same in those years. I have the part number for the early style CDI boxes. Maybe listed in the in the shop manual too?

 

[one2dmax]

Virtually everything that is needed to run is different. Starter Relay, Kickstand switch and relay, pickup, flywheel, cdi (yellow label for early and white/silver label for later models), turn signal relay, Gauge Cluster (though the wiring harness can be swapped into the body)

Same parts are:
Key switch, Handlebar switch (though I want to say there is a difference there too), Vboost black box, servo motor, fuel sending unit, neutral switch, voltage reg, stator, coils.

Shoot me info on the engine and any pics you have. I did some work a couple of years ago to repair a guys engine that sounds very similar to the situation you talked about. If you have his name I can check and see if it's him (if I can find it in the record).

Sean
[email protected]

 

[charles]

Robert A. Shaw JR was his name and his sons name was Chris they live in Toledo Ohio.

I was going to take some photo's of the motor and parts to sell with it. I'll try to get the cdi boxes and look at the stickers and numbers.
Chas

 

[one2dmax]

Will try to look. If it's the customer I am thinking of we had to repair the block thrust surface. It would be in the upper case half and one or both journals where the crank sits into (the sides not the bearing area). If it's got some half moon pieces screwed into place then we probably did the repair work.

Shoot me the pics if you would and i'll look up and see if that's who I am thinking of.

Sean

 

[charles]

Bob Thanks I will let you know, do you ride at all.?? it's really cold in my garage but I will get out there to move the stuff around to make sure what I need to sell. I wish I had a heated garage but that's not the case, I'm on 16 th street, it seem's there's alot of nice people on this site and that's nice to see right now.
Chas