I’ve been lurking here for years but this is my first post - because I would really appreciate the benefit of the collective wisdom of this forum.The cali has been running fine all year but a couple of days ago the RH cylinder cut out (The tacho stopped working too). Plugs and caps were replaced and this appeared to work but it failed again 40-50 miles later. It started running on both again after I’d refitted the coil connections but not for long! A further check today showed that the front mounting rubber for the coil holder had separated so the whole coil assembly was rather looser than it should have been. I’ve now cable tied the holder in place and teh bike is running on both cylinders again, though I’ve not roadtested it yet. To make it more complicated, I’m in rural Portugal where there are no Guzzi dealers!Anyone had anything similar? I’d like to know if the coil is likely to be damaged and eeed replacement or whether it’s likely to get me home. Thanks in advanceDave
No promises but it sounds as if it should be good Dave. I would be undoing and redoing the electrical connectors, even the ones under the tank, spraying some contact cleaner in there. Maybe your tachometer will start working again too then?
Thanks for the hopeful reply. All the electrical connectors were filled with silicone grease last year and those I’ve checked still look good. All the other electrics are working fine - and the tacho starts working again as soon as it’s firing on the right hands cylinder again!Dave
I once had to wrap a coil in that top insulation tape as it was arcing
On some bikes the coils need to earth through the frame others not, make sure the coil is tight,
I would guess a cheap fix would be an exhaust type clip or at worst a Jubilee clip to hold it tight. Had this happen on mine many yrs ago and got it home, then forgot for ohhh about 2 yrs , by fixing it with a U bolt around the org fixing, got a new coil holder eventually …
I was wondering if that was the problem. The coil flapping around grounding on the frame was shorting out the coil. I used insulating tape too!Managed 150 miles today with no problem so it’s looking good at the moment.
This is feasible, HT can get through places that other leccy can’t Good insulation is vital if you want to make sure it goes only to the plug.
It is probably not the HT as such, on some systems, my V1000 the coil body has to be earthed for the LT to hit the coil. (I found this out when I wrapped rubber around them to isolate vibes, and had NO spark …dohhh)
On others it has to be isolated so it does not flow to earth, either way if it comes loose then it either looses that earth path …or gains it… so will not work.
Another 200 miles yesterday but this time the RH cylinder cut out once. I made sure the coil was insulated from the frame but that didn’t fix it. (the coil holder is mounted on the anti-vibration rubber mounting thingies so I assume the coil shouldn’t be touching the frame). I then removed and reseated the LT connection to the coil. That worked! And it continued to work. So I reckon the coil bouncing around has somehow damaged the plug or socket or wires! Which will make for an interesting journey home.Dave
It will be worth taking a good look see over the weekend, new mounts/insulation and clean the contacts and check the HT wires.
The spades do get corroded on the LT side and the ends of the HT wires also get corroded. replacement HT and other bits from
Your Dealer
I had a lot of running on one cylinder yesterday - having the second cylinder suddenly start while on a sharp bend was interesting - and I now think it’s an intermittent break in the LT circuit. When it’s running on both cylinders it’s running great - no misfiring or hesitation etc - but the RH cylinder is either on or off with no inbetween. So when I get home I’ll be pulling it apart to trace the fault.Thanks for your suggestions.By the way, what do the two ignition modules under the LH side panel do?Dave
Hi Dave
It’s important to be specific to the bike. Some general principles apply and yet there is a lot of difference between, for example, a T3 Cali, an 1100i and an EV.
Have you got a manual for the bike? It makes tracing the wiring a bit easier. For example in finding what needs to be earthed. Cuts out a lot of trial, error and speculation.
Does sound as if you’ve narrowed it down to an intermittent fault related to the loose coil(s). Worth noting that apart from the points mentioned above the wire and exposed parts of it can corrode and degrade. Crimp terminals become loose and corroded too.
Worth looking at the manual to see where the tacho is triggered from. This may well confirm or refute the coil hypothesis.
As it’s an injection model they are almost certainly the ‘black boxes’ or ignition modules that do the job of the distributor and points etc on older bikes.
The manual is available as a download elsewhere on the site,
All the best
Steveguzzibrat2013-09-12 14:30:55
It says 1100i in the heading of this thread.
OOPS! Only noticed it after I’d pressed @Post Reply’
Have amended it now.
All the best
Steve
Hi SteveThanks for the help. It’s an 1100i with a P8 ECU. I asked about the ignition modules because when I looked at the wiring diagram, the tacho feed is shown as coming from the im rather than from the coil. It’s difficult to tell how it’s actually wired though. As the tacho stops when the spark stops it might suggest the fault is further back in the ignition circuit than the coil. I assume the ignition modules are solid state so less likely to develop intermittent failure and the connections are likely to be the problem. I’m guessing though!(Wiring diagram courtesy of Carl Allison and a helpful Portuguese hotel receptionist who printed it in colour for me - won’t forget to take a copy with me next time!). Dave
Hi Dave,
Although it can be a strain on the eyes I keep a PDF of the diagram on my phone. Do live an A% laminated copy under the seat though
The IM’s and ECU can both develop intermittent faults but these tend to be relative to heat/engine running hours.
I think you’re right to start with connections/earths at the front end and work back.
Is it possible to swap component leads over L to R to identify a component or area of the loom?
All the best
Steve
It would almost certainly be a problem with the LT side of the coil and associated wiring if the tacho also always fails at the same time, as the tacho is only connected to the LT side of that coil. Indeed it is connected to the non live side which is also connected to the ignition module. A poor connection is the most likely culprit.
If you don’t have one already connect a second earth from the battery to your ecu casing, it may or may not cure it but it will help to protect the fragile earth protection circuit (I think thats what its called) from burning out, which is a pain and about a hundred quid to fix.
Have you swapped stuff over to the opposite cylinders to see if it changes sides and which part causes the change. Elimentry my dear Whatnot.
I think it could be simply dodgy coil, a swap over test would check that
Thanks for the suggestions. This is the curse of the intermittent fault - every time I’ve been in a good place to do some testing it’s been running fine so swapping components wouldn’t have proved anything. I did have one go at swapping the ignition module connections and coil HT and LT connections (all at the same time). The engine didn’t fire at all doing that so I obviously got something wrong!I’ve arranged to call into Moto Corsa on the way home so I’ll see what they come up with.Dave