arceeguy
Active Member
Hey guys,
Just finishing my 4th build with a "Happy Times" bicycle engine and experienced my first "no start" condition from a brand new engine.
I was getting a "no spark" condition and swapped out a new CDI, which didn't do any good. The magneto coil measured continuity from ground to the white wire, and blue wire. It would light up a night light bulb (dim, but lit) connected to the blue and black wires, so there was output.
Turns out the problem was the air gap between the rotor magnet and the magneto frame. It was too wide, and the magneto output wasn't high enough to trigger the CDI. I used a business card and a large pair of vice grips to close the gap on the magneto coil.
Now, the engine starts with just a momentary "popping" of the clutch lever at slow speeds. I made the adjustment to my other bike, and it starts a lot easier. I would have to pedal to a pretty high speed and pp the clutch before it would start, and now I can just pedal at a slow pace and pop the clutch to get it started with little effort. The same night light now glows a bit brighter when connected to the magneto, so the output went up a lot by closing the air gap.
Hope this helps others!
Ciao!
Just finishing my 4th build with a "Happy Times" bicycle engine and experienced my first "no start" condition from a brand new engine.
I was getting a "no spark" condition and swapped out a new CDI, which didn't do any good. The magneto coil measured continuity from ground to the white wire, and blue wire. It would light up a night light bulb (dim, but lit) connected to the blue and black wires, so there was output.
Turns out the problem was the air gap between the rotor magnet and the magneto frame. It was too wide, and the magneto output wasn't high enough to trigger the CDI. I used a business card and a large pair of vice grips to close the gap on the magneto coil.
Now, the engine starts with just a momentary "popping" of the clutch lever at slow speeds. I made the adjustment to my other bike, and it starts a lot easier. I would have to pedal to a pretty high speed and pp the clutch before it would start, and now I can just pedal at a slow pace and pop the clutch to get it started with little effort. The same night light now glows a bit brighter when connected to the magneto, so the output went up a lot by closing the air gap.
Hope this helps others!
Ciao!