Ok, this is mostly informational 'cause this frustrated me for over a week and cost me money. Hopefully I can save someone else from having this embarrassing problem happen to them.
Last week we tore out the stock swingarm and put in a +3. Basic mechanical project, very straight forward. The problem is, we get it back together and it will barely run! Idles ok, but bogs something fierce when the throttle is applied. Hours later we are pulling hair and swearing a bit because nothing works and finally take it down to a local mechanic who helped us determine that there is excessive resistance on the magneto source coil. Classic symptom of a bad coil, ok, order one and install it right? So yesterday it arrives and we put it in and what do you know, it runs the same. Son-of-a-b... Now, I'm pretty good with a meter so I start looking deeper and I trace the resistance back to the CDI which I already know is good cuz we plugged in a new one and tried it already. Out comes the schematic and I start looking at things that can affect the CDI. TORS comes to mind but we'd already tried disconnecting that a while back, to no effect.
Then I notice there is a switch in the circuit for the parking brake. Of course with a longer swingarm we had taken off the parking brake cable and tossed it in the corner with the other stock parts, it now being too short. What I didn't notice was that taking off the cable allows the mechanism on the handle to relax and activate the parking brake switch. Essentially, the flipping parking brake was on! Or at least the CDI thought so. This apparently gives the exact same effect of having the TORS kick in, it grounded a lead from the ignition. So, a quick disconnect of the PB switch and we're back in business. I'm trying not to feel too bad about it, since it fooled even a guy with 30 years experience, but I wanted to warn all you guys, especially those with '03 and up quads because the older ones don't have this flippin' switch.
I will post a copy of the '03 Manual Supplement, which has a new wiring diagram, in the DIY section. Hopefully with the main manual link.
Last week we tore out the stock swingarm and put in a +3. Basic mechanical project, very straight forward. The problem is, we get it back together and it will barely run! Idles ok, but bogs something fierce when the throttle is applied. Hours later we are pulling hair and swearing a bit because nothing works and finally take it down to a local mechanic who helped us determine that there is excessive resistance on the magneto source coil. Classic symptom of a bad coil, ok, order one and install it right? So yesterday it arrives and we put it in and what do you know, it runs the same. Son-of-a-b... Now, I'm pretty good with a meter so I start looking deeper and I trace the resistance back to the CDI which I already know is good cuz we plugged in a new one and tried it already. Out comes the schematic and I start looking at things that can affect the CDI. TORS comes to mind but we'd already tried disconnecting that a while back, to no effect.
Then I notice there is a switch in the circuit for the parking brake. Of course with a longer swingarm we had taken off the parking brake cable and tossed it in the corner with the other stock parts, it now being too short. What I didn't notice was that taking off the cable allows the mechanism on the handle to relax and activate the parking brake switch. Essentially, the flipping parking brake was on! Or at least the CDI thought so. This apparently gives the exact same effect of having the TORS kick in, it grounded a lead from the ignition. So, a quick disconnect of the PB switch and we're back in business. I'm trying not to feel too bad about it, since it fooled even a guy with 30 years experience, but I wanted to warn all you guys, especially those with '03 and up quads because the older ones don't have this flippin' switch.
I will post a copy of the '03 Manual Supplement, which has a new wiring diagram, in the DIY section. Hopefully with the main manual link.
