TOPIC:

Before installing my new Dyna green coils, spark plug wires and plugs, does anyone have any suggestions to other items I should replace at the same time? Anyone?

Just a thought and I'm not sure your 1976 KZ900/1000 is built the same way… but when I bought my Dyna Black coil from Z1, Jeff was quite insistent that I take care not to short the Coil's +12 Vdc input to the adjacent mounting post. To terminate my +12 Vdc from the Coil Re-powering Relay mod to the Coil I soldered a closed lug.

Sure enough, when I cam to mount the coil I also noted that you could almost measure the gap with a gapping gauge... not a good thing to prevent shorts! As a solution I decided to cover the adjacent mounting post with a full length shrink tubing. I applied this solution to both coils and they have never given me a problem to date.

See my picture and note the really small gap and the shrink tubing on the post.

I hope this helps and best of success.



Post edited by: bill_wilcox100, at: 2007/08/09 23:08

Post edited by: bill_wilcox100, at: 2007/08/09 23:10

Yeah, like Bill said, I've had to diagnose the dyna coils shorting to the frame on at least two bikes so far. It's very common and sometimes it only shorts when the frame flexes a little bit, or the bike is accelerating or slowing down. Make sure there is at least an 1/8 inch of clearance if at all possible.

thats a good point guy's, i never thought of putting a peice of heat shrink tutube on the lugs. Maby that is why my bike breaks up at higher speeds under hard exceleration:whistle:

Soldering then heat shrinking the lead to the lugs in general is a "best practice" in my opinion... but remember, that alone will not prevent the coil +12 Vdc input bolt head from shorting to the mounting post!

What I was suggesting is that you cover the entire mounting post adjacent to the +12 Vdc Coil input with shrink tubing such that the bolt head then no longer has anything to short to... just wanted to be sure my point got across.

My original picture was probably not that clear. Here goes again...



Best of success!

Post edited by: bill_wilcox100, at: 2007/08/10 08:21

Post edited by: bill_wilcox100, at: 2007/08/10 08:23

When it starts misfiring in the wet, dry the heat shrink tubing and cover the area with dielectric grease.

Been there, done that.

I've seen sparks jump a quarter-inch from the positive terminal to a ground on those coils.

playswithnitro, good point. By the way, I assume you mean cover the bolt head with a non conductive dielectric grease. Greasing the heat shrink would not do very much... in my opinion.

I wonder if anyone here has ever come across a rubber (or other insulating material) screw cap option (or coating)? Usually, by the time I think of it someone has long since invented it.

There are two options for insulating a screw terminal. I've used both of them in the past and it just depends on the application which is best.

Plasti-dip: this stuff comes in a spray-on version and a paint-on/dip-in version. You'll want the paint-on/dip-in stuff as it is really thick. You can get at Home Depot and lots of hardware stores. Just paint the stuff all over the parts you don't want to short and it will insulate them all.

Paint-on electrical tape: this stuff is harder to find and you'll probably have to order it on-line. One source is www.k1cra.com/catalog/product.aspx?productID=1323 .

Of course, your mileage will vary with both these products. Given the amount of heat under those coils I can't say which one will work best.

Thanks coffeedragon!

What did I tell ya... already invented.

You just got to admit that this site or KZ's seem to attract some of the best informed and ready-to-share riders.

The last set of dynas i installed i put a big gob of silicone on the screw heads and used 1 inch nylon spacers on the mounting bolts available at any Ace hardware store.

Ditto what 76 LTD said about using the nylon spacers from ACE. Did this a while ago. They come in a lot of different lengths so you can actually space the coils a little higher off the frame if you so desire.

I replaced the metal spacer with a length of high performance plastic. I found that the mounting bolt fit nicly inside of a bic pen; so i cut the pen into lengths the same as the stock spacers and done...

easy!