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Hi Everyone, I am in need of some help. I have recently purchased a 1981 Kawasaki KZ1100-a and I am having some difficulties. First of all the bike ran fine for the first 300km but all of a sudden it started running rough. I did wash it yesterday for the first time. So here is what happens. I think that the center two cylinders are missing, now when I pull out the plugs and ground them on the block there is spark everytime BUT some of the time when i pull off the plug while it is running it makes no difference in the way that the bike runs. When I go to take off the bike will shake and hesitate and not want to go very well but then it will kick in and take off fine for most of the ride but once in awhile the bike will start to stutter at cruising speed (60km) 4000rpm. It has troubles idling now too. Now the bike had sat for awhile and had bad gas in it and I dumped the carbs and put in a fresh tank and changed the plugs but I am stumped at that. Could it be the ignition coil? Also does it matter which plug wire on the coil is hooked into which outlet on the coil? thanks to everyone who can help me.

Darren

Almost a sure bet that at least one of the coils is bad

No it does not matter which plug wire goes to which plug, within reason of course. One coil fires 1&4 while the other coil fires 2&3, you can switch 1&4 or 2&3.

I had a 750 twin that would start missing and sputtering as soon as the first raindrop fell, new coil fixed it right up

Is it possible that the coil will dry out and start functioning properly again? The Dyna's are $200 here and I don't have the cash rite now. thanks

Where is your location? Z1enterprises.com sells them for quite a bit less and ships worldwide. As Steve said, the easiest way to trouble shoot a coil problem is to swap the 1/4 coil for the 2/3 coil and see if the problem moves. If the coils is misbehaving intermittently, check it for cracks as it may be shorting when it is damp. If you have cracks, it is best to replace the coil but you can use epoxy to fill them. This will generally stop the damp weather related shorts.

Darren,

Could be coils or could be supply to the coils. Check for a bright blue arc on a spare plug that is grounded to the engine and connected to one of the inner two plug wires while cranking the engine. I'll venture to say that you will have none or little signs of an arc as you can pull the plug wire while running and not get bit by the juice.

If no spark then check the voltage at the coil from the supply wiring. Should be 11+ volts or more, if none found then your wiring is your problem. While looking at the wiring, look for corrosion, loose ends, frays, dirt in connectors, etc.

With bad gas and now electrical, you have a lot of inspecting and work ahead of you to guarantee a round trip on it.

Let us know what you find.

Kingborgie wrote:

Is it possible that the coil will dry out and start functioning properly again? The Dyna's are $200 here and I don't have the cash rite now. thanks

I have sprayed coils and surrounding wires with WD40. This will repel moisture which may be causing short.
Worth a try ?

Had a similar problem with my 1100 Spectre,thought it was an ignition problem,but turned out to be a couple of tight valve clearances,just a thought and only takes 1/2 hour to check

I just wanted to thank everyone for the tips they have given me I will try most of them out tomorrow or monday. Hopefully they work. Thanks again. Darren