QuestionI have a 1981 cm400t honda that shut off while riding. troubleshooting found no spark to either plug. researching and reading manual have left me confused. as i understand it , 1) the cdi component is difficult to test except thru a dealer
2) bike will not start, so i ohm'ed out the stator by the manual and only one combination of wires is below the mfr recommedation
3) starter will spin but no spark
4) bought a used coil and rectifer, installed but no change
5) run and ignition switch seem to be ok
my questions -
1) can the bike run off the battery if stator is bad because
all the stator truobleshooting i read about has the bike running
2) is there something else i can check to confirm the stator is the problem
any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated
AnswerThe Honda CDI system is self-powered, so you don't need a battery, except to spin over the motor with the electric starter.
The pulse generator coil is part of the stator and generates the initial timing signal to the CDI unit. CDI also gets a voltage pulse from the stator, as well.
http://www.cmsnl.com/honda-cm400t-81-us_model7287/partslist/E++1001.html shows the pulse generator coil. If those wires measure an open or short, then the stator needs replacing. If there is a signal being generated from there, then more than likely the CDI module is fried.
The rectifier converts AC to DC voltages to charge the battery and has no bearing on the CDI system.
DO make sure that the KILL Switch wires are not grounding somewhere. Both the KILL and IGNITION Switches ground the system to kill the power to the ignition.
Bill S.
