Triumphrat

Baltobonneville · 11-12-2012, 01:56 PM

Isn't the ignition coil also prone to failure when it warms up? I think that I've read that here a few times.

denbow · 11-12-2012, 02:46 PM

Yes they are and I'm putting my money on that being the cause.

ruger · 11-13-2012, 12:47 AM

+1. Mine would run for about a mile or two and then cut out when it warmed up. Starter cranked, lights worked but no ignition. Let it cool and it was good for another 3 blocks.

The Mad Hatta · 11-13-2012, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baltobonneville

Isn't the ignition coil also prone to failure when it warms up?

All ignition components are prone to this. The reason being, higher temperature causes higher resistance. The part which has worn out can handle operating at normal resistance, but because it is worn out, one of two things happens, depending on the internal issue. The part experiences VERY high resistance due to temperature increase, or the part just can't overcome the normal resistance increase due to temperature increase. Either way, you just replace the part. I'm still leaning towards PU coil OR ignition coil. These coils are simple step-up transformers, so they are very sensitive to out-of-range resistance increases. They are also considered normal-wear parts, meaning they are expected to wear out.

timpee77 · 11-15-2012, 02:25 AM

Is everybody who's had this experience talking about failures of the stock Gill ignition coil? Anybody had any troubles with aftermarket ones? What are you running now? Nology? Are there others? How many miles/ km's did you get from you coils before they died?

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ruger · 11-16-2012, 01:48 AM

Timpee77, for me it was just the pick up coil which went bad. But I had replaced my stock ignition coil with a Nology after about 15 or 16 thousand miles. So far so good on the Nology after another 28,000 or so miles. I keep the stock coil around as a spare.

Londonbabe · 12-23-2012, 07:14 PM

Right, chaps, you are going to love his.
I buy a new ignition coil cheap from the BMW specialist mentioned up thread, and a new pickup coil and alternator cover gasket. I also buy some torx drivers and some Three Bond liquid gasket, as used by Hinkley.
I go to my garage with all this and a bag full of tools.

First I change the ignition coil. Easy peasy, took about 30 minutes.
Then I try to undo the alternator cover. The nuts are so tight they break my manual screwdriver handle and my electric one won't turn.
After trying a local hardware store I check the net and end up cycling 6 miles there and back to Halfords to buy a torque wrench and an 8mm socket that fits it. At least now I will also be able to fasten those nuts to the correct torque.

I get back, undo all the bolts, and the cover still won't come off. The manual says there might be a bit of pull from the stator. What it doesn't say is that 6 year old gasket sealant has welded the cover on and to get it off you need to wedge a pry bar under one of the tabs and bash the living hell out of it with a big hammer. Finally it comes off and I remove the old pickup.

"Trace the wiring back to the connector" the manual says. What it actually means is trace the wiring back to a black hole between tank and battery tray that is impossible to access by any reasonable means, then spend an hour using your little fingers, a lot of swearing and some psychic powers to finally identify the correct connector and gradually tease it out into daylight where you can finally unplug the damn pickup.

That ordeal over, and after spending nearly an hour cleaning up the mating surfaces I now get the three bond out and apply it to the alternator cover and the engine case. I put a bit on the pickup grommet and push it into its hole. It pops straight out again. It doesn't fit. It's not exactly the right shape. So now I have to balance the cover in one hand, push the gasket into the silicone, hold it in place and keep the grommet held in its void all with the other. David Copperfield would be impressed at such dexterity. The astonishing feat as in one smooth swift movement I slap the cover over the dowels and slam it home in exactly the right place would have drawn applause from the man.

I tighten the bolts, put the bike back together, and try and start it. The battery is flat. I have spent 9 hours on this now. I remove the battery and take it home to charge it.

The next day, with a fully charged battery, I head out to the garage again. I put the battery back in the bike and nervously try to start it. It bursts into life for about a minute, stalling when the throttle is opened, and eventually only running on one cylinder, before crapping out completely. I am spent. I give up. I make plans to set fire to it, but instead I go to the pub, buy a pint and call the RAC.

I'm into my second pint when he finally arrives. He goes over the bike, checks the spark. It's strong! At the very least my work has not broken it. He pulls a plug. It's bone dry. There is no fuel in the cylinders. Looking over the bike he notices that the fuel hose is routed wrong, and is pinched flat. That's the cause! With a full tank the weight of the petrol created enough fuel pressure to overcome it, but as the tank got emptier, and its contents lighter, the carbs were starved. BLD (Biker's Legal Defence) must had done this when they had the bike to fix some cosmetic damage on my insurance after some toerag drove a pickup into me at a red light. We pull the hose and put it back without the tortuous kink in it. This time the bike roars into life and keeps running. It's fixed.

What this does mean is that I spent 10 hours and over a hundred and fifty quid I didn't need to, changing components that were working perfectly well. And I learned an important lesson I will share with all of you.

Don't, under any circumstances, let BLD work on your bike. If you insure with Motorcycle Direct that's who they will use. This is only the latest in a series of cockups this bunch of incompetent and unprofessional cowboys have inflicted upon my Trumpet. First their new clutch cover poured oil out of a badly installed gear change seal. Then it wouldn't un immobilise, then this. And I discovered after working on the bike that they returned it missing one seat bolt, 3 seat rubber feet, both bar end mirror rubber bungs, and one of the battery tray locating washers had been replaced with a plain one.

Let The Good Times Roll · 12-23-2012, 07:50 PM

Londonbabe - Im glad your story has a happy ending - it was entertainingly written - I read it to my wife while she was doing the ironing and I know she enjoyed it because its the first time Ive seen her smile while doing the ironing.
It probably reminded her of the time that I drove everybody mad trying to fix a "tingling" noise when you pushed the clutch in on a Ford Falcon I owned. I removed the gearbox twice ( by myself lying on my back on the garage floor with stinking gear oil pouring over my stomach) to replace the clutch throwout bearing only to find it didnt fix it ( I had advise from two very experienced Ford mechanics that it was the throwout bearing and the second time I was just unlucky that the first one was faulty from new).
I eventually found the culprit - the accelerator linkage was vibrating against the extractors - 5 seconds to adjust and the F..... noise was gone. So I know how you feel.
Regards - Let The Good Times Roll - Ray.

bluesforchallah · 12-23-2012, 08:02 PM

Glad to hear your bike is fixed.

Bright side... you've got spares for when you need and you've now got the experience under your belt.

Baltobonneville · 12-23-2012, 09:58 PM

At some point we all replace parts that didn't need replacing. It's part of the learning curve.