1990 Katana GSX600F no spark, won't run

[jeepnmatt]

i recently got a Katana from a friend that has had it stored for about 2 years. it ran fine when he parked it and it has sat ever since. when i got it, the battery was dead and the gas tank was nearly empty and the gas was bad. i put a couple gallons of good gas with a carb cleaner additive in the tank and hooked it up to my battery charger that has a "start" feature and cranked away. it would sputter and run for a short period of time and then die. after 5 or 6 times of this, it wouldn't fire at all. i figured that the spark plugs were fouled from the bad gas in the carbs and let it sit.

i then bought new plugs for it and while i had the tank off, check for spark...nothing. none of the 4 plugs spark at all. the coils are getting power, but i'm not sure how to check (or test) if they are getting a signal from the ignition module (black box aka ecu). also, i'm not sure how to check/test the crank sensor to make sure it is giving a signal to the igntion module. anything else i can test?

in summary, the engine cranks and cranks, gets gas, but no spark.

are there any common problems related to this? any simple fixes? any other ideas will be greatly appreciated! i'm a fairly competent mechanic, so don't be afraid to get technical!

thanks!
Matt

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[Dave2122]

You can check for spark with the plug in the cap and touch the frame and crank the motor. You will see a spark if it is working. You most likely will need to remove a strip the carbs and clean them with a carb cleaning solvent.

[jeepnmatt]

thanks for the tips, but i'm WAY past that.

i have the tank and all of the body plastic off and have full access to the coils, plugs, ignition module, fuse block, and starter solenoid.

first, i held the plugs to the block to check for spark, nothing. then, i checked to make sure that i have power to the coils and i do. this makes me think that the coils are not receiving a "fire" signal from the Ignition Module (IM). so, i pulled the side cover off the engine and checked the crank pick-up. visually, it looks OK, but i don't know how to test it. then, i went thru all of the pins on the IM connectors and it does appear to have power (+12V) at a few of the pins.

so:

how do i test the crank pick-up sensor. i believe that it is a "Hall Effect" sensor if that helps any.

how do i test the IM? specifically, the outputs that signal the coils to fire. i belive that the IM provides a short duration ground that caused the coils to fire. which pins are these?

is it common for the Ignition module or coils to go bad in these bikes?

thanks for any other help!

Matt

[InaneCathode]

Just kinda a sideline:
2 year old gas is hoooorible for carbs, even if its mixed with new gas.
Pour out what you have and flush out the carbs, for your bikes sake. As soon as you get a bit of vacuum all the little crystals that have settled will get sucked into the jets.
Bad times.

[jeepnmatt]

thanks again!


anyone know what the primary and secondary resistance should be on the coils?

Matt

[oldtimerwrenchturner]

to test the pickups you need a volt meter that goes down to milli volts
unplug the pickups put the volt meter leads on each wire and crank it over if you get any reading at all on the volt meter they are good

as far as the coils go you can try connecting the groung of the coil to the ground of battery
then come from the battery positive pole and brush the positive side of the coil. if they are good you will get a small spark

[oldtimerwrenchturner]

as far as the resistance goes that does not prove anything

the coils could be arcing out inside the coil body

any dealer will have a coil tester

[jeepnmatt]

thanks for the info!

[jeepnmatt]

i tested the crank pick-up and i am getting voltage when cranking, so i think that it is good.

i also bought a used ignition module off ebay and plugged it in...still no spark.

then, i checked continuity from the IM plug to the coils and found everything to be OK (no broken wires).

i tried hooking up power to each of the coils and touching the ground side to the engine and didn't get any sparks at a spark plug on either of the coils. i think it would be extremely odd for BOTH coils to fail at the same time...but without being able to test them, thats what it looks like. i have a couple of other things to check before i buy 2 new coils. maybe i'll pull them off and have them tested at a repair shop...

if you have any other ideas, please let me know!
Matt