Total loss runs great and then crappy

[Waternut]

I just replaced the coil for my single channel total loss setup with one from another system and it would fly around like it was on fire....for about 5-10 minutes. Then once the engine got warm (not hot) the ski started running like complete crap and would barely plane off.

I let it sit for about 20 minutes and took it back out and it ripped again for about 2-3 minutes and ran like crap.

Granted neither of the coils are new but both were sold with a "working" total loss system. Could the coil be the root of all my problems? Maybe it's heating up, doesn't like it when the engine bay heats up, or doesn't like water?

 

[Matt_E]

Try yet another coil.

Was the trigger shimmed appropriately?
Is the flywheel area free of water? It could that after a few minutes of riding, you have water in there that's messing with the trigger.

 

[Waternut]

Was the trigger shimmed appropriately?
Is the flywheel area free of water? It could that after a few minutes of riding, you have water in there that's messing with the trigger.

I haven't been able to measure the pickup gap but I doubt it's that since it runs fine if I can get the RPM's up enough.

I was actually just digging through some old posts where you recommended water might be in the flyhwheel cover. It may very well be that since every time I had it happen, I had just landed a big jump and the ski was near vertical.

Can water really screw it up that bad? It's just a magnet on the flywheel and a fancy sealed rod in the pickup isn't it?

 

[Matt_E]

It's an electronic ignition. Trust me, you don't want water in there.
It's hard to guess at what your problem really is.
There are a few basic points that need to be addressed for TL to work reliably.
1. Keep water out
2. Ground everything, ground it twice, and ground it again
3. Use known good components (not something that someone thought his cousin said once ran good)
4. PROPER INSTALLATION (perhaps the most important) That includes trigger shimming. If you have not shimmed the trigger before, or checked the spacing, you can safely assume that it isn't correct.

Go over those basics. Why keep guessing? Get some basic stuff out of the way, know that it was done right, and go from there.
Don't ASSuME the previous owner did it, or did it right.

 

[Waternut]

Well there isn't a drop of water inside the flywheel area.

Know of any coils I can get locally? I'm a little afraid to pull the coil out of my stock setup in fear that there is something in the total loss that is frying coils.

I'm still trying to measure the gap on the pickup but every clay, soft rubber, and goop I try either gets knocked off when I spin the flywheel or sticks to itself and comes off in a string so I haven't been able to measure it.

 

[Matt_E]

The TL is not able to fry coils.

To clarify: Yes, you can break coils. But it won't be because of the TL, but rather an installation or coil fault. (i.e., bad grounding)

 

[norcal ex]

I'm still trying to measure the gap on the pickup but every clay, soft rubber, and goop I try either gets knocked off when I spin the flywheel or sticks to itself and comes off in a string so I haven't been able to measure it.

I used gum and put oil on the side that touches the flywheel and stick it to the pickup. DONT SPIN THE FLYWHEEL!!! just press it on and tap with a rubber mallet like the instructions say.

 

[McDog]

I used gum and put oil on the side that touches the flywheel and stick it to the pickup. DONT SPIN THE FLYWHEEL!!! just press it on and tap with a rubber mallet like the instructions say.

x2, don't spin it. I used play-do.

 

[crammit442]

What makes you so sure it has anything to do with the ignition system?

 

[D-Roc]

does you gas tank check valve work? do you have clear fuel lines to see if you got air bubbles or maybe milky fuel? like crammit said it could be something else. my total loss runs or doesn't. if the ski is running poor it could be something other than the ignition.

 

[Flat Brapp]

exhaust leak?

 

[Waternut]

What makes you so sure it has anything to do with the ignition system?

The ski ran great before putting the total loss in the ski... I like to only do one thing at a time to eliminate confusion. I did blow up my waterbox in the process so I changed that with another stock waterbox so that could cause it but I doubt it.

 

[Waternut]

does you gas tank check valve work? do you have clear fuel lines to see if you got air bubbles or maybe milky fuel? like crammit said it could be something else. my total loss runs or doesn't. if the ski is running poor it could be something other than the ignition.

I don't have clear fuel lines but I will check them this afternoon. I filled up and haven't been through a full tank of gas since I started messing with this thing. I guess that's possible too.

 

[Waternut]

Just thought of something concerning grounds. My main ground is attached to the starter ground but there is a little one that the guy before attahed to the back of the plate and I stuck that on the battery neg side (which is connected straight to the ground). Could that be causing problems?

 

[Matt_E]

You need to ground everything TL related DIRECTLY to the battery.

 

[Waternut]

You need to ground everything TL related DIRECTLY to the battery.

Alright. I've give that a shot... I went back and apparently was confused because it said to connect the power leads and said connect to the starter grounding strap but they were talking about the negative battery cable and not the TL negative wire.

 

[Waternut]

Sure enough...Connected everything to the battery and not the actual engine and it rips!

Thanks for all the help.

 

[McDog]

Sweet!