1984 xl 200.

[Battman02]

I have an xl 200 and it lost spark a couple weeks ago. We looked for a problem and it was a blown fuse. After that it started right up and ran great. A few days later it lost spark again. We tested for everything and nothing came up bad so we replaced the cdi box. That seemed to fix it. Then just a couple days ago it lost spark again and we tested for everything and it all came up as good.

[Chuck.]

I'm confused by your description of the year/model because there are several different XL and XRL variants from that era. Also owners sometimes mix parts/engines/chassis to create custom bikes.  As far as I know all of these engine had AC ignition systems powered directly from the alternator so a blown fuse at the battery would only affect the horn and turn signals.  Post up the following info and we can better ID year/model of the chassis and engine:

The fourth thru seventh position, and the tenth,  of the VIN number (located on the right side of the steering head. This first is the model code of the chassis, the latter the model year code.

The first four positions of the engine number, and the first 3 digits of the serial number (underneath the first four). Located on a casting on the left side of the engine just aft of the oil drain plug.  This first is the model code of the engine, usually matches the model code in the VIN. The serial IDs the engine year.  

The ignition systems are weak at cranking speeds and the spark can be difficult to impossible to see in sun light. Some common issues:
Poor or corroded ground connection, should be at one of the mount bolts for the coil. Clean for good bare metal contact.
Damaged kill switch wiring shorting, or bad kill switch; disconnect at wiring harness for test. Should be black wire with white strip.
Corroded connectors, disconnect and clean with electrical contact cleaner, re connect.
The spark plug wire can become corroded at the plug boot on bikes with a removable spark plug boot. Unscrew the boot and cut 1/4" off plug wire and install the boot. Replacement spark plug boots are available from ND and NGK.
A fresh spark plug always helps, use only ND or NGK of the proper heat range for the engine. I use a fine wire iridium ND plug on my XRs because they can fire under more difficult situations than a regular plug. About $10 on Amazon

Standard plug for 1982+: Denzo X24ESR-U, NGK DR8ES-L
Irridium: Denzo IX24, NGK DR8EIX

A Clymers Manual for the early sub 250cc two valve bikes will contain a lot of good info.

 

 

 

 

[HomerDodd]

3 hours ago, Battman02 said:

 

I have an xl 200 and it lost spark a couple weeks ago. We looked for a problem and it was a blown fuse. After that it started right up and ran great. A few days later it lost spark again. We tested for everything and nothing came up bad so we replaced the cdi box. That seemed to fix it. Then just a couple days ago it lost spark again and we tested for everything and it all came up as good.

 

This sounds like a symptom of a bad ground. Current cannot flow freely back to the frame (ground) and the module overheats and blows. When I worked in shops years ago, grounds were one of the most overlooked culprits for module problems. Find your grounds from the harness (usually solid green on a Honda). Clean each ground wire and the connector on the frame to bare metal, then apply some electric grease and reconnect. Maybe even replace the wire connector (spade or eye) on the harness.

[Battman02]

These are the numbers on the bike. I changed the spark plug so that's brand new. I cut of 1/4 inch off the plug wire and threaded the boot on again. I checked all my grounds. I unplugged all the plugs and cleaned those out too. I tried a different coil. There is still no spark so if you have any ideas of where to go from here that would be appreciated.

[HomerDodd]

1 hour ago, Battman02 said:

These are the numbers on the bike. I changed the spark plug so that's brand new. I cut of 1/4 inch off the plug wire and threaded the boot on again. I checked all my grounds. I unplugged all the plugs and cleaned those out too. I tried a different coil. There is still no spark so if you have any ideas of where to go from here that would be appreciated.

Try the ignition pick-up coil; there may be two of them.

[Chuck.]

MD06E 51xxxxx ios 84 XR200L Engine
VIN w/ MD06 is also 84 XR200L
10th digit "E" is also 84
So everything matches and it is a 84 XR200L.

The green and yel/w wires going to the top box in the last pic indicate a AC voltage regulator.
The box under it should be the DC rectifier/regulator.

The important wires for the ignition are the red/black from the alternator to the CDI, the black/red wires to the coil and kill switch, the green wires from the CDI, kill and ign switch to ground. and the blue/yel and dark green wires from the pickup coil to the CDI module.
I would also check the clearance between the ignition pulse generator and the magnet, it should be 0.012-0.018", I like the lower value for more signal strength at cranking speeds.

The resistance of the 1980+ XL's pulse generator should be 30-200 ohms. 
The ignition coil winding in the alternator s/b 50-200 ohms, red/back to ground
Pulser 30-200 ohms,
Coil primary 0.1-0.3 ohms
Coil secondary 3.7k-4.5k
Coil w/ cap 7.4k-11k
 

 

[Battman02]

Try the ignition pick-up coil; there may be two of them.

How do I test the pick up coil ?

[Chuck.]

If you mean the pulser coil it is the blue/yel and dark green wires at the connector to the  CDI module.

I have never had a CDI module, CDI pulser, coil, or alternator failure (knock on wood). But I have had bad kill switche/wiring, poor connections, bad grounds, and bad spark plug wires at the boot. Last item is if the frame has been restored with new paint that can insulate the engine from the frame. I add a jumper wire from the cylinder head to the frame ground point, I also use iridium spark plugs because they provide better spark during marginal conditions like starting than a regular plug.

Edited May 31, 2017 by Chuck.

[Battman02]

If you mean the pulser coil it is the blue/yel and dark green wires at the connector to the  CDI module.
I have never had a CDI module, CDI pulser, coil, or alternator failure (knock on wood). But I have had bad kill switche/wiring, poor connections, bad grounds, and bad spark plug wires at the boot. Last item is if the frame has been restored with new paint that can insulate the engine from the frame. I add a jumper wire from the cylinder head to the frame ground point, I also use iridium spark plugs because they provide better spark during marginal conditions like starting than a regular plug.

We tried a different ignition coil. We've unplugged the kill switch and ignition switch and still no spark.

[Battman02]

MD06E 51xxxxx ios 84 XR200L Engine
VIN w/ MD06 is also 84 XR200L
10th digit "E" is also 84
So everything matches and it is a 84 XR200L.
The green and yel/w wires going to the top box in the last pic indicate a AC voltage regulator.
The box under it should be the DC rectifier/regulator.
The important wires for the ignition are the red/black from the alternator to the CDI, the black/red wires to the coil and kill switch, the green wires from the CDI, kill and ign switch to ground. and the blue/yel and dark green wires from the pickup coil to the CDI module.
I would also check the clearance between the ignition pulse generator and the magnet, it should be 0.012-0.018", I like the lower value for more signal strength at cranking speeds.
The resistance of the 1980+ XL's pulse generator should be 30-200 ohms. 
The ignition coil winding in the alternator s/b 50-200 ohms, red/back to ground
Pulser 30-200 ohms,
Coil primary 0.1-0.3 ohms
Coil secondary 3.7k-4.5k
Coil w/ cap 7.4k-11k
 
 

Thank you for this information I will do some testing and see if anything comes up

[Battman02]

Pulse generator has 92 ohms

[Chuck.]

You are doing the process of elimination. ?

I like to eliminate all of the easy things first, even though they may not be candidates because it quickly shortens the list and save money/time obtaining replacement parts. 

 

[Battman02]

The magnet is .008 clearance

[Battman02]

What is the primary and secondary coil and the coil with cap. We tested the magnet clearance it's .008 we hooked a wire from the motor to the frame to make sure it's not a bed ground. Does it matter if the magnet is 180 degrees off I accidently pulled it off and put it back on but idk if it's spun 180 or not and if it matters.

You are doing the process of elimination. [emoji106]
I like to eliminate all of the easy things first, even though they may not be candidates because it quickly shortens the list and save money/time obtaining replacement parts. 
 

[Chuck.]

Yes. The advancer can be installed wrong if the little pin is missing. If the advancer is not pointing toward the sensor the pin may fall out when removing the advancer and it will fall down the chain case, You'll need to pull the left side cover and possibly the rotor to retrieve it. So always put the engine at the "F" mark with the advancer aligned to the sensor before removing the advancer. The advancer can also be assembled 180 off if you do not align the timing mark on the plate with the timing mark on the magnet.

When checking ignition timing always turn the crank forward towards the marks (CCW e.g. engine running direction) to replicate engine running condition.  Also adjust the cam chain tension before checking the timing. I use a ¼” drive socket w/ extension thru the larger lower hole in the side cover to turn over the engine, be careful and don’t use too much force or you will loosen the flywheel retaining bolt. Three different timing marks on the flywheel; “T” for timing the cam (TDC), “F” for initial ignition timing (10 degrees BTDC), and 2 parallel lines for total (28 & 32 degrees BTDC).

To check ignition timing; pull the spark plug, CDI cover, and the two plugs on the left side cover. Turn the engine to TDC firing with the "F" mark on the flywheel aligned to the mark on the case (top of the access hole). TDC Firing is when the advancer aligns with the CDI sensor.  Adjust the sensor plate so that the line on the Advancer aligns with the line on the Sensor. While you're there you can check total advance by moving the flywheel CW back past the double marks, and then rotate CCW to the double marks; the first to appear is 32 degrees and the next mark is 28 degrees.  The spec is 30 degrees total,  which is in between the two marks. Twist the advancer CCW and check the alignment between the advancer and the sensor.

[Battman02]

10 hours ago, Chuck. said:

Yes. The advancer can be installed wrong if the little pin is missing. If the advancer is not pointing toward the sensor the pin may fall out when removing the advancer and it will fall down the chain case, You'll need to pull the left side cover and possibly the rotor to retrieve it. So always put the engine at the "F" mark with the advancer aligned to the sensor before removing the advancer. The advancer can also be assembled 180 off if you do not align the timing mark on the plate with the timing mark on the magnet.

When checking ignition timing always turn the crank forward towards the marks (CCW e.g. engine running direction) to replicate engine running condition.  Also adjust the cam chain tension before checking the timing. I use a ¼” drive socket w/ extension thru the larger lower hole in the side cover to turn over the engine, be careful and don’t use too much force or you will loosen the flywheel retaining bolt. Three different timing marks on the flywheel; “T” for timing the cam (TDC), “F” for initial ignition timing (10 degrees BTDC), and 2 parallel lines for total (28 & 32 degrees BTDC).

To check ignition timing; pull the spark plug, CDI cover, and the two plugs on the left side cover. Turn the engine to TDC firing with the "F" mark on the flywheel aligned to the mark on the case (top of the access hole). TDC Firing is when the advancer aligns with the CDI sensor.  Adjust the sensor plate so that the line on the Advancer aligns with the line on the Sensor. While you're there you can check total advance by moving the flywheel CW back past the double marks, and then rotate CCW to the double marks; the first to appear is 32 degrees and the next mark is 28 degrees.  The spec is 30 degrees total,  which is in between the two marks. Twist the advancer CCW and check the alignment between the advancer and the sensor.

Where is the little pin located at? And would that cause no spark. Also is there any way possible to test the cdi box?

[Chuck.]

On the engine side of the advancer there is a small notch. On the the engine end of the shaft that the advancer fits onto is a small hole that the pin fits into, and can easily fall out of if the cam is in the wrong position when removing the advancer.  Number 15 in the part fiche, a 3mm X 5.2mm pin. I use tweezers, or forceps, to remove/install. If it falls out it will free fall  down the chain case to the alternator cavity. 

[chadzu]

This motor should have internal ground on the stator windings.  So your ground path must go through the motor case to the frame.  The cdi and the coil must have good chassis ground.  It wouldn't hurt to make sure you have continuity from the motor case to the frame, and that the ground connections at the frame are good and clean.

[Chuck.]

7 hours ago, Battman02 said:

....................................................................... Also is there any way possible to test the cdi box?

 

[Battman02]

On 5/31/2017 at 9:31 AM, Chuck. said:

On the engine side of the advancer there is a small notch. On the the engine end of the shaft that the advancer fits onto is a small hole that the pin fits into, and can easily fall out of if the cam is in the wrong position when removing the advancer.  Number 15 in the part fiche, a 3mm X 5.2mm pin. I use tweezers, or forceps, to remove/install. If it falls out it will free fall  down the chain case to the alternator cavity. 

Will the pin be visible if I just take off the cover and the magnet that rotates on the end of the cam or do I have to take it more apart?