85 Big Red 250es CDI/wiring problem? help

[ATCLUVR]

I have a 1985 Big Red 250es which runs good....sometimes:cry:
It will stall out for no reason while riding, then after sitting a few minutes, it would start back up. Now I realized if I touch the wires going to the cdi box with my finger and push on them and hold it, problem solved, it will run all day. Now if I take my finger off the wires, it stalls right out. I tried taping the wires up and it doesnt work. Anybody have a similar problem or know how to fix this? Is it a bad CDI or is it something in the wiring???
Any help would be greatly appreciated

p.s. I took the connector off , checked and cleaned all the contacts, there was no corrosion or anything

p.p.s. I have the cdi with one round 6 pin connector

[carsurgin]

You might want to replace the wires. I was just rewiring my 84 alt125 today and noticed that the wires were starting to corrode inside housing.
It may be that your wire is damaged inside.
If you squeeze the wires and it works then try to put a zip tie or 2 on it. That will give the pressure you need for a temp fix. Tape has no pressure.

[AtcFactoryRacer]

I hate to keep throwing money at something and replace everything that could be wrong with it until its fixed, instead of actually knowning what the problem is. But it sounds like you diagnosed the problem pretty well. You checked the connector and it seems to be good, and if you hold the wires to the cdi it runs good. It could either be that you have a loose connection or a bad wire somewhere in the wiring harness that goes to or from the cdi unit, or the cdi unit itself is bad.

I would thoroughly check the wiring harness for corroded, burnt, or broken wires. If everything checks out i would replace the cdi it has to be one of those two things. Ive been looking on ebay they make aftermarket cdi units for the big red and the 250sx

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Hot-Shot-Series-CDI-Box-Honda-ATC250ES-Big-Red-86-87-/160555743543?pt=Motors_ATV_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2561de3937

No one on here seems to know about the "Hot Series" Cdi . Im curious to see how much performance one of these boxes would add to a stock machine. From what I understand they are a performance part not just a stock replacement.

Lol you should buy one of these, fix your bike and fill us in on the performance gains!

[tri again]

As I recall, they have/had replacement cdi units and connectors to do custom repair stuff to make other cdi units work.

sunLpartsonline.com is a scary site with cdi units from 69 CENTS but no cross references.

I've found that soldering connections is always better and not sure if the stock ones were soldered or crimped.

dielectric grease helps for the long run too.

Are you sure there isn't a questionable frame ground somewhere near where you are pushing?

Seems like whenever I get into trouble, a parts bike comes along cheaper than
the parts I need.