84' T3 starting issue

[FPMXer]

Been along time since I posted here. Sold all my bikes and moved back to the midwest 5 years ago. I just aquired an 84' T3 250 I believe. It was my buddy's and since he's had it the last 5 months we been unable to get it started. First it didn't have spark. He bought a cheap one off fleabay and it has somewhat of a spark. I ran through the carb and even put it back to stock jetting and moved the clip to the 4th position. It showed 150 psi on a comp test. We have kicked the tires off of it with nothing. Held the throttle wide open with the choke off and not even a pop. He has pulled it attempting to start it and can get a pop that way. I have also checked the reeds and they are fine. Is there a trick to kicking these things? Or should I just pop for a new carb and see what happens? Calling up all the T3 guru's. Also did a search to no avail about what year KX250 ignition will swap into this trike to be more reliable?

[jeswinehart]

I would recommend to test the crank seals before buying anything.

[jb2wheels]

I've had 5 running T3s in the past few years. All have all been easy starters except the one that had a bad stator.
That one was tricky because it would have an intermittent spark when testing it.
It would also pop every once in a while making me think it wanted to run

I replaced the stator with the $40 kit from Ricky Stator and it started on the 2nd kick.

It has to be a fat, blue, consistent spark.

What parts did you buy off eBay?

Bad reeds are another possibility. Might be worth inspecting if you haven't already.

[barnett468]

In addition to the above, you can do the following.

1. Make sure all the electrical connections are clean . Sand them with and sandpaper if necessary.

2. Install a new spark plug and set gap to spec then put the bike in a dark area and check the spark . If it is pale yellow, you have low voltage caused by an ignition problem . This is usually either a weak primary coil or weak coil in the stator or the flywheel has lost some magnetism . If it is blue, it has sufficient voltage.

3. Check the resistance of the coils per the manual . The higher the resistance, the higher voltage the spark will be.

4. If the resistance of both coils is within range, your flywheel likely lost some magnetism . You can get a flywheel remagnetized at the shop in the link below.

https://www.scooterwest.com/item_details/Flywheel-Re-Magnetizing/4045

5. Remove the flywheel and see if the key has sheared.

6. See if the timing marks are properly aligned per the manual.

7. If everything is correct and it still doesn't have good spark or has good spark but pops, the CDI may be bad, however, this is extremely rare an "The TECATE....The Most Powerful 3 Wheeler In The Universe". http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/Smileys/smilies/thumbsup.gif

Free online manuals.

http://www.oscarmayer.net/atc/manuals/



PREVIOUS KAWASAKI INTERNATIONAL R & D PROJECT ENGINEER AND ATV DEPARTMENT SUPERVISOR

[barnett468]

.
You can also remove the spark plug boot on many bikes and cut 1/4" off the end then reinstall it and see if that helps.


PREVIOUS KAWASAKI INTERNATIONAL R & D PROJECT ENGINEER AND ATV DEPARTMENT SUPERVISOR

[barnett468]

.
THIS IS AN ADDITIONAL POST TO CLARIFY MY LAST POST BECAUSE I HAVE NO EDIT BUTTON CUZ I COULD HURT SOMEONE WITH IT. http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/Smileys/smilies/hysterical.gif


You can cut 1/4" off the end of the coil wire if you remove the spark plug boot.


PREVIOUS KAWASAKI INTERNATIONAL R & D PROJECT ENGINEER AND ATV DEPARTMENT SUPERVISOR

[FPMXer]

I have done almost all mentioned. I'm gonna say the magneto is weak due to lil to no spark. My buddy bought one of those orange cheap looking coils off fleabay. You can remove the center bolt from the mag and pop it off with a screwdriver. I always had to use the puller to remove them in the past. As soon as I get it tomorrow from him I'm gonna check that stuff out. Thanks for the info gents. Also what is the ricky stator $40 kit mentioned?

[jb2wheels]

Oops - looks like the price went up - was $39 last time I bought one - $53 now:
http://www.rickystator.com/product/stators/kawasaki/kawasaki-tecate-3-ignition-stator-coils

Tecate stator is a little different than the Hondas.
Tecate has 3 coils on the stator:
1 fat one for the lights
2 stacked on top of each other for the ignition side (power and trigger I believe)

The Ricky kit is both ignition coils.

[FPMXer]

jb2wheels that's the one I was looking at. I finally got the bike today and will ohm out the stator and also go through the electrical when I have a chance. I'll report back with my findings.

[nd4speed]

Some tecate info in this thread you may find helpful:
http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthread.php/94809-Kxt250-Tecate-3-What-Parts-Fit-Swap-Interchange

[FPMXer]

Just an update. I obtained a stock working coil off fleabay and bought a new stator from Moose. Installed the parts today and had great spark. Installed the plug and a squirt of ether in the carb and it fired first kick! She runs and sounds great! Idle's good for a smoker as well. Now to finish tweaking a few things and take it for a ride. Thanks for all the assistance fella's!

[christph]

For future reference, you can see a spark and still have an ignition problem. The environment in a cylinder under pressure is not the same as atmosphere. One of my Tecates produced a spark with the plug out but wouldn't run. After much frustration checking everything else I finally replaced the stator and it ran great.

[Queef Chief]

For future reference, you can see a spark and still have an ignition problem. The environment in a cylinder under pressure is not the same as atmosphere. One of my Tecates produced a spark with the plug out but wouldn't run. After much frustration checking everything else I finally replaced the stator and it ran great.

As an additional comment to christph's post:
I've had one that would through a fat spark, start on first kick every time, and idle for days... after u rode it for a minute, it would die and kick back when trying to start. Replaced CDI and it ran like brand new.


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[FPMXer]

True dat! The bike had no spark when my buddy aquired it and nothing when I got it. The stator was fried and now its all good.

[FPMXer]

Finally was able to ride the trike yesterday around the yard. Still need to obtain the correct rear brake pads, air filter, and figure out how the seat is locked down to the bike. I'm missing the rear grab bar and all hardware needed to secure the rear plastic and seat. I have sent s PM for the parts to a memeber awaiting his response. Also need to get some new bars and grips this week.

[350for350]

Hurry, hurry, hurry! Riding season's here! Hope that inspired you a little.