how to test atc 185s lightning coil

[trimoto55]

Hello everyone!!! I have been a member here for about 15 plus years and have always been a huge trike fan!! Recently the lights stopped working on my 1982 ATC 185s fully restored which I will post pics soon!!! I would like to know which is the easiest way to test the lightning coil?..... also if its bad I saw Ricky Stator makes one but I would need a regulator how do I hook that up if my coil is bad? Thank You everyone for your help.

[trimoto55]

I know the kill switch and light switch are separate would a fault light switch cause this? I checked all the wires they seem fine... the manual says to check the continuity between the yellow wore and a ground on frame is this correct if anyone can chime in ??? thanks everyone

[trimoto55]

I also tested the continuity between the yellow wire and a ground on the frame and it was ok..... so to be sure I dunno if that works I took off the flywheel and tested continuity on the lightning coil by the 2 screws that it bolts onto the stator plate... does that work? I checked all wires my only question I guess will a faulty light switch cause no lights please help fellow trikers !!!! I wanna keep another one going since we are a dieing breed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Scootertrash]

Here's a link to the manual:

http://www.oscarmayer.net/atc/manual...ice_Manual.pdf

[Towntrike]

Hi, I realize this is an old forum it looks like but I need some help on my 83 185s. My lights both quit working and I have installed a new lighting stator, checked the grounds, checked the wiring for bad spots, tried the third used stator, tried a different flywheel in case the magnets were faulty, tried a different cdi box in case that could affect ground somehow but none of this has made a difference and there is simply no power from the lighting stator although the spark stator works fine and the engine runs great.. What do I need to do to get power from the lighting stator? How do I test the lighting stator in case I bought a new faulty one? Thanks for any help.

[ps2fixer]

Hi, I realize this is an old forum it looks like but I need some help on my 83 185s. My lights both quit working and I have installed a new lighting stator, checked the grounds, checked the wiring for bad spots, tried the third used stator, tried a different flywheel in case the magnets were faulty, tried a different cdi box in case that could affect ground somehow but none of this has made a difference and there is simply no power from the lighting stator although the spark stator works fine and the engine runs great.. What do I need to do to get power from the lighting stator? How do I test the lighting stator in case I bought a new faulty one? Thanks for any help.

The link posted in this thread is still alive so the service manual is the best resource.

Since there's no voltage regulator on these, the lights are the regulator, so the must match the stator's output or it's going to instantly blow them, so might be as simple as your headlight blew and took all the other lights with it. If you replace one bulb, replace them all at once.

CDI has zero effect on the lighting coil.

If stator tests good, the the light switch on and test again at the tail light connector, it's ok if the resistance measurements are at touch higher since you're also measuring the wire + connector resistances too. That should tell you if you have a wiring/light switch issue. If it tests bad at the tail light for example, I'd move to the light switch connector and check there since that's where it gets the power from. Wire diagrams are also in the service manual.

[Towntrike]

The link posted in this thread is still alive so the service manual is the best resource.

Since there's no voltage regulator on these, the lights are the regulator, so the must match the stator's output or it's going to instantly blow them, so might be as simple as your headlight blew and took all the other lights with it. If you replace one bulb, replace them all at once.

CDI has zero effect on the lighting coil.

If stator tests good, the the light switch on and test again at the tail light connector, it's ok if the resistance measurements are at touch higher since you're also measuring the wire + connector resistances too. That should tell you if you have a wiring/light switch issue. If it tests bad at the tail light for example, I'd move to the light switch connector and check there since that's where it gets the power from. Wire diagrams are also in the service manual.

Thanks, that gives me some ideas although I don't understand how there is no power from the lighting stator even when I unplug it where it comes out from behind the flywheel. There should always be enough power there to light up a test light reguardless if the switch is on or off or the bulbs are burnt out even when just pulling the pull start a little, correct, or is that not how it works?

[350for350]

If the coil that actually powers the lights is bad, then you might not get any voltage at all out of it. If you do the test in the manual and it doesn't pass, then your coil is bad.

[ps2fixer]

Thanks, that gives me some ideas although I don't understand how there is no power from the lighting stator even when I unplug it where it comes out from behind the flywheel. There should always be enough power there to light up a test light reguardless if the switch is on or off or the bulbs are burnt out even when just pulling the pull start a little, correct, or is that not how it works?

Assuming you have the engine running, it should be putting out voltage, I wouldn't use a test light on unregulated voltage from a stator that could be 70v+ though, can blow the bulb pretty easily unless it's designed for house wiring too. A multi meter set to the right AC voltage range would be the way to check, but the actual test procedure is testing the ohms with the engine off. If there's no connection, there's a break in the wire, if the resistance is lower than normal, it probably overheated and has an internal short. A high resistance could also be a sign it overheated. Resistance changes a little with temp and they were built with some sort of tolerance, so that's why there's a range specified in the manual. If it's just outside of the range, it might be fine since your meter might not be the most accurate (china ones are horrible for readings under 10 ohms for example).

If you have no connection between the two wires, then you could try to fix the stator by locating the wire break, most likely it's at the solder point where it goes from the magnet style wire to the harness style wire. Solder isn't structural, so with enough vibration and time it will break apart. I'd guess that's probably the most common stator failure mode. Finding a used stator in good shape shouldn't be too expensive though, I don't think they go bad all that commonly.