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Wiring Loom Rebuild, coolant leak?, and Hi

1K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  pdwestman 
#1 ·
Hello everybody, I am very excited to be here! You see I've been waiting my whole life to have 4 wheelers and motorcycles, but due to school, career, family, and wife, I've never completed my ambitious dream...until now. Last year for Christmas I bought a 1989 quadzilla 500 four wheeler (built in 2014), a 1991 Polaris 350, and last week I bought a 1987 Kawasaki KLR650 (POS). I say POS, but I'm very fond of all my POS's.

Unfortunately, I've had the most problems with the Polaris and the KLR. I blew the engine in the Polaris when it was running it's best. (piston actually destroyed itself by somehow overextending past normal travel and crashing into the case destroying it backwards.) The KLR had a new battery, but would die on 1 mile journey. (wife hated it real fast). I got the battery charged, coolant changed, oil changed, seat redone, and bought a jump box and strapped it to the KLR. All was well until the road I was on ended and the headlights were so dim I couldn't see it. I crashed my KLR on the maiden voyage without a helmet, cell phone, or brain. (I told you I was excited)

Anyways, now that I had to limp 3 miles home at 2:00 in the morning, my motto changed from "getter done" to "get it done right" With that in mind, there's so much wrong with this bike, I might not ever get to ride it. That's when I started to research and found this forum. So hopefully you guys have been there done that. From the posts I have read so far, my bike has common problems. The wiring caught on fire the night I crashed it (wouldn't start after I crashed so I poured some gas to "prime" it)boom!, so I took the entire loom off saving the connectors. Now my problem is that I'm needing a wiring diagram. I have one already that is color coded, but the colors are different than mine, so ???? Really I would rather wire up one system at a time. Starting with the battery, starter, ignition switch, and CDI box. From that project line-up I'm down to the CDI box. Does anyone have a grip on the different colored wires? I tested the circuits and the solid red wire is grounded. solid Black wire is also grounded. red with blck stripe open. black with white stripe open. Then there is a green wire that looks like it tests on off on off with the turning of the engine, so im guessing that is the trigger for the coil. The problem is that there isn't a green wire going into the CDI box.

I really need the CDI master mechanic to message me or call me on my cell 7022922480. I live in Las Vegas. Thanks in advance to whoever is the wiring guru who can save my ass right now so i can fix this before my wife kills me.(I've been in the garage non-stop for days) I will buy you some beer or somehow make it worth your trouble. I guess I could find another loom, but I don't think any wiring that old is going to be in great shape and worth my money, so I'd rather just make a new one.

Besides the wiring nightmare from hell, the KLR is also spitting out liquid from the exhaust manifold port (at engine) I had suspected fuel, but I think it might be coolant. Honestly, it doesnt smell or look like either. Looks like water if you ask me, but has an oily characteristic when you rub it, yet doesn't smell or have any color that I could see. I did have to flush the radiator and coolant system when I found a few floating oil drops. Thinking head gasket I pulled the plug to find....nothing. Now when I took the exhaust off to replace starter wires, I turned over the engine and saw the spitting of the ?????? whatever it is. Guessing that it is coolant, oil, or fuel, but maybe a combo of all of them.( now you understand POS) Its my POS though, so if you know anything about spitting fluid out exhaust port or wiring a CDI box, please respond.

Thanks,
Brian C.
Las Vegas
 
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#2 ·
Wow guys! 38 people have visited my question, yet not one of you can offer any advice. Someone else just asked the same questions and boom, lots of responses. I've waited a week just to see someone else ask the same questions and get the guidance he needed right away. I'll have to admit I'm a little bit hurt.

ThANK GOD someone had the same problem. I guess I'll be waiting for someone to have exactly the same coolant problem now. I don't know what I possible could have done to deserve the cold shoulder or if you all are just tight knit friends and don't let newcomers in. I didn't get any responses, so I tried to rewire the CDI blindly. It blew..... I guess black with white stripe is not 12 V power like I thought by looking at the schematic. Now I see from your responses to the other guys question that that wire is a kill switch. It is going to the ignition switch which is already grounded BL(Y), so I didn't think it was another ground. It was the BL(W) wire that blew the CDI. All was well until I hooked up that wire. I ordered a new(used) wiring harness (58$) a new(used) CDI box 60$, and a new coil with wire and boot. I am hoping that this is all going to snap right in, but if someone could enlighten me about the BL(W) wire, I would be very gratefull to hear about it.

My next conundrum with this bike is the coolant or fuel leak. I actually think it is both. Here's the wierd part. My neighbor is like a master mechanic, so he explained to me how to test for coolant problem. He said to pull the spark plug and see if their is fluid coming out when compressed. I did it and........ dry as a bone. Then I needed to pull the exhaust and whaaaalla drippy drippy out of the exhaust port. ????? Then I hooked up the fuel system which was leaking perfusely and the leak shooting out of the exhaust port when motor turning doubled in quantity. This is leading me to believe that coolant is escaping and fuel too. My question is how could the engine pass the spark plug dry test if there is all kinds of liquid coming out of the exhaust port. ??????? The fuel also leaked into the oil in the crankcase causing the oil level to rise and be overfilled. Previous owner stated that coolant and oil were going somewhere. Now I know why he could never find it. it probably burns up in the exhaust system.

Thank you for taking the time to read my long posts. I appreciate it. I also would like some guidance. I will send some beer your way or find another way to compensate for your time if your advice helps me get my POS on the road again. I've been waiting my whole life for this and all I could get was a beyond used 1987 650 KLR, but I'm going to make it the best bike out there, so I hope you can help.

Thank you,
Brian C.
 
#3 ·
This can happen quite easily when one 'Double posts an issue',
http://www.klrforum.com/625953-post635.html

I'll suggest that you always scroll to the very bottom of threads to look for more & more similar threads.

You've got more issues than I have time. And electricity is my biggest downfall, also.
 
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