Has anybody experienced anything like this. After playing with the carby I get my 250 MC5 going fairly good. Start it again and ride it for about 20 minutes then pack up and leave it in my enclosed trailer for the next week. Next weekend it does not want to start. It appears to have spark but will not fire up. Carb, fuel and compression ok. It ran last week. Spark looks intermittent. Finally pull ignition cover and it is wet with corrosion that looks like concrete.Ignition cover is vented. It does not smell of petrol or oil as far as I can tell and the bike has not been washed for a fair while. I will replace the seal and get rid of the corrosion and try to seal the cover better but I would have thought that the moisture would have evaporated over this time span. Cheers Bill
Yup, condensation, happens all the time. Heat, cold, dew point, humidity...I dunno. Lots of folks loosen or remove the cover after riding to prevent it. I lost a PVL ignition to this condition.
Pete Petrick
175 Jackpiner
Slow but Good
Very timely topic Bill.
I spoke with Gary Ellis about the corrosion issue on Sunday. He told me it doesn't matter whether your cover is sealed well and/or vented or not -- it's imperative that you remove (and dry with compressed air if possible) the ignition after every muddy ride or after washing the bike to let the ignition dry out.
In addition, after I wash a bike I spray the flywheel/magneto with some kind of water dispersant like WD40 while its running.
Brian
yep, condensation is the problem. but there is more to it than just that, your cases are made of Magnesium and it does not like water. take it all apart and clean everything. While you are at it, make sure to clean all the contact points for your ignition. this is includes the mounting point that hold the ignition in place. While your at it, add a ground wire from the coil to the Head of the bike. this will restore the ground that is lost because the motor has been in that frame for so long. It is sort of like cleaning the battery contacts on your truck. It needs to be done at least once a year. then when you are done, use something like WD 40 to protect all the parts, I rode a race that was so muddy my ignition was packed with mud and it still ran great, but then I had done my homework too. These ignitions are not indestructable, you can kill them by not taking care of them, biggest problem seems to be not maintaining the ground circuit. Leaving a bike in a closed trailer for long periods of time is not the best idea, there is not enough ventilation to really dry out the bike. It is fine after the bike is dried out but not before. I don't know how many good bikes I have seen ruined because someone left them outside with a tarp over them, the cause of the demise, condensation. when you are done riding that beautiful bike, do what has already been suggested, take the ignition cover off and let it dry out! By the way, replacing the oil in the transmission after an especially muddy day of riding is a good idea too, moisture is really hard on transmission parts as well. take care,
Thom Green,Still crazy after all these years!
76' 250 MC5 (orginal owner)
74' 1/2 440 maico
70' 400 maico (project)
72' cr125 Husky (project)
93' RMx 250 suzuki
Thanks gentlemen. Looks like I will have to start taking the cover off. I never seemed to notice it on my other bikes but will check over the next few days.
For what it's worth, the statement below came directly from the WD 40 website.
"WD-40 is the trademark name of a penetrating oil and water-displacing spray. It was developed in 1953 by Norm Larsen, founder of the Rocket Chemical Company, in San Diego, California. WD-40, abbreviated from the phrase "Water Displacement, 40th formula,"[1] was originally designed to repel water and prevent corrosion,[2] and later was found to have numerous household uses.
Larsen was attempting to create a formula to prevent corrosion in nuclear missiles, by displacing the standing water that causes it. He claims he arrived at a successful formula on his 40th attempt."
Steve Minor
Wilmington, NC
1972 Six Day
1977 125 GS6
1977 400 GS6
1978 400 MC5
Another easy thing to do, is to spray clear coat on the inside of the cover and the case to help slow down the problem..
1976 MC 5 Original Owner
1976 Hercules 250 GS
1982 Suzuki PE 175
2002 KTM 200 EXC
1976 Penton 175 GS
Just one more. What is the best way to seal the cover as I am going to get into vinduros soon and want to create a reliable bike
The most practical thing is to put an extremely thin coat of silicon seal (or a liquid gasket material) on the cover and set it aside to dry (making a rubber gasket). I never cared for the venting because it can be broken by vines & such and it makes the bike harder to clean and service.
Just always remember to pull the ignition cover immediately after washing the bike on return from a ride or race. Our racing routine was to wash the bike on Monday, pull the cover, spray the igniton with WD40, then leave the cover off for a day or two until the bike was serviced and ready to go again. After mud runs we would pull the cover ASAP instead of waiting till Monday.
The cover being off is always a good reminder to check the mag nut for torque every week. This practice also lets you find out real early if a mag side seal is beginning to go south.
Don't ever just slap silicone on a cover and install it because it leaches ammonia gas which is harmful to the engine cases.
On bikes that have a paper gasket available for the cover we would silicone the gasket to the cover, then apply a thin coat of grease to the other side of the gasket before installing every week.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
"We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible, for the ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with so little, that we are now qualified to do almost anything, with nothing."
1972 Penton Berkshire 100
1983 Husqvarna 250 XC
2011 Jayco 31.5 RLDS
2009 Chevy 2500 HD Duramax