no spark

[cosmiccowboy]

The pan was real hard to start this weekend and once it lit off it died before it warmed up. I couldn't restart it so I pulled a plug and no spark. Checked the resistance in the primary, 4.7 ohlms but when I turned the ignition on and sparked the - side to ground, just a lazy intermittent spark. Is this the right way to test the coil or is there a better way? It is a 64 FLH with a mallory unilite, dyna coil and 12v.

[hjans]

Maybe more important to begin: wat's the voltage of your battery ?

[cosmiccowboy]

12.7 volts and after a load for the count of ten came back to 12.4, I looked through the knowledge base and couldn't find much. I'm not adverse to changing either the coil or the module in the mallory as they were in the bike when I got it 4 years ago, I just want to narrow it down to those two things.

[hjans]

12,7 should be enough WHILE STARTING.
Watch voltage while running, should be above 12 V
check all high voltage cables , when bad replace them.

Hans

[FlatHeadSix]

Cowboy,

Re-pop coil? I would disconnect the lead from the electronic circuit breaker and then connect your jumper wire to the negative side of the coil. With the ignition on you should get spark every time you flash the jumper wire to ground on the frame. If you are still getting a lazy spark it should isolate the coil as the problem. Those coils will sometimes go bad in only one of the high tension leads, test them both to see if it acts the same way for both plug wire connections.

Process of elimination, one component at a time.

good luck,

mike

[cosmiccowboy]

Thanks for the reply flatheadsix, looks like I need a new coil. Probably get a spare module for the malory too and carry it in my tool pouch just incase.