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Getting all the electrics on the bike to test fit it all and finish off the stator, starter motor and ignition. Turns out it all fits perfectly... except the bloody plugs on the Acewell.
They're right at the coils, put them on top and the tank hits. Put them underneath and there isn't enough room now I've moved them lower.
So I've bought some Deutsch connectors to extend the wiring on the Acewell. There's room in front of the coils for the plugs and the new connectors mean I can put longer wires on for connecting to the harness.
Feeling better about that one.
Also I'm keen to buy some plugs and chop the plug wires.
Anyone know the correct spark plugs?
Also should I make all the sparkplug leads the same length? Any recommendations on the right length?
The old coils had short leads and they all looked different lengths:
Hi mate the leads for sparkplugs are 1 & 4 should be same length as each other but longer than 2 & 3 and 2&3 are the same length as each other the spark plugs are usually NGK D8EA if you have enough spare length you could trim off a 1/4 " from the plug end so when you put new caps on you get a good connection ,hope this helps bud every little helps .
I grabbed some DR8ESL's as that's what David Silver had listed for the 400F, hopefully they are correct.
Also looks like someone messed with the old plug leads as they are all over the place for length. So essentially I need 2/3 the same length and 1/4 the same length (eg same length for both leads from each coil). Then 2/3 is shorter than 1/4, I assume that's because 1/4 are the outside cylinders and will naturally need more length?
You got the idea right about reason for length of plug leads ,can't find a measurement in any manuals i'le go out the garage and measure up mine I know I trimmed 1/2 inch or so off to clean the ends up but still plenty left not too short at all.
You got the idea right about reason for length of plug leads ,can't find a measurement in any manuals i'le go out the garage and measure up mine I know I trimmed 1/2 inch or so off to clean the ends up but still plenty left not too short at all.
Ok so the leads from 2&3 are 10" and the leads from 1&4 are 13" at this length they aren't over stretched and as I said I trimmed back a little to get a good connection to the plug cap, hope it helps mate I know new aftermarket coils come with a lot of length on the leads allowing to trim to required length.
Few more parts in and had a crack at trimming the plug wires.
First up we're new EBC rear brake pads, will be a while before they're fitted but they're there when I need them:
Trimming the plugs was the next item on the agenda this evening. Thanks yorkie for the stock lengths, I added the 1/2" on to the lengths (10.5" and 14.5") but I think I could trim a bit more off too as there's still plenty on length on there and they are looping a bit under the tank.
Trimmed:
Mounted:
Outside ones aren't too bad but the inside ones are a bit loopy as you can see. Might get the plugs in there, then see if I need to trim a bit more.
I always found the stock plug leads were about 2" different for 1-4, when coil is mounted on bike the number one lead is closer to plug than number 4. They were always long enough to swap side to side though which allowed several 1/4" pieces to be removed when you fitted new plug caps. DR8ESL are just resistor plugs, stock caps for 75~77 were 10K Ohm with non resistor plugs so 5K caps and 5K plugs should be fine. The carbon contact resistor in plug caps goes high resistance after about 10~15 yrs so they need changing though
Thanks PJ as always. I trimmed the leads and bought a sparkplug socket to hand tighten the plugs and now it all looks fine, bit of length in there but they don't look silly. Plenty of future trimming length too.
Good to know re the plugs and caps, 10k will be ok to have a go then by the sounds of it. What's the issue with high resistance? I assume it reduces the current draw?
I don't know how the carbon resistors in caps go high resistance but it reduces voltage to plugs causing missfires at higher rpm.
Same thing happens to carbon leads on cars, except they normally need changing every 3~5 yrs
I've had a couple of parts on my workbench for a little while now. Tapered countersink bolts for attaching parts to the battery box (and hopefully making enough space to put the battery in) and deutsch connectors so I can chop the Acewell gauge connectors and extend them to clear the coils.
Today I managed to finally use both.
First up I used the countersunk bolts to replace the cap bolts I was currently using. The caps didn't allow enough clearance for the battery and so I looked for a solution. My solution was to try and see if I could dimple the battery box so that the bolts sat flush inside. Some scrap metal and I made a dimple die:
It took some practice but I was able to get it working:
I found keeping the Allen key still was the trick, otherwise it would strip out.
All done:
The battery sits very low because the fuse holder needs a high box. Not sure if I'll keep the battery this low or pack the bottom out:
Next up I took to chopping the old plugs off my gauge. I'd bought deutsch connectors and whilst not cheap, they're a quality bit of kit:
Next up I'll have to find some wire to replace the connectors in the harness, ideally the same colours but I think I'm dreaming with that.
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