Rick's Hot Shot issue?

[bomber315]

alright guys i recently lost spark... tested the stator and it was outta wack so i bought a new one... im not sure of the brand but i believe it is a ricks (it sure looks like one) after i installed that everything checked out but i still had no spark, so i bought a rick hot shot cdi.. and now i have spark like the 4th of july, but it wont fire up...

it will sometimes fire twice if i let off the button and then quick hit it again but even this seems to be random...

the valve timing is on, and they are sealing

my concern is with the "modified" timing curve of the ricks cdi that it totally f%^&ing me when i try to start it...

anyone else run into this problem?

the part i dont understand is when it does fire it doesnt seem to be backfiring thru the carb or popping out the exhaust...

im up for any suggestions now, as i have became so desperate that i tore the top end apart to check for bent valves and broken rings, saw none of that

 

[boxhead]

Just a guess but I would start simple, check and make sure the fuel mixture is rich enough. The cdi should make it easier to start because of the increased spark energy. The good cdis usually require a small change in jetting depending on the setup. I know you said the valves are sealing, but check your compression anyways. If it's got spark and not firing the fuel mixture is probably too lean, that makes it much harder to start cold. Try turning you idle speed up by an asshair too, sometimes that can cause starting issues...

 

[bomber315]

ill continue to mess with that but i have already added about a teaspoon of gas straight into the spark plug hole and it didnt make a difference...

my compression was going away after i cranked and cranked and cranked and crank the engine over...... we got scared that there was a broken ring or bent valve and took the top end apart... all looks fine.... (the cross hatching is still in the cylinder as it was just rebuild about a month ago)

since everything looked fine was assumed the gas from all of the crabnking washed the cylinder down and the rings were dried up and not sealing... i put a little oil on top of the piston and walked away... tonight im going to put the topend back together and hopeflly... i will get my 180 PSI back (it had dropped to less than 120 when we tore it down)

 

[bomber315]

oh sorry i forgot to mention that it has the weisco 10.25:1 piston, i read in the classifieds where the ricks and high compression dont get along....

 

[boxhead]

Don't put liquid gas in the cylinder, it'll just get the plug wet and make it flooded. To give it a small kick use a small spray of starter fluid if you have to, but you really shouldn't if the mixture is right. It doesn't have to be perfect, but a little richer is better than lean. If the cylinder has any glazed patches it should be honed and I would just use new rings anyway. You really should have it honed anyway, it'll only be 10 bucks or so. Try to not get oil in the cumbustion chamber as it will just form a gunky black residue that'll deposit on the rings and make them stick. Like you said it could be a issue with the Rick's cdi, but 10.25 is still fairly mild. With higher compression it can be harder for a spark to jump, so use a new plug and make the gap tight towards the very minimum spec. I know this sounds stupid, but check and make sure the clutch sensor wires for the parking brake aren't acting up. If it was removed than make sure the wires are connected for a bypass on a warrior. I had some weird issues because of that...

 

[bomber315]

yeah i honed the cylinder before i put the new rings in it... it still had cross hatching from the previous rebuild but the chain had popped and cracked the case... i got the case all welded up and put new rings in it when i was puitting it back together.... mine is a 94 and i took the parking brake off already, i didnt think it had a parking brake switch but i might be wrong... like i said i have the top end tore apart again, and while i was that far my neighbor, who generally knows his ****, told me i had better check the flywheel key... i agreed and when i took that crap apart i found that my oneway was stuck engaged... the motor would spin both forwards and backward and never disengaged the starter... looks like i definitly need a new one of those this $450 project warrior has really cost me money!! if im not carefull im going to end up in the $1500-$2000 range and that was not the idea... sorta wishing now that i had bought something that only required pushing a button....

 

[yamarider]

A big problem with these aftermarket CDIs is that they are poorly designed (I think the internal components are based on one from a kick start machine), and unless the battery is at 90% charger or better they don't get enough voltage with the starter cranking to give a good enough spark to fire. I'm pretty sure the Rick's cdi is just a re-labeled Procom unit, as far as I know they all are except for the Dyna. Even if the battery has enough power to turn the motor over at what seems like a normal speed it can still be causing starting issues. Either try pull/pop starting it, fully charge the battery, or try using a known good stock CDI and see what happens.

 

[kaptainkx]

I have to agree with YamaRider on this one, they do require good voltage, my warrior has a ricks on it, and with the plug out laying on the head it never fires the first few revolutions of the engine, its like it has to build up energy before it can send it to the coil.

 

[bomber315]

I have to agree with YamaRider on this one, they do require good voltage, my warrior has a ricks on it, and with the plug out laying on the head it never fires the first few revolutions of the engine, its like it has to build up energy before it can send it to the coil.

I am also Seeing/ thinking the same thing... However I tried to jump it off of my car which was running and it didn't make a difference... Of course this is also after the compression had fallen off 60+ lbs.... I would think 115 psi would still be enough to fire but I don't know... I have to let my bank account rebound a week or twoo before I can afford a new oneway (I'm all outta fun money and dint feel like dipping into savings just yet)