2002 Ninja ex250-H No spark need help please

[cptgetdrunk]

Hello all,

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this I am new to the forum and am having a nightmare of a time with this bike right now and would love some help.

So first the bike is a 2002 ex250-H or ZZR250. Im not sure if this has the same electrical system as the standard 250. The bike has been sitting for years and I am currently trying to get it going again. It has been totally stripped down by past owner so it is more so a streetfighter now. I got the bike for free and am going through the process of transferring the registration so I am hesitant to take it to a shop before it is in my name.

Currently the bike cranks over but does not spark. I have taken the spark plugs out of the motor to confirm this visually. I am going to make a list of things I have checked so it is clearer and cleaner.

- new spark plugs installed
- new battery
- checked voltage going into the ignition coils (12V give or take)
- manually sparked coils by grounding out ignition coils while they are charged (faint spark showing)
- checked resistance across the coil plugs and from plug to spark plug wire
- jumped the kickstand safety switch by unplugging bullet connectors and plugging them into each other
- checked for voltage on grey wire going into ICU (or whatever it is called)
- checked and replaced fuses (10amp and 30amp)
- checked the crank sensor for resistance and AC voltage (2 yellow wire leads coming from engine area)

I tried to jump the clutch safety sensor but it does not work. When I go from Black/Yellow (chassis ground) wire and the Black/Red (start circuit) wire the bike will not turn over. I have tested starting the bike with clutch out in 1st and doesnt turn over, then I pull the clutch in and it will turn over so I was thinking that the switch is good then.

I do not have any gauges except for a tach and a speedo and have no physical neutral light. I typically try to start the bike in neutral and can roll the bike around so I am sure it is neutral.

I also do not have the horn connected, have a random headlight on there, and also have no turn signals on the front hooked up.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should check next? I am planning on making a simple list for all the various readings I should check and confirming all of these over the next couple days. I believe the coils are fine, kickstand sensor is a non-issue, clutch sensor I believe is fine. Im thinking ICU could be the issue but I simply dont know if I missed something.

Thanks in advance guys.

[jkv45]

Are you using the original ignition switch?

Have you replaced any parts? Stock gauges?

[cptgetdrunk]

Are you using the original ignition switch?

I do not know. I have read that there is a 100 ohm resistor that is sometimes needed but I dont know if this is the case here. The history of the bike is unknown.

Have you replaced any parts? Stock gauges?

Only gauges that are hooked up are a tach and a speedo. I dont know if these are stock or not.

Pretty much I got this bike for free from a family member who got it for free from someone who apparently dropped it once and decided riding wasnt for them. This was about 10 years ago. Little over 1000km on the bike but has custom welding added on with integrated turn signals. Can post pictures if needed. There is no stock cluster hooked up right now just two gauges.

[cptgetdrunk]

After looking online I would say the tach and speedo are not stock.

[cptgetdrunk]

I have taken the cover off of my ignition switch and confirmed the presence of a 100 ohm resistor so one less thing to worry about

[csmith12]

Might want to test the pick up coil too.

Good luck!

[DannoXYZ]

Don't worry about safety-interloc switches. If they're not configured correctly, bike won't crank at all. Fact that it's cranking shows those components are working fine. Some possible areas to examine:

1. fuses - measure and report resistance (ohms) of every single fuse. Not sure what you mean by "checked". Numbers would be final definitive answer we're interested in.

2. "crank sensor" you measured may be stator coils? What is resistance you measured (ohms). And what is AC voltage you measured?

3. crank sensor/pickup-coil - is YELLOW & BLACK wires on sensor side of connector going to YELLOW & BLACK/WHITE wires on harness side. Disconnect and measure resistance between YELLOW & BLACK wires going to sensor. What is resistance?

4. battery voltage - 12v with bike off? Seems a little low.
- Put on trickle-charger overnight and measure again.
- measure voltage at ignition-coils when cranking. What is this voltage?

5. ignition-switch -
- what is voltage going into GREY wire at igniter?
- what is voltage going into BRN/BLACK wire at igniter?


Do you have access to oscilloscope?

[cptgetdrunk]

DanoXYZ,

1. fuses - sorry I should have been more clear. I checked the appearance of the metal winding in the fuses and did not see any that were broken. I just got a pack of fuses of amazon so will now change all the fuses just in case to new ones.

2 + 3. crack sensor/pick up coil - sorry again I should have been more clear. I measured something. The resistance and the AC voltage. I will repeat and get clear numbers for you.

4. Battery voltage - It was a new battery so I assumed it was fine. I have been cranking a decent amount so it is a possibility that I have drained it down. I will get these measurements and report back.

5. Ignition switch - I will report back with these measurements.

I do not have access to an oscilloscope though I could buy if it comes to that.

Thanks again for the patience guys. I feel like I have been throwing **** against a wall and hoping something would stick but I have not been doing this methodically enough. I will be repeating all my measurements, recording the values and will report back. I greatly appreciate the help.

One final thing I will mention before I start measuring is that when I manually spark the coils it is not a nice clear spark I am seeing but a tiny one between the coil body and the ground.

[DannoXYZ]

Well, could be low battery voltage causing weak spark. You always want to keep battery on smart trickle-charger any time you crank it more than 30-seconds. Otherwise, battery will be discharged more than normal and you won't be able to rule out weak battery as contributing to your issues.

4. battery voltage - measure it with multimeter.
- what is battery voltage with bike off?
- what is battery voltage while cranking?

1. fuses - measure resistance across fuse legs. If I had a penny every time I've heard, "Fuse looks ok", but didn't actually conduct any electricity...

[cptgetdrunk]

DannoXYZ,

oh I realize you are very right about the battery now. Was getting the various reading we discussed when my starter solenoid (I think) started doing the clicking thing. I found this post:

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=74813

Same bike, same year and he found that the clicking was due to a low battery. I will be borrowing someones trickle charger and charging overnight tomorrow so will come back with all the various readings on Thursday.

I will also check all the fuses to confirm they are working with my multimeter.

for 4. battery voltage- measure voltage at ignition-coils when cranking. What is this voltage?

Do you want me to test the voltage drop from ground to the 12V in while cranking or do you want me to test the voltage across the rear tabs (12V and signal) while cranking? I currently have done both (but are inaccurate due to low battery)

Thank you again for the help.

[DannoXYZ]

With good wiring, voltage at coils should be same as at battery.

Perhaps measure at both locations to verify wiring is OK to coils. It does go through quite a few junctions and a switch before arriving at coils. Very possible you've got corroded or loose connections along way that's robbing coils of power.

[Alex]

/moved to pre-gen tech

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by cptgetdrunk

After looking online I would say the tach and speedo are not stock.

The wiring may not be properly connected or completely correct if the gauges are not stock. Something may be wired wrong.

Are there wiring splices or are there proper connectors on the wires from the gauges?