Help... my Alp keeps dying...!!!

[Titch]

I have a little problem.... as I'm riding along my Alp seems to have developed a intermitant cut out fault...
Basically the rev counter drops to zero and just bounces around on the stop, even though the engine is still revving away... except for if you let the revs drop and then it just dies. You can start it again but you need to have the throttle almost fully open, and then keep the throttle revving or it dies again. Whilst it is in this state it can still be ridden but requires lots of throttle, but gives almost no power eg. had it moving in third with almost full throttle and only doing 30mph.

BUT.... when you leave it to stand for approx 5-10 mins, it will generally seem to reset itself, and rides normally again... untill it decides to throw a wobbler again, which could be either right away or several miles down the road....

Has anyone got any suggestions or had a simular problem...????

One other slight bit of info is that it seems that the rear cylinder might have a piston ring gone, as from cold is throwing out alot of blue/white smoke... and when initially checked the plugs the front cylinder were both a nice grey/tan colour... but the rear ones were a bit confusing... the awkward one from the top was fairly grey coloured, but the side one was black and covered in oil.
Since this I have cleaned up all the plugs, and took it for little ride (well as much as it would allow without playing up...), then took the plugs out again, and all are still dry...

So I'm now completely confused, and don't know which way to go...

Help me please someone....

Titch

[Warthog]

I'm thinking CDI.

Don't know why, but that presumably would explain why it is both cylinders rather than just one. Does the rev counter run off the CDI or crank? I dunno.

The more I think about it, the more I think this post is less than useful...

Does it feel like fuel starvation, ie gradual loss of power, or a sudden effect like a broken contact?

[YEN_POWELL]

What model of Alp is it. The early ones had two CDIs, one for each cylinder I think, one controls the revcounter as well and gets squashed by the seat.

[Titch]

What model of Alp is it. The early ones had two CDIs, one for each cylinder I think, one controls the revcounter as well and gets squashed by the seat.

Mines an '88 V-H model, with two CDI's, located under the seat behind the airbox side by side.
There is two seta of wiring coming from the engine... one for the oil and neutral switch, and another that goes to a plug connected to the regulator. I have checked all the connections on everything including the CDI connections and every connection I could find, and all seem to be fine.. no loose wires or connections that I can find.

And regards to fuel starvation.. have checked the flow from the tap and thats fine... and the power loss is sudden, as in you can be riding along then suddenly the revs counter drops (even with the engine still ticking away...), and alomost all power seems to dissapear.

[Warthog]

Starting to sound more and more like the CDI.

Either way, I would stop riding it: sounds dangerous, TBH... Imagine it plays up mid-overtake!

[BIG D]

Titch,

On the early Alps like yours 88 and mine 89 with the two CDI units there was a problem of the seat pushing down on the top of the units and damaging the connectors and head of the units.
A lot of people like myself modified the units by repositioning them either lower down or horizontal their was even a Honda mounting bracket you could purchase [at that time] to reposition them which I would suggest you do, hopefully there is no permanent damage to the CDI's,
and like Yen & Warthog say one does operate the rev counter.
I hope this is of some help.

BIG D

[Lutin]

To check if it is the CDIs, you can change them over. If the rev counter then works fine but the bike still misbehaves then you have found the problem.

[Titch]

To check if it is the CDIs, you can change them over. If the rev counter then works fine but the bike still misbehaves then you have found the problem.

When you say swap the over do you mean just swap the wires round from each of mine to the other way around... or get someone elses CDI's and try those...????


Oh yeh... just another point... this problem has only started since putting in the replacment engine... which seems to have leaking piston rings on the rear cylinder.... now don't know how far advanced the electrics were back in the '88 Alps, in that did they have crank sensors etc which measure/tell the CDI when to fire which piston... and could oil leaking through into the combustion chamber effect this...???

[Lutin]

When you say swap the over do you mean just swap the wires round from each of mine to the other way around... or get someone elses CDI's and try those...????

Sorry, should have been more explicit. I meant physically change over your two CDIs. The rev-counter is supplied by only one of the CDIs, if you swap them over and the rev-counter works properly but the bike still does not run right, then you have a dying CDI.

[StumpyFingers]

From previous posts on this subject, I believe the csi which powers the rear cylinder also powers the rev counter.
Taking this into account I would be inclined to suspect the CDI. Move them both before they get damaged beyond repair.