1978 Liquifire 440 revving issues

[rcaustin]

Hey guys,

So I am having issues with my Liquifire running properly and thought i'd hit the forums to see if any of you can help.

Last season I ran the liquifire in a vintage ride and it ran just fine. So this fall/winter I pulled it back out to do a little work in prep for this years vintage ride (i broke the handlebars last season). After I got the bars welded back together I decided to take it out for a spin and the sled wouldn't start. So I did some quick diagnostics and figured the CDI box was junk. So I got a new one (says made in tiawan on the side), installed it and it fired right up... took it outside and wouldn't rev past 3500-4000 rpm with the track on the ground - basically doesn't move. If I put it on a track stand it will rev past that 4000rpm mark but it definitely struggles still.

I checked the high speed winding on the stator and it checks out fine... something like 77 ohms. Could the CDI box I got be junk? The stator plugs coming from the motor are two round plugs, not the rectangular plug... the CDI box came with the rectangular plug so I had to cut and solder on the old style plugs. Maybe a chance I messed up the wires when soldering the plugs back on? Possible wiring diagram?

Anybody have ideas they can throw out?

Thanks in advance.
Ryan

[harleysportster]

It is very possible you have the wires wrong. Were the color codes the same?
Match the colors of the stator to the rectangle plug following this diagram. The wire colors of the new cdi may be different but the location in the coupler is what matters.
http://www.hewtechelectronics.com/image ... WIRING.pdf

[JDT]

Are you sure it is hitting on both cylinders?

[rcaustin]

unfortunately I don't believe I have the rectangular connector still. I cut it off and soldered the round style connectors in its place. This may be tough to figure out without that connector. I can buy a new cdi box - not a big deal. Does anybody know where i can get a NOS cdi box for a '78 liquefier 440? I can try it over again and check the wiring diagram better this time.

I bought a temp gun so I was gonna shoot both sides of the y pipe to see if the temps were significantly different or not. I have a feeling that it must be related to the CDI box. Since it didn't run and swapping out to a new cdi box got it running but now it doesn't rev doesn't go around with me. odds are its the same issue - unlikely i had two different issues show up at the same time - between seasons.

Anybody have a line on NOS CDI boxes?

Thanks,
Ryan

[harleysportster]

Maybe Rich Acre over on vintagesleds.com

[Norton]

I got my last Deere CDI box a couple of years back from Rich Acre . The round plug version. Looked to be a NOS "take off" from a new sled back in the day. As a side note I have had issues this winter with a 78 LF with revving troubles too. CDI box switch seems to have solved the revving issue but need more than 10 miles to be real sure. Heat (and age) issues with old electronics can be a difficult to track down! I quit using old or NOS stators because of that. Hewtech does the rebuild for me now. Does he do the CDI box now?

keith