[hpexpress]

I just picked up a 1988 Yamaha Excel III, the unit had not been run in 2 years and was inhabited by mice. I took it down to the cylinders and cleaned it all out. Once I had a chance to crank it, I found out I do am not getting any spark! I traced the wiring via the diagram and did not see anyvisible damage that might have been caused by the mice. I have check for continuity on all wires I could trace and have not found any breaks.I am not very familiar with electronic ignitions nor cdi's.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Tfin70]

Ah yes, the old "mice in the sled" problem. My father had this with a sled he bought, ended up having to give it a complete rebuild, and a new carb to boot.

But anyways, as to your no spark issue. I hate tracing electrical problems, they're a pain in the a$$. It could be any number of things, from a bad or corroded ground some where, to a bad coil. I'd just keep doing what your doing right now. Checking continuity on all wires, check all visual grounds, and make sure they're clean with no corrosion on them, and be sure all wires that plug together are secure and tight. If non of this pans out, I'd then replace the coil (what the spark plug wires come out of) as a last resort.

Let us know what you find.

1997 XLT SP 600
"Engage the Mechanism"

 

[Falstaff]

Maybe you know this but disconnect the wiring harnesses to eliminate bad kill switches, etc. Then see if you have spark. If not you can dig deeper.

 

[razorsharp]

Grounds can be a problem. Try this to. Get the slet in your shop where you can turn out the lights and then pull it over. Look for sparks where a bare wire might be hitting on the frame somewhere and grounding out the ignition. Mice like wire insulation!!

You don't have to believe everything you think!

 

[hpexpress]

Everyone, thanks for your input. I will try all your methods and let you all know how I made out. I have ordered a factory service manual and it should be to me next week. I hope this gives me a better insight into the electrical instead of the old 5"x7" manual diagram. Thanks again.

Keep the good ideas coming, I will try them all.