Goat Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Can any one give me any info on some quick tips to do some tests on an old lucas magneto. Its a single cylinder unit. It turns over and feels like a small engine with low compression. i.e its got a firm part of the revoloution. this would imply the magnets are ok(ish). giving it a good flick by hand probably gets 1 to 2 complete revoloutions out of it. The points open and close and i have given them a sand. I have had 1 single spark at the points last night while spinning it by hand. That was it. Havnt got anything from the HT lead (which is rooted anyway). And no other signs of sparks. I have been spinning it heaps. Looks clean inside and points look good too. How do i test if the windings are good? or if the condensor is good etc? Is there a way to get them to spark without the points? I have googled but would like to hear some oldshool experience/opinions aswell. As the internet is full of lies etc. Choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steelies Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 take to Doug Banks old guy magneto specialist in eastbourne? he refurbed my ariel mag. not cheep for a rewind but he had all the sweet new old stock parts to spruce it up good my only idea is get an HT lead that you know works and new plug, eliminate some bung components and test again maybe look for something like continuity between windings and body etc, that shouldn't be there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goat Posted May 20, 2013 Author Share Posted May 20, 2013 Choice, could get him to scope it out and give a verdict. The remnants of the old HT lead should be sparking against the case though shouldnt it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steelies Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 sorta kinda? if you arent sure of your test it's not a very useful test. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIRK Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 jam a little wood screw into the old ht lead then pop on a lawnmower plug boot and voila you can put a plug in there. usualy u can feel the spark outa the lead but not sure that it will always arc/jump/iduno over to earth like it does off a plug. I have to recommend don't actually try to feel for spark tho lol it can induce a heart attack lol but yeh I do it all the time accidently and sometimes spark is so weak that there is nothing visible but you can feel it(usualy cause by condenser or dirty points). middle of the road dirty points spark is yellow. good is blue. faulty condenser = weak spark yellow or no visible spark but usualy no spark I think. from my experience but who knows what the fuck I am up to. edit: also don't turn it over without the ht lead/spark plug earthed. make it like it is when the plug is in the engine.... touch it against the case or something. if the spark has nowhere to go you can make leaks happen out of the coil insulation and then its fucked forever. lingling spec like the crack in his dizzy. that is everything I know. basically I don't know much edit: check and clean any earths/conections etc. im struggling to remember the innards of a lucas mag so dunno if that's relevent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steelies Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 magneto spark be grunty, i hope i isnt working if you decide to try feel it haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIRK Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 to test condenser just try another one which u know works. also I think I have a new lucas points and condenser somewhere which may suit your magneto. What I have is off a g80 matchless I belive so could be same mag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIRK Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 magneto spark be grunty, i hope i isnt working if you decide to try feel it haha yeh like I said don't do it hahhaa. but sometimes u think its broken so u do touch it and then you can feel some sparks even tho nothing visibly happening edit: but yeh iduno I've had like a million magneto shocks and im still alive. Its super risky if you have a dodgy ticker tho. every book I have read has a warning in bold letters lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goat Posted May 20, 2013 Author Share Posted May 20, 2013 They have an earthing screw to stop internal shorts from happening. Has a point on it, so if no ht lead is plugged in then it arks to the screw. Tho it doesnt seem to be doing anything. Is there any way i can use the points in it to fire a coil? Would like to stick with the magneto, but if its rooted, i don't want to pay millions to get it rebuild. Would be happy keeping it there for looks, but sneaking a coil somewhere and using the points in the magneto would be a cheap but not quite as choice option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIRK Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 yeh u can use the points to fire a car style coil with a battery the same as lots of guys have done with their velo bikes. points cam opens points and decides when spark happens. everything else in mag can be deleted I have a brand new lucas coil if you want it - would look the part at least. tis lush looking edit: u can get it rebuilt all good. theres a lot of guys rebuild lucas mags. costs hundreds tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goat Posted May 20, 2013 Author Share Posted May 20, 2013 Yea, red its about 500 for a full rebuild... Still don't know. Thats alot of ping. Especially for a velobike motor. haha. But would be so sweet to still be running old magneto.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIRK Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 well remember u wont be wasting money. u can always sell it on trademe. dudes will pay more than 500 for a rebuilt magneto i'd think. dude paid a couple hundred for one I had and it was super fucked and needed full restoration. excuse my French. edit: I still wana see somebody make my idea of a weedeater/chainsaw flywheel and solid state cdi. chain driven on a lay shaft. could prob find one small enough to fit inside your magneto case......nobody would even know and it would cost like $20 and maybe a fiddy bag to manu for a bit of steelies engineering Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIRK Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 u could also delete the points and condenser and put in a lawnmower cdi module like manu did with his Villiers and dave on his victa. I think that would work...maybe... but not if yo coilz fucked. actualy maybe it wouldn't work iduno. Ok that is actually everything I know. Sorry I don't have any real useful info hahhahahaa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goat Posted May 20, 2013 Author Share Posted May 20, 2013 Cheers tho, This stuff is lush. Am keen for all ideas. Would look boss as with the magneto running. Its only a single cyl one. So maby not much resale value???? How do i cheque the windings? I want to see if it needs a rewind, of if the magnets/condenor is rooted/need remagnetising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIRK Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 iduno about checks. I have some books tho so I will try find out. the one I sold for $200 was a single cylinder one as fitted to matchless g80. I sold an empty case for a twin(off a triumph t120 I think)for 100 hahahha. dudes that like English bikes have lots of money man. tho iduno what magneto we are talking about here tho so maybe its worth nothing. check ebay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kicker Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Would this one fit your stz? Unsure if it works or not but may be worth a try. It came off a J.A.P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goat Posted May 20, 2013 Author Share Posted May 20, 2013 Does it contain elektrizitys? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gasser Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 I was playing with the vertex magneto out of my hemi on a steel bench one day and almost blew my nuts off( true story). Figured spark was good. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goat Posted May 20, 2013 Author Share Posted May 20, 2013 I am scared of that. hah. Although i did bite the bullet and hold the HT lead and give it a spin to see if there was anything at all.... Nope. Dead as a doornail. Spent an hour last night trying to get into it to take the armature out. Couldnt get the backing plate off. Dispite it being only 2 nuts holding it on. It still confused the shit out of me. Will prpbably sent do Doug Banks as manu said and get him to say if its propper rooted or just needs re magnetising etc etc. Also, Seedy, if you read this, next time you are in napier can you grab that lucus magneto of yours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kicker Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Does it contain elektrizitys? Just checked and it does Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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