Metal shavings in crankcase of Baja Storm 125

[Adrian Ciotinga]

The starter is fine, nothing broken there. How would I go about checking the starter clutch?

[Frank Angerano]

It’s going to have to come apart obviously and you really need to look at the repair manual.  But you can pull that nut off of that shaft  and the starter clutch will come off.  

Once you get it off see how the middle part of the starter clutch spins. It should only spin one way if is free spins both ways it’s no good and most likely the problem. 

You can find one on eBay I’m sure for about $30 bucks.  

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F142528436451

I definitely would recommend finding a repair manual. 

[Adrian Ciotinga]

Good news! The starter works and cranks the engine.

However the engine no longer sparks. What could be the issue here?

[Adrian Ciotinga]

I figured out that the ignition coil is at fault. I will not be able to work on it until July 23 due to being out of town. Thank you for all your help!

[Frank Angerano]

Ok that’s good stuff. Well when you get back get after it.  

Good luck.  

[Adrian Ciotinga]

I have attempted to start the quad today to no avail. It cranks and the plug (which was new) had oil on it but it refuses to start. I think it might be an electrical issue as it still cranks even when the lull switch is at the “stop” position. Any ideas what might be going on?

[Frank Angerano]

The spark plug should be dry.  If it’s covered in oil then that’s bad.  Are you sure it’s oil and not gas? 

Do this.  Take the plug out and clean it good with some sand paper or a wire brush.  Plug it into the ignition coil where it belongs and rest the plug against the head and test for spark.   

 

[Adrian Ciotinga]

My bad. I meant to type gas.

Anyways the quad doesn’t spark which leads me to believe that there is a wiring issue somewhere as the starter motor can be spun even when the quad is in the “stop” position.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Frank Angerano]

The starter motor will crank if the switch is in the off position. It just won’t fire up.  

I would look toward doing some testing on the stator coil.  Maybe a new cdi box as well.  

[Adrian Ciotinga]

As mentioned in my original post the previous seller included a few extra parts in the sale, including a new and unopened 4 pin CDI. I installed the part but got the same results.

One thing I noticed is this black wire with a yellow stripe not connected to anything else on the quad. Another wire with the same color scheme is attached on one end to the key and nothing else on the other. Is this the cause of my problems? I have attached photos of the CDI and ignition switch below.

[Frank Angerano]

That black and yellow could be an accessory wire.  

Are you handy with a tester ?

[Adrian Ciotinga]

I’ll figure it out.

What do you recommend testing first?

[Adrian Ciotinga]

I checked a wiring diagram for the quad and the only outgoing wire appears to be the black and white wire (the rest do not appear to be connected).

[Adrian Ciotinga]

Never mind, it appears that the diagram is for a Baja Dune 150 buggy not an ATV. All other images are too low quality to read.

[Frank Angerano]

You have to test the stator coil first.   

[Adrian Ciotinga]

There is a wire connected to the stator that is not attached to anything else, leaving 3 wires actually connected. I assume this might be an issue.

[Adrian Ciotinga]

Even more searching has led me to find that one of the wires running out of the ignition coil is black with a yellow stripe, coincidentally the same color as the ones not connected to anything on the CDI and ignition switch. I’m no electrician but are you sure that the black and yellow wire running out of the CDI is an accessory wire? 

The whole quad electrical system seems to have been heavily tampered with if that makes a difference.

[Frank Angerano]

It makes. A huge difference. The stator coil wires. Test all three. Each one to ground with a continuity tester ohms. You should not get a reading from each wire to ground. 

Second is to test each wire to wire with the tester on the same setting. You should get a similar reading from wire to wire.  

I will find the diagram and see if I can give you a hand in the mean time.  

[Adrian Ciotinga]

I think I did the test right.

There was connectivity between every wire and the frame of the quad. Is this a possible result? I might have done the test wrong but what I did was set the meter on ohms and connect it to the wire coming out of the stator on one side and a point on the frame on the other end. The meter showed a reading near or in the kilo ohms every time.

[Frank Angerano]

You shouldn’t get a reading from anyone of three wires coming from the stator to ground.   What did you get from wire to wire?

 

[Adrian Ciotinga]

I get 62.5 ohms between the yellow wires, 200 ohms between both yellow wires and the black wire, 200 ohms between the green and black wire, and no connectivity between green wire and yellow wire.

Here is a photo with the wires.

The red connector at the bottom does not lead to anything by the way.

[Frank Angerano]

Ok the only wires you should be testing are the yellow to yellow and get a reading.  Them each yellow to frame. Should get no reading.  

I have to look at the diagram for the pick up coil wires. 

[Adrian Ciotinga]

It was hard to take a reading between the two yellow wires as for some reason it kept flashing between 62.5 and 0 rapidly. There is connectivity between the yellow wire and ground.

[Frank Angerano]

Can you double check all the colors of the wires. I’m looking for two yellows and one brown ? 

[Frank Angerano]

I’m having a hard time locating a clear diagram for you brother.  Maybe @Admin can help us out here. Not sure but let’s see. 

[mikeexplorer]

I don't know if this would be any help, but this is the stator of an Arctic Cat. There are two parts to it, the first is the three wires that generate AC voltage which then goes to the regulator to produce power for the quad and recharge the battery. As Frank mentioned you should check each wire to wire (three of them) and you should get the same ohm reading or very close. Any one of these wires testing to ground should be an open reading. Any reading to ground means a bad stator (ground faulted)

The other two wires are the pickup coil for the CDI to tell it when to spark. On Arctic cats, this fires the plug twice each full cycle of the 4 stroke (the second spark is basically wasted as its the exhaust stroke) but its common practice, since the coil picks up each time the stator rotates.

The service manual tells you what the ohm readings should be for both the stator and pickup coil, but any reading to ground is a clear indication of a bad part.

Mike

 

[Frank Angerano]

That’s a great image @mikeexplorer   

I only see two yellow wires in his picture.  So I’m wondering if it’s a single phase stator. 

[Adrian Ciotinga]

Is it possible that in the process of replacing the starter clutch I installed the stator backwards?

[Adrian Ciotinga]

This is how it is currently installed

[Frank Angerano]

Starter clutch has nothing to do with it.