1998 Yamaha Warrior 350 No Spark

[Colby Calk]

I recently got a 98 warrior 350 that 'needed the carb adjusted' but the reality is it has no spark. I have a new spark plug, plug wire, ignition coil, battery, and cdi box. I checked continuity and took apart and inspected the starter/kill/light switch on the handle bar, and it all looks brand new and checked out. The key switch seems to be working properly, as when off, nothing works, but when switched on, lights and electric starter button work. It turns over fine, and as I just stated, all the lights work. I took all the plastics off and traced all the wires, and only one had a small cut in it, but it was only through the rubber sheathing, not the wire itself (the blue one coming from the stator). I cleaned some grounds, made sure both relays work, and still nothing. I pulled the stator cover and looked at the stator itself, and it looks great. No broken wires or connectors or anything. Still, no spark. I'm at a loss. Where do I go next? Any help is appreciated.

Edited August 28, 2019 by Colby Calk

[Frank Angerano]

Hey @Colby Calk and welcome to Quadcrazy. 

After everything you’ve explained i honestly feel the stator is bad.  You looked at the stator coil and said it looks good. Only half the stators that go bad are visibly noticeable.  Some of the failures happen inside the coils.   So having said that you can test the stator coil with an electrical tester.   If you have one it’s a pretty simple test. 

[Colby Calk]

Do you know the procedure to test the stator? I've read that the wire colors are different on each year model so it's hard to find the exact test.

[Frank Angerano]

It’s easy.  Locate the stator wires. They should be three wires going into the engine side cover on the left side of the bike.  Total of five wires go into the engine cover.  Three go to the stator and should be either all yellow or all white and the other two are for the pick up coil.   

Testing :  The tester is set on ohms/continuity setting.  Unplug the stator from the harness.  First thing to do is connect one of the tester leads to a good ground on the bike frame.  Take the second test lead and put it on one of the three stator wires at a time. Look at the tester and see if you get any readings. If so that’s a bad sign.  Do the same for all three wires.  If they give you a continuity reading from wire to ground then it’s bad.   

Second test:  Test leads are going to go from each of the stator wires test the first one to the second one and then so on and so on. Your tester should show numbers from each wire to wire.  They should be very close to each other.  Write them down and then check the manual, it will show you the exact number range it should be in.  If that number is not within the specified range then it’s not producing properly. 

If you need that page I will look it up for you.  

[Colby Calk]

As of now, the bike has a new stator, voltage regulator, new cdi box, plug, plug wire, ignition coil, battery, the switches all work properly, battery is good, lights all work, relays work, fuse isn't blown, I'm at a total loss. Still no spark. Tried grounding it to many places and nothing. I know the plug and wire and everything work because I tested them on a different bike. I have no clue where to go from here. Is there maybe a low oil cutoff sensor? 

[Frank Angerano]

Was the cdi an oem or aftermarket? Aftermarket CDI’s do not work well so keep that in mind.  

Was the stator coil a match as far as plugs ? 

Have you checked that the ignition switch is good? 

And have you tested the run and stop switch for any faults?  

[Colby Calk]

The new cdi is aftermarket, but it was tested on a different bike to confirm it works. New stator was an exact match and tested good with the multimeter. And all the switches work correctly on the multimeter. It cranks over, it gets gas, the lights turn on and off like they should.

[Frank Angerano]

Was the different bike the same bike ? Wiring harnesses are different from on another.  So be sure of that.  Have you checked all grounds and lastly changed the regulator/rectifier?

[Colby Calk]

Checked the grounds yes and yes new regulator.

[Frank Angerano]

The only other thing I can think of is the neutral safety switch but that should stop it from cranking as well. Try to put the old cdi back in and see what happens.  

[David Hudson]

Well what was the problem with it after all

[98350yfm]

I have a 98 warrior.In 2020 the stator had wires break on the inside of the coils. About a year later I ran into another no spark. The switch going to the hand clutch went bad. I twisted the two wires together and she fired right up