Looking for a CDI box for 2000 Big Bear 400

[Mech]

Whooo.. That's more like it..

[QuadMan49]

One of the connectors is slightly different on mine, so it's not compatible with my quad. Also one of the reviews says:

1.0 out of 5 stars Did not work for Yamaha big bear or wolverine 350

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 5, 2021

Verified Purchase

Came on time but item does not work! I have a 98 Yamaha wolverine 350, and a 2000 Yamaha big bear 350, I tried on both and didn’t work.

[Gwbarm]

I haven't checked my connectors yet, doing that now, but im sure mine is the same as yours, and I did see that post it was for a 350, this is the post I saw, like I said probably wishful thinking

 

[Gwbarm]

On mine the connector on the right is larger, than the amazon one, but is it the correct photo, or a generic one. A true gamble, based on one review. 

[QuadMan49]

Keep us posted if the CDI works.

[Mech]

Even if your plugs are the same you need to confirm the pins are in the right place.. It's probably not as easy as just swapping pins in plugs..  They will be different because the two cdi aren't compatible..  That's what they do so they can tell which is which internally.

[p5200]

Hello fellas, I'll do a little searching also, and see what I can come up with.

[p5200]

Are these the 2x4 or 4x4 models?

[QuadMan49]

4x4, The CDI should have 2 plugs: 1 with 6 pins, and the 2nd with 8 pins.

[p5200]

Are these the 2x4 or 4x4 models? Ok, I'll look around.

[Gwbarm]

4x4 and you are exactly right 6 pins and 8 pins I just checked mine

 

 

[Mech]

If that blue plug there is for your cdi Gw, then that could be why your wiring isn't working out... every book I've looked in has shown black for both plugs. They change(and mention) plug colours for a reason.

[Gwbarm]

Thanks! The blue thing is actually the starter cutout relay, I have replaced it and the new one is black, and the blue one is just laying there.

[Gwbarm]

This one appears to have the right plugs, but it still doesn't stay it is for the big bear

https://www.amazon.com/California-1998-2001-Hampshire-1997-2001-Road-Passion/dp/B07L834QQC/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=spubS&content-id=amzn1.sym.bc5f3394-3b4c-4031-8ac0-18107ac75816&pf_rd_p=bc5f3394-3b4c-4031-8ac0-18107ac75816&pf_rd_r=PTFKMQA8ZM93RR6EQEDK&pd_rd_wg=i1Cfc&pd_rd_r=5748daee-d2fb-47f8-ade1-22fe834b53a3&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m

[Mech]

Oh ok.. 

[Gwbarm]

I have contacted the company to see if it will work, waiting on them to get back to me.

[Gwbarm]

Surpisingly they got back with me quickly: Now I am convinced they do not make an aftermarket unit for the 2000 big bear 400.

 

Hello dear customer. We have received your email that this product you asked for, B07L834QQC, is not suitable for your model. We have contacted our technical staff to try to find other suitable products for you, I am sorry, we did not find a suitable product, if you have other needs, you are welcome to contact us at any time. Wish you a happy life!

[QuadMan49]

I already tried one of those aftermarket CDIs with no luck.

[Gwbarm]

Thank you for the info. So what did you do

[Mech]

It seems that year or two were rather exclusive. Which in this case is not a good thing !

Do you have guys that repair car computers there ? Perhaps they can test a cdi with wave generating test gear and an oscilloscope.

Bike wreckers ?

Fork out $400 for the genuine , which are available..

Buy a whole wreck that sparks for $200.

 

[Gwbarm]

I will buy the OEM one, I just want to check all the electronics over again to make sure I didn't miss anything in the ignition circuit, may need your help with that. Thanks!

[p5200]

Don't know if this video might be any help but, I ran across it and figured I'd post it just in case.    

 

 

[Mech]

One single spark is generally the cdi.

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I don't know there's much else to do Gw.  The normal process is check the resistance and/or output of the stator and trigger coils, and check they are making it right through the wires to the cdi with a continuity test. Check the output to the coil and resistance check the coil. Then.. Check the switches. Check all the power and earths. Check relays and/or diodes. Inspect wiring for shorts or breaks. Check the wiring's continuity looking for internal shorts. If all the vital things for cdi operation are good and there is no cdi output then it's the cdi.

There are always things to watch for though, such as making sure that the voltage or earth you have checked , does actually have a good enough connection to deliver the amps required. Digital multi meters are a bit deceptive there. A test light is better for testing things like that. Another thing is, resistance testing on a stator, and even more so the trigger coil, doesn't verify output. A weak magnet, bad air-gap, metal flakes shorting the magnetic field, can all stop them working. It's always best to actually check the output even when there is no spec in the book for it. Stators put out high voltage, between about 60 to 120 is common, and triggers(if they put out voltage) have about one to five. It varys with  make and model, but those figures are enough to verify there is something coming out, and if the resistance is right, then they should work. 

In the case of these yamahas..  Hmmm..  I think I'd start by identifying whether the wiring loom I had was one that fed 12v into the cdi when cranking, or one that fed 12v through the cdi and then to the start button. Then I'd verify which switches that wiring needed. The colours and shapes of the plugs, and pin positions, and wire colours all combined confirm which exact version we have. Once I was really sure the wiring diagram I was following was the right one for my wiring, then I'd check the wiring for shorts, internal shorts, or breaks, with a continuity test..  with a test light as much as possible..Battery and small jumper and it's easy enough. After that it's do the process described above. You really need to know your wiring loom though because there are diodes and branched wires. They can confuse things real quick if we don't know they are there, and if they are playing up it's hard to click to if we don't know they should be there.

.

 

[Mech]

I know I suggested checking for output from the trigger coil on your bike Gw, but I don't remember what the result there was..  If it put out some small voltage then it's probably ok if the resistance checks ok. If it put out nothing it might be because it isn't meant to, it might just change resistance as the trigger goes past. What you need to test that is an old fashioned analogue ohm gauge. You will see the needle jump as the trigger goes past if it's not shorted magnetically.. or fallen off.   Digital gauges don't pick it up, analogue and an eye do. 

[Gwbarm]

Thank you so much Mech, you have spent a lot of time and brain power typing all that . 

What I have checked so far I have power to the CDI , I have ground to the CDI , I have correct resistance on the pulse coil, correct resistance to the anti kickback coil, I have continuity on the orange wire to the coil, forgot to  checked that for power, the start stop switch is working. Both starter cutout relay and reverse relay have been replaced.

What I haven't checked is actual voltage output of the pulse coil or anti kickback coil , haven't really checked the stator, just figured it was for charging, not concerned with that right now. Got another new coil it has correct resistance now.

Im sure I might have missed something, that's why I asked for your help, you are much better with wiring than I am .

 

[Mech]

Well I think we are both looking at the same wiring diagram now Gw, and it shows three wires for charging the battery, and four going to the cdi. Two of those you are calling anti-kickback. I presume that's what the manual calls them. You should check for output of some sort from those two pairs going to the cdi. As I was saying an analogue volt gauge is way more handy for detecting pulses. You can probably still buy cheap little ones the size of digital multimeters that do volts, amps and ohms. They will show a slowly rising needle when you just rotate the crank by hand slowly, where a digital wouldn't show a thing.

If the metal tag had fallen off the flywheel you could have good resistance readings but won't get a response out of the trigger. Or possibly the anti-kickback coil.

If the two windings are showing something, more than a half volt at a slow crank, then, given their resistance was ok, they should work. If they work, it really all points to the cdi.

Some makes they tell you what all the resistances should be between all the pins on the cdi. That would be a mighty complicated table to follow for one of those seven wire things though. You could try a couple of tests though. One common fault is that the trigger transistor fails and the capacitor discharges through the coil as quick as it charges. If you disconnected the coil, the wire should not be showing a voltage until it fires. It should be very intermittent , only once every rev, and a high voltage, with nothing in between. Again, an analogue gauge will show the pulse best. If there is a steady voltage, or fluctuating slightly but constantly, then the trigger is stuck open. I think that's the only common fault we can check for on this. If it was a stator run, ac, cdi we could check the ac voltages rose higher at every pulse as they were going into the cdi. That would verify the voltage stacking diodes and capacitors were working and indicate the capacitor was charging up. I don't think the anti kickback winding is doing that job though.

If everything on the bike is right, including the actual physical parts, and there is no output from the cdi to the coil, then it has to be the cdi.. 

 

[Gwbarm]

Thanks mech these are all good tests along with information I needed to know, I am going to get right on it as soon as I can, I do have an old Radio Shack analog meter that should work for the pulse test, this time of the year my undivided attention gets divided and spread pretty thin, but this is dragging on to long, need to get it going. The reason I haven't already bought a new CDI is, I feel like something else is wrong or the previous owner would have just replaced it, and maybe he did, it is had written on there it runs with a date of 2019, like a used one was bought and he never got it going.

[Mech]

I can imagine the feeling Gw.. I hate having to buy things for customers cars on the basis everything else seems right, but without actually being able to confirm the part is crook..  And then the question of whether they bought a second hand cdi but found it didn't cure the problem.. It's a pickle.

You sound like you know your way around wiring in general Gw, and you have done all the tests.. except for the output from the stator.. If you've double checked everything, and feel confident in your wiring being what the book says it is, then I'm sure the diagnosis is going to be right.

 

[Gwbarm]

Now I have a really dumb question, every body else that posts except for me, has a little thumb at the bottom of their post, do I have a setting wrong or what's that all about. Just noticed that.

[Mech]

Ha..  I think that's normal. I don't have one either. It's to stop us patting our own backs.. But don't worry Gw..  I see you're getting plenty of the thumbs up..