[Ducati] 95 900SS still not starting -- ignition problems continue

[Ronald Betts]

Did you ever check the pick up coils for continuity ? Check it after the 
bike starts to miss. It sounds like it's heat related and these things are 
suseptable to expansion from heat and a breakdown of the windings. I had one 
that drove me nuts. no problem when cold , but after a run and a good hot 
soak the pick up coil for the horizontal cylinder would develope an open. 
Just a thought.



Peace...Ron"Desmohead"Betts 95 900 SP
I've learned that I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy it!





>From: "Chris Waltham" <chriswaltham at gmail.com>
>Reply-To: Ducati Owners Group <ducati at ducati.net>
>To: ducati at ducati.net
>Subject: [Ducati] 95 900SS still not starting -- ignition problems continue
>Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 10:34:57 -0400
>
>Hi guys,
>
>Last week, my bike wouldn't start -- I'd turn the key and get lights
>on the dash, but as soon as I hit the starter button the lights would
>instantly go out and the bike wouldn't even crank.
>
>I figured it was a fluke, as it seemed that the battery terminals
>weren't making good contact with the leads feeding the electrical
>system on the bike. I re-connected the leads to the terminals, and off
>I went. The next day though, on the ride home, the bike dropped onto
>one cylinder.
>
>As I mentioned in a previous post, only the rear spark plug was
>firing. Strangely, the front spark plug would fire once when you
>turned the ignition to "On", but if you hit the starter button it
>wouldn't fire at all. I called my local Ducati shop and they suggested
>swapping the ignition modules left & right -- if the problem switched
>from the front plug not firing to the rear plug not firing, then I had
>a bad module. If not, maybe a bad pickup. So, I swapped the module,
>and the problem swapped with it -- so, bad module.
>
>One thing I did notice on the bike is that, just above the coils
>(which are still fine, I hope!) is a big sticker saying "WARNING: Do
>not disconnect battery leads when engine is running!". That got me
>thinking -- it's probably exactly what happened, i.e. I would have
>been riding home and the battery lead might have worked its way loose
>(again) for a second. Would this have the capability to fry the
>ignition module? Would that be what the sticker is warning against?
>
>Anyway, I got a replacement module from Mark from Wounded Duc and
>threw it on the bike this morning. I connected everything back up
>(including a much better system for securing the battery terminals),
>and the bike STILL wouldn't start. This time, though, it sounded a lot
>healthier when it was cranking -- it sounded like both cylinders were
>firing, which is different to how it sounded before I'd swapped in the
>replacement ignition module (i.e. when it was only starting on one
>cylinder). The bike did backfire once, and I could smell gas; so I'm
>sure it was getting fuel.
>
>I tried starting it with the choke on and off, and with giving it a
>little throttle and not giving it any -- but no dice. It seemed to be
>cranking at the correct speed, so I don't think the battery is flat.
>Any ideas on what it could be? I had to go to work in a hurry so I
>didn't get time to see if both plugs were actually firing this time...
>
>FWIW the replacement ignition module I got from Mark was from the same
>model 900SS, so it should have the same ignition curve.
>
>Thanks guys,
>
>
>Chris
>
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