TS 125 electrical problems

[ricklincs45]

Dear All,

I'm attempting to rescue my TS125 but am having problems getting ignition or a spark. Basically, put battery on when charged (showing 6v on multi-meter), but when connected to bike and ignition in 'normal' position, the voltage is dropping to less than 1v. The two warning lights on speedo illuminate briefly then dim off very quickly.

If I disconnect the battery, it recovers to just under 6v. Have also noticed that if the ignition switch is turned to what I think is 'lights on', the voltage slowly creeps up to near enough 6v, but still no spark.

Could the battery be completely failing under load, or am I looking for an electrical problem on the bike? Have not worked on an MZ before and am finding it all rather different from Honda!

Have also noticed that the ignition 'key' won't come out - my Dad had one of these bikes new back in 80/81 and am sure I remember it being removable. Am starting to suspect the ignition switch is the problem - could this have anything to do with the key not releasing?

Thanks for any help offered,

Rick.

[DAVID THOMPSON]

by your second paragraph i was thinking bad ignition switch or someone hooked it up wrong

as for the battery the germans use brown as the ground or earth wire check if its installed correctly
make sure you pay attention to color coded wires
germans use color codes that are different than honda and others

most german bikes need a charged battery to run
except bmw with the magneto after 1970 there points and coil to about 78 or 79
dave

[ricklincs45]

Thanks for taking the time to reply Dave, much appreciated.

As you mentioned, I noticed that earth is brown as opposed to green on Hondas; I've also read a post that the 'emergency' setting on the ignition switch can't be relied upon to work.

I think my next step will be to order a genuine MZ manual from the MZ Riders Club - the wiring diagram in the Haynes manual is so small it's virtually unreadable without a magnifying glass (guess I'm giving my age away here....)

If anyone could advise upon layout of ignition switch connections, or point me in the direction of an actual photo of a properly wired switch, I'd be very grateful.

All the best,

Rick

[therealche]

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5695

Thread should give you the details you want! All 6V bikes share same wiring layout

[ricklincs45]

That link is brilliant - thank you very much! I was assuming the ignition switch worked from left to right (i.e. left being fully off, next position being ignition on, no lights. Will now have another, more informed, look at her.

The colour wiring diagram is a big help too - a massive improvement on the Haynes one.

Cheers,

Rick.

[DAVID THOMPSON]

anything is a massive improvement on the Haynes

the one for my Nissan truck stinks
dave

[therealche]

Ah Haynes.... the little book of lies! I always remember rebuilding a Morris Minor engine with a friend. Problem was I was following the text, he was following the pictures... ended up with a camshaft on the bench!

[DAVID THOMPSON]

i hide the one i have for old bmw and the clymer was not any better
dave

[ricklincs45]

Hi All,

a quick update and another beg for help. After disconnecting and cleaning virtually every electrical point on the bike, I've found that if I disconnect the green wire from the ignition coil, all of a sudden the battery voltage doesn't mysteriously disappear.

Had a look at the (decent) wiring diagram and believe that is the wire to/from the condenser. My question is this: am I looking at a faulty ignition coil, condenser or a generator problem? Honestly didn't think a duff condenser would cause this, so, any ideas gladly welcomed.

Thanks,

Rick

p.s. I've treated myself to a celebratory piece of chocolate for at least narrowing down the problem!

[DAVID THOMPSON]

if the condenser is old put in a new one
also the spring in the points can loose its tension when old and the points do not work correct at higher RPM (udm)
they float not making good contact

i have a bunch of old tube (valve) type radios and the capacitors in the power supply's are a big problem

[ricklincs45]

Thanks David, will order a new condenser. Did have a brief look at the points and the spring tension is 'as new'. The bike only has 3000 miles on the clock, last used in 1988 - she still even has the original Barum non-stick tyres.

Just out of interest, do you know if there's such thing as a resistance test for the ignition coil? I suspect that the fault the bike has is the one that led to her being laid up after only 3 years.

Rick

[ricklincs45]

Now have a spark (consistently), and full lights on the TS: seemed to be several problems all at once. Hopefully going to try and start her at the weekend

[DAVID THOMPSON]

do replace the points even if they look good several times i have had problems with old points
after they get old the spring loses its tension and floats at speed and not letting the coil make a good spark

friend of mine played with a 72 bmw for about 10 years it had set for 13 years
he insisted it was not the points he had a box of them all new old stock with the springs cocked
he refused to get a new set from a dealer
so i bought it from him i put in a brand new set of points its in the basement
he learned to listen to me when i drove it home at 80 mph he had never seen any thing over 40mph
on it
dave
yours may run ok but after 5 times when it wants to cut out at 2000 to 3000 rpm i try a new set of points

its a done deal with ME if its been setting for several years