1981 KZ1300 A3 make over

A thing I noticed with these coils is they came with plug caps fitting spark plugs with those screw-on little 'things'.
I have no idea how you call them.
There called "Little Screw-on Things"

And when pulling one boot another 'little something' came out. I haven't looked into it, so I'm still wondering if this can be just pushed inside or was it attached and broke off? If possible, I'd love to change all the boots to those I have on the other bike. These MSD are soooo tight! And short - it's hard to pull them out!
Some plugs come with an integral terminal - some come with this as a "screw-on" - Your "screwed" :woohoo: Personal preference will be dictated by what your auto parts-store stocks or can order.


That little piece the came out of the spark-plug boot is what snaps on to the spark-plug end. It's broken and has to be replaced.

I believe you have "acquired" a tool for removing the spark-plug boots from the plug? But yes, the boots can really "Stick". Using a Q-tip I apply a thin film of di-electric silicone grease to the inside of each boot. This prevents the boots from bonding to the spark-plugs (and the coil "Towers").
If you're going to keep the GM Coil-pac and you're going to be making new spark-plug leads you'll need:
6 "Spark-plug" boots and 6 spark-plug terminals,
and for the coil-pac,
6 "Distributor" boots and 6 "Distributor" terminals.
The respective boots and terminals are different and not interchangeable.
this might be helpful:
www.marxparts.com/spark_plug_wire_and_fittings.htm
This explains why some spark=plug boots have a "Button" on top.

What old/dry boots can cause

So that would mean that broken off piece was not soldered but crimped only by factory? I'm not a fan of the red leads and thought about replacing them, but they are all really long, so I will probably keep them for now - they can be trimmed and that's what I would do. The NGK spark plug boots I have are those commonly used for KZ1300, and I have them on my other bike. They are simply screwed on the leads. My plan was to cut the leads and screw on the NGK boots. Question is - is there anything build in the MSD ones that would make the NGK not compatible with the MSD coils? Should I be checking resistance there?
Another thing is the length. I never worried about making the leads identical. The cylinder 3 and 4 have way shorter leads than 1 and 6. Very similar to how the stock set up is done. But these MSD have all 6 leads equally long. It's pure academics I suppose, but worth asking.

Besides the different colors, :evil: , I really prefer having spark plug boots which can be used with spark plugs with those screw on evil tops removed!

Well, we are ahead of time a bit with this, but since expending on the subject, why not elaborate on this now.

Looking forward to the weekend and some more work on the bike.

By the way, why can't I just pull up the boots on the coils and disconnect the leads, same way as planned with the spark plug boots? Is there anything peculiar about this car coil MSD system that they come with this type of spark plug connection, where the little extra piece stays screwed on the plug?

Stan: All lead ignition terminals are crimped - you can't nor need to solder. Crimped or screw-in....personal choice. Lead length with these short lengths is "Academic".

Is there anything peculiar about this car coil MSD system that they come with this type of spark plug connection, where the little extra piece stays screwed on the plug?
I don't understand the question. Terminals are crimped to the spark plug jacket and the other end snaps onto the plug. All covered by the boot, which prevents arching.
Unless you revert back to "the Good Ole Days:



These would arch so bad the engine probably wouldn't run but if it did; it would be quite the light-show at night !
You could get some of these !

www.officine08.com/p61828_spark-plug-flashing-120-deg-blue.html

Someone recently posted the #'s for the NGK with a non-screw-on (Fixed) end. Can't find it.

In my question I meant this versus that:



With NGK spark plug boots (screwed on the cable) you remove the part attached in the top plug and use it as in the bottom. But these MSD are made and use the top set up. I was wondering if that's something commonly adopted for cars and perhaps modern bikes? "better' ? So far on motorcycles I've used the bottom plug set up only.
So... the top offers better tighter contact? Is preferable in the larger scale of things? If I leave it as is will I be ahead of old times running backwards if I decide to revert it to the bottom style.
That's what I meant scotch. Cheers!

Stan - it will make no difference which plug style you use. The removable terminal style will have no less functionality or efficiency as long as it is tight on the threaded end. Again - it's up to you and availability as to which style you use.
My auto-parts supplier stocks the NGK plug with the removable end which I've been using for decades with no issues or concerns.
I simply ensure the screw-on end is secure by gently tightening with a pair of needle nose pliers by gripping the screw-on end in the narrow portion of the terminal.

Hope this clarifies.

Thank you scotch. We'll get back to this subject again when working on the electrical system. :ohmy:

In the meantime - it's been slow. I haven't done anything last weekend. Now I'm sorting out the radiator and the fan.

The radiator was flushed and is already painted - with the fabulous PJ1 satin black paint. Same as the engine on my A4.



The original fan (on the right) is going to be replaced with a six blade fan I have and have been keeping to install it on the A4. But what the hell. I can always swap them in the future if I still want. The A4 is running cool, so there is no real need for it. It will be good to have two KZ1300's side by side and being able to compare how they work!





Both fans have the same mounting and same electric motors. I think there will be no problem.



That's all for today. Hopefully tomorrow more updates as I am thinking about spending some time with the bike.