I did it without a light. I used a cellophane between the points. I had the points set to "let go" of the cellophane at 2.6mm. the cellophane was 0.00075". I think that put me at 3.2mm. It runs great in any case.
On one of the vintage dirt bike groups on fb there was a guy who used to be a factory mechanic on those old 1970s Yamaha enduros. He said that it’s 2.6 mm before tdc. Although he was talking about bikes with points ignitions. He said they made a gauge specifically for timing it 2.6mm before tdc
Excellent! Very helpful. My only thing is maybe not hold the bulb in between the camera and the dial gauge. Ignore my comment on the first vid, you addressed it here.
I was wondering if you could help me please. I'm pulling my hair out with my DT250. It's the same 74. I'm trying to do the timing as you say here. But when I hook up the light bulb it just stays lit all the time regardless of whether the points are open or not. Do you know why this could be happening? I also tried it with a multimeter and I get continuity between the black lead and ground no matter if the points are open or not. Thank you!
Hi BB. Did you solve the bulb staying on issue? I went to change the points and condeser in my 75' and I'm having the same exact issue - its maddening! All I can figure is that its grounding some where else so the light stays on constantly regardless if the points are closed or open? Thanks in advance..
@@IsaacLeyva-tx6sc Hello, yes! Apparently, the bulb will not go off completely, but just dim a bit. I ended up using my multimeter hooked up to it the same way but in the "Ohms" setting. I just turned it until the numbers changed and that's when the points open. Hope this helps.
i have questions how to know if the condesor is bad i have a yamaha dt250 1978 it was saved maybe 20 years i boutght it and i has kick backs i dont know if it was normaly yersterday was driving it and the motor was blowed the piston has a hole in the center i need help can be the timing?
although i don't have a dial indicator (yet) , this seems like it would be a super accurate way of setting timing ... where did you get the spec from in inches/mm btdc rather than the usual degrees btdc ? thanks.
How would you do this if you have a cdi ignition? I have a 74 dt360. Assume that at the point on the dial indicator the mark on the magneto should line up with the ignition tab?
Yes, a CDI ignition on the DT360/400 is even easier. You still put a dial in the spark plug hole and 0 it out at TDC. For the DT360, you want to turn the flywheel clockwise to 2.9mm before TDC. At this point, the stamp on the front of the flywheel/magneto should match up with the line on the pulser coil (which you can see through the slot in the flywheel). If these lines don't match up, you loosen the pulser coil screws, move the pulser coil slightly, then tighten back up and re-check everything. Hopefully this makes sense!
Hey there, what forums do you hang out on online? I signed up for the yamaha enduros one but they still haven't validated my account several days later. Are there any active forums where you get quick feedback? I just picked up my first DT400 so I'm trying to come up to speed on how to do things like set timing. I've always set timing on other bikes either via degrees or marks on the crank, etc... I've never had to use a dial indicator, but your video definitely cleared up what they mean by setting timing at "2.9mm" BTDC. Thanks for the useful video!
Hey, Luke, that 400 should be a BLAST! There are two great forums for old Yamaha enduros: www.yamahaenduro.com and www.yamaha-enduros.com A LOT of the same folks frequent both forums, so it's never a bad idea to go over them both. For your 400, 2.9mm BTDC is perfect, and you have the benefit of not having points to deal with! (Although if your "black box"/CDI ever goes out, you're up a river. :-) My procedure in this video is correct and accurate. In the end, my problem was pretty simple... we found out that while my PROCEDURE is correct, the stator on my DT250 is from a later model year! Simply the wrong part. In the end, I broke down and bought the 12v conversion kit for the DT series. Pricey, but in the end, an excellent system. Good luck on your project!
I'm in the same boat. Someone converted my DT400 over to breaker points ignition (presumably from a DT250.) They changed out the stator and flywheel with unknown parts. My bike runs, but in order to save my sanity at some point, I may also be ponying up the money to convert it to 12v with a more modern electronic ignition system. I joined yamaha-enduros and it looks great. I've already read a lot of good information there.
So that tells me that your CDI probably died, so they converted it to points. If it's running well, you might want to leave "well enough" alone. The PowerDynamo 12v conversion (which I did) requires some fundamental changes to your wiring. Your bike currently has portions that run on AC (like the headlight) and others that run on DC (like the horn, tail light). If you do the 12v conversion, you'll need to bridge these two systems, then tap into the headlight on/off switch. (The key switch can't handle the current of a 12v headlight running through it.) It's a NICE conversion when done, but not at all trivial. Glad you joined yamaha-enduros!
Jason Scott Right now I have a working headlight and tail light. Someone took the turn signals off of it in the past. The horn does work. It's got one of those bogus 'battery eliminators' hooked up where the battery used to be. Basically a 35v 2200uF electrolytic capacitor hidden in epoxy at a cost of 50 dollars to a previous owner that didn't know how to save money. However, yes it's working. I can go riding around and have a good time. I just need to figure out my mid-RPM surging/bucking sensation when I'm trying to maintain constant throttle. It idles great and rips up to redline no problem. Wheelies and all that.. I had no problem getting up over 65mph on the highway. I'm looking forward to getting to know how it works and putting it to use. I love commuting to work on a 2 stroke because people in traffic have no idea how it's legal.
Headlight + tail means you're getting both AC and DC... a good thing! Is this the yellow 400 in your video? If so, that's a BEAUTY. Love that bike. I'd be happy to help troubleshoot the mid-RPM surging, but to get more eyes and ears on it, best to post the question in the forum. Have you ever rebuilt a DT carb? They have some oddities that you don't see too often that can throw you some curveballs. One of the primary gremlins is the "jet setter" o-ring, which is supposed to seat the jet setter into the float BOWL, where the main jet lives. If that o-ring goes out, it doesn't meter the main correctly... and mid-throttle is where that would start to rear its head.
What would make one of these engines run backwards? My Dad got a 74 100 and started it up and it sounded fine but when he let the clutch out he literally went backwards. He thought for some odd reasons it had reverse until he went through the gears. He thinks it's a timing thing. Thanks in advance for any help offered.
An interesting thing about 2T engines is that they are able to run forwards or backwards. On a DT, the timing would be off enough to that you wouldn’t be able to rev it up very high, but at lower RPM it would seemingly run ok. The question is how you got it to do it. One possibility is that when kicking it, it backfired hard enough to push the piston down before reaching TDC (thus spinning it backwards) and starting it that way. My hunch is that bump starting it or just kicking it again will have it running normally.
@@hermetheuscoffee I'm pretty sure that the bike was like that when my Dad got it. He deals in old British bikes and this one just came in on a deal. I'll try pop starting it. Thanks for the info
David Bing no problem! Hopefully it starts and runs well normally. Some 2T engines are DESIGNED to run backwards (like for reverse on a snowmobile) so you probably don’t have anything to worry about. You just got to see one of the many quirky aspects of 2-strokes in action!
@@hermetheuscoffee I'm dying to know what they found. I had run a chain between the swingarm and the C/S sprocket once and had the same result. As I fished the chain behind the cover it dropped before it went towards the front of the sprocket and it fit nicely between the swingarm pivot and the sprocket. That was on an Yamaha R1 though... 6 reverse speeds...LOL
Ah, that part was in my forum post, which is what this video was really meant to support. It's really simple, though... the other lead wire on my bulb just goes to the positive terminal of my battery. That's all there is to it. One bulb wire to the positive terminal of the battery and the other bulb wire to the black wire coming out of the magneto. Hope this helps!
I did it without a light. I used a cellophane between the points. I had the points set to "let go" of the cellophane at 2.6mm. the cellophane was 0.00075". I think that put me at 3.2mm. It runs great in any case.
On one of the vintage dirt bike groups on fb there was a guy who used to be a factory mechanic on those old 1970s Yamaha enduros. He said that it’s 2.6 mm before tdc. Although he was talking about bikes with points ignitions. He said they made a gauge specifically for timing it 2.6mm before tdc
Good video. Thank you.
Excellent! Very helpful. My only thing is maybe not hold the bulb in between the camera and the dial gauge. Ignore my comment on the first vid, you addressed it here.
I need to see how the condenser is hooked to the stator
I was wondering if you could help me please. I'm pulling my hair out with my DT250. It's the same 74. I'm trying to do the timing as you say here. But when I hook up the light bulb it just stays lit all the time regardless of whether the points are open or not. Do you know why this could be happening? I also tried it with a multimeter and I get continuity between the black lead and ground no matter if the points are open or not. Thank you!
I would recommend going to a forum like yamaha-enduros.com for troubleshooting help.
Hi BB. Did you solve the bulb staying on issue? I went to change the points and condeser in my 75' and I'm having the same exact issue - its maddening! All I can figure is that its grounding some where else so the light stays on constantly regardless if the points are closed or open? Thanks in advance..
@@IsaacLeyva-tx6sc Hello, yes! Apparently, the bulb will not go off completely, but just dim a bit. I ended up using my multimeter hooked up to it the same way but in the "Ohms" setting. I just turned it until the numbers changed and that's when the points open. Hope this helps.
i have questions how to know if the condesor is bad i have a yamaha dt250 1978 it was saved maybe 20 years i boutght it and i has kick backs i dont know if it was normaly yersterday was driving it and the motor was blowed the piston has a hole in the center i need help can be the timing?
I would recommend joining yamaha-enduros.com and submit the question. There are many experts on DTs there who can help troubleshoot!
THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION. How do i know if my condesator is bad what are the siymptoms @@hermetheuscoffee
although i don't have a dial indicator (yet) , this seems like it would be a super accurate way of setting timing ... where did you get the spec from in inches/mm btdc rather than the usual degrees btdc ? thanks.
It's directly from page 28 of the Yamaha factory service manual.
How would you do this if you have a cdi ignition? I have a 74 dt360. Assume that at the point on the dial indicator the mark on the magneto should line up with the ignition tab?
Yes, a CDI ignition on the DT360/400 is even easier. You still put a dial in the spark plug hole and 0 it out at TDC. For the DT360, you want to turn the flywheel clockwise to 2.9mm before TDC. At this point, the stamp on the front of the flywheel/magneto should match up with the line on the pulser coil (which you can see through the slot in the flywheel). If these lines don't match up, you loosen the pulser coil screws, move the pulser coil slightly, then tighten back up and re-check everything. Hopefully this makes sense!
@@hermetheuscoffee yes because of this video I finally got it set perfectly and it runs great now thank you
Hey there, what forums do you hang out on online? I signed up for the yamaha enduros one but they still haven't validated my account several days later. Are there any active forums where you get quick feedback? I just picked up my first DT400 so I'm trying to come up to speed on how to do things like set timing. I've always set timing on other bikes either via degrees or marks on the crank, etc... I've never had to use a dial indicator, but your video definitely cleared up what they mean by setting timing at "2.9mm" BTDC. Thanks for the useful video!
Hey, Luke, that 400 should be a BLAST! There are two great forums for old Yamaha enduros: www.yamahaenduro.com and www.yamaha-enduros.com
A LOT of the same folks frequent both forums, so it's never a bad idea to go over them both. For your 400, 2.9mm BTDC is perfect, and you have the benefit of not having points to deal with! (Although if your "black box"/CDI ever goes out, you're up a river. :-)
My procedure in this video is correct and accurate. In the end, my problem was pretty simple... we found out that while my PROCEDURE is correct, the stator on my DT250 is from a later model year! Simply the wrong part. In the end, I broke down and bought the 12v conversion kit for the DT series. Pricey, but in the end, an excellent system. Good luck on your project!
I'm in the same boat. Someone converted my DT400 over to breaker points ignition (presumably from a DT250.) They changed out the stator and flywheel with unknown parts. My bike runs, but in order to save my sanity at some point, I may also be ponying up the money to convert it to 12v with a more modern electronic ignition system. I joined yamaha-enduros and it looks great. I've already read a lot of good information there.
So that tells me that your CDI probably died, so they converted it to points. If it's running well, you might want to leave "well enough" alone. The PowerDynamo 12v conversion (which I did) requires some fundamental changes to your wiring. Your bike currently has portions that run on AC (like the headlight) and others that run on DC (like the horn, tail light). If you do the 12v conversion, you'll need to bridge these two systems, then tap into the headlight on/off switch. (The key switch can't handle the current of a 12v headlight running through it.) It's a NICE conversion when done, but not at all trivial. Glad you joined yamaha-enduros!
Jason Scott Right now I have a working headlight and tail light. Someone took the turn signals off of it in the past. The horn does work. It's got one of those bogus 'battery eliminators' hooked up where the battery used to be. Basically a 35v 2200uF electrolytic capacitor hidden in epoxy at a cost of 50 dollars to a previous owner that didn't know how to save money. However, yes it's working. I can go riding around and have a good time. I just need to figure out my mid-RPM surging/bucking sensation when I'm trying to maintain constant throttle. It idles great and rips up to redline no problem. Wheelies and all that.. I had no problem getting up over 65mph on the highway. I'm looking forward to getting to know how it works and putting it to use. I love commuting to work on a 2 stroke because people in traffic have no idea how it's legal.
Headlight + tail means you're getting both AC and DC... a good thing! Is this the yellow 400 in your video? If so, that's a BEAUTY. Love that bike.
I'd be happy to help troubleshoot the mid-RPM surging, but to get more eyes and ears on it, best to post the question in the forum. Have you ever rebuilt a DT carb? They have some oddities that you don't see too often that can throw you some curveballs. One of the primary gremlins is the "jet setter" o-ring, which is supposed to seat the jet setter into the float BOWL, where the main jet lives. If that o-ring goes out, it doesn't meter the main correctly... and mid-throttle is where that would start to rear its head.
What would make one of these engines run backwards? My Dad got a 74 100 and started it up and it sounded fine but when he let the clutch out he literally went backwards. He thought for some odd reasons it had reverse until he went through the gears. He thinks it's a timing thing. Thanks in advance for any help offered.
An interesting thing about 2T engines is that they are able to run forwards or backwards. On a DT, the timing would be off enough to that you wouldn’t be able to rev it up very high, but at lower RPM it would seemingly run ok. The question is how you got it to do it. One possibility is that when kicking it, it backfired hard enough to push the piston down before reaching TDC (thus spinning it backwards) and starting it that way. My hunch is that bump starting it or just kicking it again will have it running normally.
@@hermetheuscoffee I'm pretty sure that the bike was like that when my Dad got it. He deals in old British bikes and this one just came in on a deal. I'll try pop starting it. Thanks for the info
David Bing no problem! Hopefully it starts and runs well normally. Some 2T engines are DESIGNED to run backwards (like for reverse on a snowmobile) so you probably don’t have anything to worry about. You just got to see one of the many quirky aspects of 2-strokes in action!
@@hermetheuscoffee I'm dying to know what they found. I had run a chain between the swingarm and the C/S sprocket once and had the same result. As I fished the chain behind the cover it dropped before it went towards the front of the sprocket and it fit nicely between the swingarm pivot and the sprocket. That was on an Yamaha R1 though... 6 reverse speeds...LOL
Failed to include full bulb connections explanation in this video
Ah, that part was in my forum post, which is what this video was really meant to support. It's really simple, though... the other lead wire on my bulb just goes to the positive terminal of my battery. That's all there is to it. One bulb wire to the positive terminal of the battery and the other bulb wire to the black wire coming out of the magneto. Hope this helps!
Points stink.. convert to electronic and problem solved.
@@KennethGerecke-k8w agreed! I went with a modern 12v electronic ignition to ultimately fix it.