2004 KX250 Basket case

[drewwilhelm]

Hey guys,
Im new to this thread simply because I am having trouble with a 2004 x250 I picked up in boxes.  Bought it off a friend who is a total hack and has no clue how to work on a bike let alone take it apart and organize it.  So long story short the tranny was binding when he tried to put a new crank in.  I bought the bike bought new shift forks for it and was able to slap everything back together while picking apart the boxes of bolts to find out what bolts go where.  Now I have the engine in and was ready to fire it up, but I do not know where the voltage regulator bolts to and when I go to put the gas tank on the wires are holding it up.  Ive looked at a service manual, but the one I have is for 03-07 and i know the location of everything is changed dramatically in those years.  Also it is not getting any spark, but before I go testing everything I want all the electronics hooked up correctly and in the right spot.  Any info is greatly appreciated.  The pics Im posting are when I picked it up I don't have any recent ones on my phone right now!!.  THANKS GUYS!!

[umberto]

Welcome to the site, and congratulations on buying your 04.  I love mine.  The voltage regulator bolts to the frame on the left side (clutch handle side), just behind the steering head.  There is a single bolt hole in the frame that it attaches to.  The wiring should run up from the ignition cover on the left side, through the little bendable clamp on the cylinder head and up to connect to the wiring harness.  The coil mounts under the gas tank in front of the cylinder, and some wiring runs through there, and around to the throttle position sensor on the carb.  The rest runs up the frame under the rail to the voltage regulator and to the cdi box which mounts behind the number plate.  There are grey connectors that attach at each junction, and they snap into those metal clips on the frame.  If you need a picture of the wiring more closely, I can snap some pictures this weekend, but it should be pretty straight forward once you get everything mounted and the wire ran.  Post some pics if you get stumped. 

As for the no fire issue, I would try a few things.  When you mount your coil make sure you have bare metal on the mounting brackets.  Also, buy some contact cleaner and clean all your connections.  If you get it all assembled, are sure it's clean and still can't get a spark, try this troubleshooting guide Sandblaster put together.  It will show you how to test the electrical components to see if they are faulty.  It's for a 500, but should work for your 250 as well.

http://www.oem-cycle.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=163

[drewwilhelm]

Alright, had some time to check out the bike today.  Realized I switched the connectors for the carb and cdi plugs.  Now go easy on my hahaha, it was late and I was obviously unfocused and frustrated with this thing.  Good news, I got all the wires where they should be and the tank goes right on.  The bad news, I need a new coil.  I was able to find a manual for an 03-04 specific.  I just ordered one and should be here next week sometime.  Hopefully this thing will run!!  Ill keep you guys posted on the project but for now here are some recent pics.  

[umberto]

It looks like a really clean bike.  No grief on the plug switch, it happens to all of us late at night.  Glad it was just the coil, those are the cheapest part of the electrical system. 

Keep us posted on your progress, and don't forget to get some video of your first ride.

[drewwilhelm]

Will do!  Pretty sure im the 3rd owner my buddy bought it off the original owner, but only downside is no title but hey its a 13 yr old bike what do you expect. Ill keep ya guys posted!0

[drewwilhelm]

Another question guys.  For the head nuts are there supposed to be copper washers under the nuts.  The schematic shows none but almost every two stroke I have seen has them.  I know they act as a gasket for the head stud, but I heard with the type of aluminum gasket the x250 uses the copper washers are not needed.  Any help is appreciated

[umberto]

I'll check mine when I get home, but I don't remember it having gaskets under the nuts.  I just rebuilt a 2003 250, and it didn't have them either. 

You must be getting close to firing that dude up.  What are you lacking?

[drewwilhelm]

Just waiting on the coil now! Will be here wed.thing should fire right up!! Ill post a vid or something when and if this basket case runs!

[umberto]

Nope, no gaskets under the nuts on mine or my son's.

[drewwilhelm]

Wooo. Thanks umberto! Ill have an update again by the end of the week! Hopefully some better pictures too!

[umberto]

You're welcome. I hope it fires right up for you.

[drewwilhelm]

Well guys.... still no spark.  don't really know where to turn here.  Im going to try and test all electrics again tomorrow and see if i can find the problem, but I am pretty sure I have checked them all.

[umberto]

Man that's frustrating!  If it were me, I would start at the stator and flywheel and work your way all the way through the electronics to the kill switch.  Check and make sure every connector is in good shape and seating properly, every component registers the Ohm measurement it should, your grounds are clean and paint fee, and that the wiring harness is free of frayed or cut wires.  You might also try disconnecting the kill switch as it can have issues and not allow spark.   

[drewwilhelm]

OK, grounds are solid, no frayed wires still no spark.  Im wondering if it is my regulator but I don't know how to test it.  I tested the coil its fine, but Im not sure how to test everything else is there anyone who can explain this the most simple way possible.

[Oblivious Maximus]

My 87" 250 lost spark at home (thankfully) after a long trail ride. I used the link Umberto posted above to Sandblasters tutorial. The stator test seemed erratic and i thought i was doing something wrong but after several tries the white/red to black/yellow numbers were inconsistent but just slightly out of spec on the low side.

I was lucky to find a used stator on ebay on the first search and it fixed the spark problem as well as hard warm starts.