Wire Harness Question

The little brother to the CA160 in our family of Hondas
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Steverinomeiste
Posts: 223
Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2012 11:52 pm

Wire Harness Question

Post by Steverinomeiste »

Hi Everyone:
I am reinstallilng my harness on my CA95, in connecting the bundle from the motor that is protected by the black rubber boot to the harness, after all the wires are matched up and connected I wind up with two wires left. One black wire with a green band on the end and one solid green wire. One is male, one is female. Do these two plug together?
Thanks :)
Steve
Spokes
Posts: 1575
Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2009 9:40 pm

Post by Spokes »

I wish I could help. I looked at a spare CA95 harness (dated 1965) and could not find the wires in question.
1911tex
Posts: 98
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2012 2:53 pm

Post by 1911tex »

I'm a novice at wiring, but the wiring diagram in the manual shows only two green wires, one from the coil to condenser/contact breaker; and the second from the speedometer lamp to the ignition switch to the horn. The one black wire with the green band (tube) may be the one going to the stop and tail light assembly. Can't see where the two wires you mentioned are connected together.

I may be off base, but trying to give back from all the great advice received.
Steverinomeiste
Posts: 223
Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2012 11:52 pm

Wire Harness Question

Post by Steverinomeiste »

Sorry Spokes and 1911tex I just took these pics and when I twisted the black wire with green band on the end actually has a white stripe on it, I didn't see the stripe until I twisted the wire to get a better picture.
Sorry
Attachments
greenwire.jpg
blackwirewithwhitestripe.jpg
Jetblackchemist
Posts: 463
Joined: Thu Apr 28, 2011 10:59 am

Post by Jetblackchemist »

Done.
Last edited by Jetblackchemist on Fri Nov 09, 2012 10:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Steverinomeiste
Posts: 223
Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2012 11:52 pm

Wire Harness Question

Post by Steverinomeiste »

Thank You JetBlackChemist:
I am going to stick them together tomorrow and give it a try. I was reading somewhere that when trying to start a CA95 when having weak or no spark it is a good idea to use the kick starter rather than the electric start because it robs needed juice to get a good spark, true?
Thanks
Steve
1911tex
Posts: 98
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2012 2:53 pm

Post by 1911tex »

STEVERINOMEISTE: How will the engine start with a weak or no spark? Not being advisorial, but maybe a pop or two. Make sure the batt is fully charged with a good coil and check for spark....stick a drill bit into the pulled spark plug cover and hold away from the end of the plug a quarter inch or so while hitting the starter...should show spark. Starting assumes a good carb, coil, plugs, condenser, points and tappets and timing adjusted properly. If spark and no start, pull a plug, inspect and smell for gas; no gas, drop carb bowl and check for fuel.

Been there, did all the wrong things and learned to correct my mistakes on this forum.
kartgreen
Posts: 291
Joined: Sun Nov 21, 2010 11:04 am

Post by kartgreen »

1911 TEX is correct , you need a charged battery to provide voltage to the coil . The charging system is alternator based ,not magneto based . The battery provides the voltage and the alternator/ rectifier charge the battery . I have 3 running CA95's and generally kick start them. If the battery charge is marginal the starter takes a lot of power that could just go to the coil . There's so little compression in these motors I can kick start them using my hand and arm .
Steverinomeiste
Posts: 223
Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2012 11:52 pm

Harness Questions

Post by Steverinomeiste »

kartgreen wrote:1911 TEX is correct , you need a charged battery to provide voltage to the coil . The charging system is alternator based ,not magneto based . The battery provides the voltage and the alternator/ rectifier charge the battery . I have 3 running CA95's and generally kick start them. If the battery charge is marginal the starter takes a lot of power that could just go to the coil . There's so little compression in these motors I can kick start them using my hand and arm .

This Stuff is Gold, thank you for helping clear up my mind about this a little. I am beginning to wonder if this harness might not be the original and is from a slightly different model?
Steve
Steverinomeiste
Posts: 223
Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2012 11:52 pm

Wire Color Matching

Post by Steverinomeiste »

Hi Everyone,
I really appreciate your patience with all my questions. My wires just don't match up between the harness and the bundle that comes from the motor, the connections in the headlight don't match up either. :eek: The wiring was a mess when I got it. The eBay harness I bought doesn't match either. When I was 12, I bought a new SL100 and I remember having no problem getting wire colors to match when I worked on it. Here is a pic of the end of the harness Do these colors look like what should be in the bike?
Thanks
Steve
Attachments
wire harness 2.jpg
Spokes
Posts: 1575
Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2009 9:40 pm

Post by Spokes »

Yea, looks like the wrong harness. Below is a pic of my spare harness ends.
Image

PM with an address and I will send it to you. It ain't pretty, but it's functional. The harness ends are nice, wires are good, but the wrapping is funky.
Steverinomeiste
Posts: 223
Joined: Sun Apr 01, 2012 11:52 pm

Original Harness

Post by Steverinomeiste »

Spokes:
Thank You for your kind gift. I am hopeful that I am very close to getting this old bike running again and I will try to post a youtube link as soon as it is. :)
Steve
Larzfromarz
Posts: 620
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2011 7:47 pm

Post by Larzfromarz »

I'd be reluctant to just connect random wires. Honda didn't do that in my experience (wire colors match up). I'd suggest "ringing out" the wire with a multimeter to confirm where they go and what they should be doing. You are makes such good progress I'd hate see you burn up a bike. I have heard poor things about some of the harnesses from overseas and wouldn't be overly surprised by the results.
In my experience a multimeter with a tone or beep in the continuity mode works best for "ringing" wire.
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