I just bought a 2006 eton viper 40cc with electric start with no spark. I have a tester, but not sure where to start, please help.

 

I'm looking at a wiring diagram for a eton viper rxl40e from AnythingATV.com. Does this sound like your quad?

If the wiring diagram is the same as the wiring in your quad then the first thing I would do is check for power to the CDI. You should have 12 volts on a red/black wire while trying to start the quad. Several things have to be connected and working for the power to get to the CDI. The following things are wired one after the other in the order shown:

1) The fuse can't be blown
2) The ignition switch must be on. There are two switches ganged together on the igntion switch. One switches on fused twelve volts, the other switches a ground connection to the starter relay through the start button.
3) The handle bar run/stop switch must be in the on position.
4) The tether cord safety switch must be installed and the switch contacts closed.

The trigger timing pulse to the CDI comes from a winding on the stator. This signal tells the CDI when to fire the spark plug. It goes through the remote control module. Does your quad have the remote control module installed? If the trigger signal is making it all the way to the CDI it will appear on a white black wire at the CDI. You should see some small AC voltage on this line while cranking the starter motor (maybe 0.3 volts AC). You'll need a voltmeter to measure this - a test light is worthless. Harbor freight routinely puts their cheap voltmeters on sale for $3.00.

 

Thanks for your reply. I did a listtle tinkering today and I think the Stator is good. I think the problem is in the remote shut off. I don't have the remote control, is there any way to by payss this?
Thanks,
Dave

 

According to the wiring diagram the stator timing/trigger pulse goes from the stator to the remote start module via a Blue/Yellow wire. The remote module routes this signal over to the CDI via a White/Black wire. If you unplug the remote you will need to jumper these two wires together to bypass the remote start module. The reason this signal goes through the remote module is so that the remote can kill the spark (and therefore kill the engine) by interrupting this signal path.

But I would still do the simple stuff first. Make sure the CDI is getting power (use your test light if you want). Make sure the CDI is getting a good ground (Black wire on the CDI to engine ground - use an ohmmeter to verify continuity).

I don't know what method you used to determine that the stator is good, but if you didn't use a meter then you're just guessing. Your stator has two completely independent systems inside. One is for charging the battery, and the other is for triggering the CDI to fire the spark plug. Just because one is working doesn't mean the other is working.

 

Lynn,
Thanks again for your help. I checked the fuse and it is good. The ignition switch is on and I checked it for continuity and I have continuity when switched on between the red and brown wire. I also checked the tether for continuity and there is none when the tether is plugged in. The handle bar switched is pushed up in the on position. I checked the grounds at the cdi and they are good. I now have a new problem where the starter is intermitant. I can here the relay clicking but the starter doesn't always work. I put my meter on the white and black wire at the CDI and it is difficult to read since I have to pull start the motor. I know I dont see a 3 volt read out, it is a negative 20-40 readout??? Does this make sense? Would this mean that the stator is bad? Anyway to check the CDI? Also I don't have the key chain remote(original owner lost it) to shut off, could this be a problem?
Thanks for all your help.

 

Lynn,
This time I unplugged the CDI and put the meter on the white/black wire. When the quad is turned on I get a 1.1 volt reading. When I pull start it I get all different readings, some -20. to -40 and then sometimes I get a positive 4 to 10 volts. Not sure what this means? Also the CDI makes a high pitch squeeking sound when plugged in? and I noticed that someone had cut the green wire loop and then spliced it back together with no tape. I also checked the compression and I have about 30 psi, is that good? Or is time to put on ebay for parts?
Dave

 

There's a descrepancy between the wiring diagram and what you wrote. This is actually common since no one ever thinks to update the manual whenever they change the wiring, but it does mean you may need to trace the wires to see how it is actually wired up. According to the wiring diagram the positive pole of the ignition switch should connect a red and a white wire. Also according to the wiring diagram, the tether switch should be shorted when installed and open when unplugged. The switch (according to the diagram) passes battery power through to the CDI is series with other things such as the fuse, ignition switch and run/stop switch. You said in another post that you hear a squeal when the CDI is hooked up. That tells me that battery power is getting to the CDI and firing up the high voltage supply to charge the output capacitor. If the tether switch really is shorted when unplugged then the wiring is definately different than the published diagram.

Find the starter solenoid (it sits between the battery and the starter motor coneccted up with big heavy gauge wires). Short across the two big posts with a screwdriver shank (some minor sparking is OK). Does the starter turn? If the starter turns with a screwdriver and it doesn't when the relay goes click then the solenoid is bad. [Thats all the solenoid does - it shorts those big two terminals together when the solenoid is "clicked" in].

None of these readings make sense. It should be a small voltage, and it is an AC voltage, not DC. There is no polarity on AC voltage, so if it is reading negative you're on the wrong meter setting. Also, if it reads 20 to 40 volts (regardless of polarity) then you're on the wrong pin. I think we're back to wiring diagram discrepancies again. I would get the starter turning first, then probe around the CDI looking for a small AC signal that read zero when the engine is stopped and some small non-zero value when cranking.

Everything should work without the key fob remote, as long as the remote module is not broken.