Coil mounting on 1941 Chief

[41Chief]

Hello,

I have a 1941 Chief that I am going through. Can someone send me a picture of how to properly mount the coil and also how to properly route the hi tension wire from the distributor to the coil and the positive and negative wire please? My bike has been converted to 12V if that makes any difference.

I have Jerry Hatfield's book on Indian restoration but could not find any pictures or word description of the coil mounting in that book.

Thanks

CJ
==

[exeric]

coilchief.jpg

This is a picture of the coil area of a 1940 Chief that was very well done, and researched. Sorry for the poor quality as it was scanned from an older photograph.

[ChiefTwoKicks]

The primary wire from the coil to the distributor runs up the left frame tube, secured with a single clip, up between the tanks, joining the front and rear spark plug wires, secured to the lower horizontal frame brace to then insert all three wires into the beveled-edge tube or loom. The front plug wire and the coil wire are secured by 2 clips (same clips as the one on the frame leg. The rear plug wire goes from the sparkplug up between the tanks and is secured by an additional clip. The three wires come together at the top motor mount frame boss, and go into the loom tube. This loom is secured to the top motor mount attachment, via a three hole narrow plate, which is also a "spacer" or shim between the frame boss and the top motor mount. Usually, an additional shim is required here to be sure the top motor mount is secured with small bolts. . The combined three primary plug wires end up at the top of the distributor cap. Also, the wire from the + side of the coil follows the same path as the front plug wire, and is held by the same clip as described.

Sometimes, for the neophytes, running the wires through the loom and mounting the curved loom is quite a challenge. It may even take a few attempts to get the wires in the right place when the reach the top of the distributor. (apparently, thats why many people leave the loom assembly out of the process). Just be sure to put the correct wires in their respective hole in the distributor cap (front plug wireto the front hole in the dist.cap). I usually put the small, + coil wire in the loom first. followed by the fdront plug wire, then the rear plug wire. Sometimes this relatively easy process can test your patience, as feeding the wires through the loom seem to want to trade places when they exit the curved loom tube. Once you figure it out, you can usually leave the loom assembly as a unit (the coil wire attaches to the back of the distributor) and when you take it off, for whatever reason, you'll have to unhook the wire at the coil too. When you attach the coil wire (along with the condenser) to the distributor, take particular note of the insulation washers and their need to isolate the distributor base from grounding out your ignition. Put new isolation washers (and carry some spares), as these are vital to your electrical system functioning properly.

I could tell you stories about these insulating washers and grounding out your distributor, but thats for another day...
The books don't mention much about routing the primary wires, and the details, which can be left for those unfamiliar to wonder. I hope this helps.

Good Luck. C2K

[41Chief]

Thanks for the info.

Yes, getting all those wires through the loom was a challenge, but doable.

I do have some questions though.

I am searching for a wiring diagram / schematic for my bike, but have not found one yet. I did find one for a 1940 Indian 4 which is probably about the same.

Anyway, my distributor (original, as far as I know) has low tension wires, a black and a red. The wiring diagram that I have only shows a black wire.

I know (I think) that the black wire from the distributor goes to the negative terminal on the coil. Does the red wire from the distributor go to the "I" terminal on the key switch or does it go to the positive terminal on the coil and then another wire go from the "I" terminal on the switch to the + terminal on the coil? I am wondering why the wiring diagram that I am looking at only shows one wire coming out of the distributor.

I think I have a handle on the rest of the wiring.

[Guest]

The one black wire from the distributor to the neg. post on the coil is all you need. I don’t know why you have another wire there. Another wire runs from the coil pos. Post to the ignition switch. That’s it.

[pisten-bully]

There is a copy of the 1941 Indian Riders Guide in the Virtual Library on the main AMCA site that you can download, I haven’t looked but I think there’s a wiring diagram in there.

[41Chief]

I figured it out. My bike has electronic ignition from Starklite. The black wire goes to the negative pole of the coil, the red wire to the positive pole of the coil. Another wire goes from the positive pole of the coil to the terminal on the key switch that goes hot when you turn on the power. I forgot that I put an electronic ignition on the bike right after I bought the bike over 12 years ago. I disassembled the bike down to the frame and am slowly putting it back together. The factory wiring harness is a mess.