Yamaha G1 Charge Coil questions

[Contrary1]

Installed a bypass ground from the mag to the negative terminal on the battery. Still only fires in forward but not reverse. Measured the voltage across the brown wire and battery ground with the bypass installed and I'm getting 20 volts in forward and 3 volts in reverse. Returned the wiring back to stock and checked it again and got the same results 20V forward and 3V in reverse.

[1989Marathon]

Unplug the CDI and check voltage at the Magneto brown wire again in both directions.

[Contrary1]

OK. Unplugged the CDI unit up by the relays and then checked the voltage across the brown wire and the battery ground while cranking. Had 57 volts forward and 58 volts in reverse.

[1989Marathon]

OK. Hook the CDI back up. One last test. Unhook the black wire going to the ignition coil. Install a jumper between the coil black wire to the battery negative and check for spark in FWD and REV.

[Contrary1]

Still no luck. Installed a jumper from the ignition coil ground straight to battery ground. No change. Have spark in forward but still no spark in reverse.

[1989Marathon]

It's looking like the CDI is bad. Before you spend the money on another one, see if you can find someone that has one that you can try.
What is the resistance from the ignition coil metal mounting surface to battery negative while cranking in reverse?

[Contrary1]

The resistance from the ground surface of the coil to the neg battery terminal was 0.2 ohms and resistance from the engine block to the battery terminal was also the same (that was one of the first things I checked early on).

Are we talking the CDI unit up by the relays or are we talking about the CDI mag (behind the flywheel) being bad.

Unfortunately, I am not aware of anyone in the area that has a G1. Most of the ranges we go to we see a lot of club cars and ez-go's. When we first set this one up, I got some static from friends and other shooters on the courses...at least until we started driving around the courses and they couldn't keep up to the next station. Even with a flipout on the back and me hauling four people and gear, their carts couldn't keep up. I don't really care about speed but for some reason the fact that my old cart could beat theirs shut them up in a hurry. My wife even took to liking it. She runs it all over our farm doing various things. Not having reverse though is generating static from her which is why I greatly appreciate all the time you have spent helping diagnose the issue.

[1989Marathon]

I'm talking about the CDI near the solenoids.
If you want spark in reverse without spending money, disconnect the W/G wire at the keyswitch. Run a jumper from the W/R, to the W/G terminal on the keyswitch. It won't have the greatest of timing, but it should give you enough to be able to run the cart in reverse to back up out of a jam.

[Contrary1]

I like the cart. It has always run well. A couple of years ago we put a 6" lift on it with atv tires and alloy rims that set out wider to keep it stable. It gets around the courses and the farm great with lots of traction, fires up easy in the cold during the winter and I just kind of like having something different from everyone else.

If I was the only one driving it, that temporary fix might be OK in a pinch, but with a wife and kids also driving it, I am probably better of fixing it right. Any idea where I can get a CDI for it?

[1989Marathon]

They are hard to find, and can be pricey. That's why I suggest swapping one out to test first.