*Potentially* Stupid Question

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LH23H2R

LH23H2R

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With all of the trouble that those fabulous Ballast Resistors threaten our MoPars with , I've recently wondered about preventative measures ...

I've seen some aerosol "Electronics Sealer" at work , and it got me thinking : Would its application on a Ballast Resistor help prevent it from cracking when it gets wet (or even moist) ?

I know about the HEI conversion (great idea !) , but am leery about attempting the conversion on my daily driver :pirat: .
I also recognise that Ballast Resistors are dirt cheap to purchase and are plentiful as small block Chevy parts .
However , I hate the idea that those fragile ceramic pieces of **** like to crap out at the most opportune times (like , exiting I-15 on the way home from a tiring day of work , and having the car just cleanly shut-off in traffic because that irritating B.R. took a 5h1t !).

So , has anyone attempted to seal their car's B.R. with some aerosol sealer ?
Does the inherent porosity of the ceramic body also act as a heat vent ?

Thanks :D
 
Unless they are failing because the quality of parts has diminished, they should not fail all that often. DO NOT leave your ignition on with the engine off.

If they used to fail "back then" as often as some of you seem to imagine, there'd be a constant flow of Mopars going past on a tow.

Frankly, I finally "threw in the towel" and went HEI. No ballast, factory coil, factory breakerless distributor. So far's I'm concerned, there is nothing to be "leary" about. They work. Only caveat is to get them mounted on a good flat surface with some dielectric grease (heat sink) and properly grounded. Mount it (good advice with ANY breakerless) in such a way that the distributor leads are not overly long
 
I just carried an second one in the glove box back in the day. Quick change operation. By the way, on this site there are no stupid questions except "Should I trade my Dart for a Chevy (or a Ford)".
 
The ballast resistor gets extremely hot ( toaster hot ). What sealer is going to work there ?
The purpose of the part is to lower the constant ( run ) voltage to the coil so it doesn't over heat.
Simplest solution would be install coil that can operate on a constant 12+ volts without over heating and delete the resistor. It isn't nesessary to replace the entire ignition system.
 
RedFish said:
The ballast resistor gets extremely hot ( toaster hot ). What sealer is going to work there ?
The purpose of the part is to lower the constant ( run ) voltage to the coil so it doesn't over heat.
Simplest solution would be install coil that can operate on a constant 12+ volts without over heating and delete the resistor. It isn't nesessary to replace the entire ignition system.
Click to expand...

True statement. If you want to keep it stock looking you could do what I did and solder a jumper wire across the terminals on the back side thus eliminating the resistor.
 
some new replacement ballasts have the back side sealed with some variety of hard potting material. In the 10 years of ballast resistor equipped chrylser daily drivers I never had a ballast toast out on me.
 
mcnoople said:
In the 10 years of ballast resistor equipped chrylser daily drivers I never had a ballast toast out on me.
Click to expand...

same here, ive been running these ignitions for 20+ years and i have never been left on the side of the road because one failed. i have had the same brand new back ups in my glove box for years and i have never had to use them.
 
I have been driving Mopars daily since I was 16, thats 23 years, and I have NEVER had a ballast resitor fail... or the ECU for that matter, but I did have 1 dist pickup to fail years ago...
 
replicaracer43 said:
[...] I did have 1 dist pickup to fail years ago...
Click to expand...

What are the symptoms of a bad mag pickup in the factory elect ignition ?

I've been operating classic MoPars since 1988 (learned to drive in a friend's '73 Duster 340 / T-Flite !) , and every one of 'em had ballast resistor problems (1969 Swinger 340 [converted], 1972 Swinger [converted] , 1973 Duster , 1976 Duster and presently , my aforementioned '72 Coronet ).
Perhaps I am doing something wrong ... maybe using "hotter" coils has an adverse affect on the lifespan of ballasts ?

What's happening is the car's just doing random "clean shutoffs" ; no stumbling , farting , etc. , just *bLiP* it's off !
Sounds to me like an ignition problem (?)
 
I always carried a ballast resistor, and ignition module. Replaced a couple modules, never a ballast resistor.
 
I have been driving Mopars since 1973 and have never had a ballast resistor fail. However, I always carried one in the toolbox "just in case" because some people said I should do it.
 
I've had a few ballast resistors fail and a few control boxes fail.
The secret i think is to get good quality parts and keep it stock as well as keep the wires and connections in good shape. Dielectric grease and good grounds go a long way here.
If you modify the ignition system, be prepared for troubles if you don't make sure all of the system can handle the modification and the wires are not upgraded properly etc.
My 2 cents.
 
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