Surprised at Gasahol Result
- Thread starter nm9stheham
- Start date
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nm9stheham
Well-Known Member
Just an update on this item: We put in the Trailbeast HEI kit today, and while wiring it in, discovered a prior wiring error that was making the stock Mopar type electronic ignition marginal.
In someone else's prior work, the +12v feed to the hot side of the alternator's 2 field connections was not wired to the IGN +12v feed for running as it should be, but was wired to the low side of the ballast resistor....the same side that goes to the coil + connection. This means that the alternator field current was being drawn THROUGH the ballast resistor.... which would reduce the voltage to the ignition coil at all times to some degree, and in particular when the alternator was charging harder and needing more field current...!!
So, the ignition coil was low on spark energy all the time to varying degrees. I suspect that a winter mixed gas, like the Shell V-Power, would do better with a weaker initiating spark. So that might explain the results we got. FWIW....
In someone else's prior work, the +12v feed to the hot side of the alternator's 2 field connections was not wired to the IGN +12v feed for running as it should be, but was wired to the low side of the ballast resistor....the same side that goes to the coil + connection. This means that the alternator field current was being drawn THROUGH the ballast resistor.... which would reduce the voltage to the ignition coil at all times to some degree, and in particular when the alternator was charging harder and needing more field current...!!
So, the ignition coil was low on spark energy all the time to varying degrees. I suspect that a winter mixed gas, like the Shell V-Power, would do better with a weaker initiating spark. So that might explain the results we got. FWIW....
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