ballast resistor question

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bruceo2011

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I plan on converting my slant from points to electronic ignition. I have the dizzy, ecu and wiring harness. I heard that I cannot use the points ballast resistor. Is this true? Which one do I need? Thanks for any help. Bruce
 
If you use the later "4 pin" ECU you can use the "points" ballast

The early "5 pin" ECU required a 4 pin ballast. A later 4 pin ECU only needed a 2 pin ballast. You cannot tell by looking because many 4 pin ECUs (mostly aftermarke) still have 5 physical pins. You an only tell in that case by using an ohmeter to check resistance on to the 5th pin.
 
Here's the basic wiring. The wiring from the key, through the ballast, to the coil is the same. What is not shown is the coil resistor bypass circuit going to the + side of the coil. So what is added is the power wire going to the ECU. In fact, if the ECU ever goes bad, you can just stick your points dist. back in there, unplug the ECU, and simply hook the points wire right back up to the coil NEG terminal on the side of the highway

Ignition_System_4pin.jpg
 
BIG hint: get two ballasts put them in your glove box. the first time you get a no start just swap out the one under the hood. heat and cold will cause this most of the time.
 
67Dart273 said:
Here's the basic wiring. The wiring from the key, through the ballast, to the coil is the same. What is not shown is the coil resistor bypass circuit going to the + side of the coil. So what is added is the power wire going to the ECU. In fact, if the ECU ever goes bad, you can just stick your points dist. back in there, unplug the ECU, and simply hook the points wire right back up to the coil NEG terminal on the side of the highway

Ignition_System_4pin.jpg
Click to expand...

Good advice with the roadside fix Del :cheers:

moe7404 said:
BIG hint: get two ballasts put them in your glove box. the first time you get a no start just swap out the one under the hood. heat and cold will cause this most of the time.
Click to expand...

More good advice. Ya can never have too many electrical spares!!
 
I ALWAYS carry spares. I learned that lesson one late night in the parking lot at work many, many years ago. A buddy of mine, who has been in the tow business since the late '60's, always had a glovebox full of them. Go out on a no-start for a Mopar, $20 got you going again, and he only paid a $1 each for the ballasts. Gee, nobody ever complained.
 
There's been a few times, in my life, LOL

I can still remember one late evening getting dark. My buddy, who I had "let in one ear and out the other," had bought a chrome Holley mechanical pump for his Chevy, and the damn thing had lasted about a week and broke, and I had put one on my 426 '64 Dodge. And IT failed -- and just about the same amount of time, too!!!

Fortunately, I still had the still working old one in the trunk. So here I am, in San Diego, on the side of highway 15, with a flashlight in my teeth, and I'm putting the old pump back on. A CHP came by and wanted to know "whut" and when he decided that "it looked like I knew what I was doing" and that I would be off and running in a few minutes, he got in his car and left me alone!!!!

One time that dammed -6 440 blew the O ring out of an oil pump!!!! I stopped and bought some more oil and dumped a whole bunch, and piddled oil clear down to the dealer!!! They had an "O ring" kit for the pump and I pulled the pump off right there in the parking lot, tore it apart and replaced the O rings!!! To this day I have no idea why they failed.

One labor day weekend I wasn't doing much at Miramar and my buddy was out to sea. I broke the dammed 3-4 shift fork late Friday night and had a whole 3 day weekend!!!! with only first and second gear!!! to drive all over San Diego!!! THAT was no fun!!!!

(That thing had a 3.54 gear and ran 3K at 70 in 4th, so I guess an 18 spline would be 1.93? second? So that means 70 in 2nd would be about 6K which of course is not viable, or of course 3K in second is close to only 35 mph)
 
I find this interesting,I have the 5 pin box and the 4 pin restorer ,I wanted a spare box got one but it is the 4 pin can I still use the 4 pin restorer?
 
hint: to check the coil in the distributor. unhook the wires. get analog VOM set it on the lowest AC setting. put the VOM connectors in the dist wires. turn the dist over if the meter moves, that part of the system should be good. i have only done this two times. so cant say how high the readings will be. but by hand it only moves a small amount, but enough to see.
 
Snake said:
can I still use the 4 pin restorer?
Click to expand...

Simple rules for those who can memorize, even if they don't understand why:

You can always use a 4-pin resistor pack (is that a "restorer"?) with any ECU.

You can always use a 4-pin ECU with any resistor pack.
 
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