ballast resistors

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well if you are installing a petronix points conversion kit or MSD ignition you should bypass it to get a full 12v to the coil...

what do you really want to know though?
 
i need to find out why my car goes on but then just turns off...it turns over but wont idle. once it does and i put it in gear, it dies. ppl say its elecrtonics and im just tryin to get to the bootom of the problem...easiest parts first
 
A bad rough idle, sounds like a vacuum leak if it will start by pumping the throttle and when you remove your foot or pop it in gear it dies, is this what you are saying ?
When it is in neutral can you hold it at 2.200 rpm does it smooth out ?
 
memike said:
A bad rough idle, sounds like a vacuum leak if it will start by pumping the throttle and when you remove your foot or pop it in gear it dies, is this what you are saying ?
When it is in neutral can you hold it at 2.200 rpm does it smooth out ?
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can also try removing the air cleaner and cover the top of the carb. if it idles better it's getting air somewhere.
 
kursplat said:
can also try removing the air cleaner and cover the top of the carb. if it idles better it's getting air somewhere.
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Yep :thumrigh: That's the way to do that check :smile:
And to locate where it is I use WD-40 and spray it around the base plate of the carb and see if it picks up the rpm's :thumrigh:
 
i just delt with this issue on my 77aspen it would heat up and then i would put it in drive and press lightly on gas and stumble stall die it turned out being the voltage regulator
 
rite, once im in gear it'll stall out. sometimes it'll stay on and i can actually start movin', she dies out.

could the ballast resistor have something to do w. it
 
i changed my car to a new ballest and it didnt change the issue but i had a aftermarket volt regulator and i pout the oldballest and regulator back problem went away but mine i could put it in neutral and rev it up but in d 2 1 stumble die.
 
abby70 said:
voltage regulator?? its still kinda new, could it possbily still be that??
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Nope.

Let's start with what exactly you have for an ignition system, for a cam, and intake/ carb, and where you think the timing is set.
 
Ballast resistors usually work or they don't. They are in place to prevent the points from burning. They shouldn't cause the stalling you're experiencing. Sounds like a timing problem to me.
 
67Dart273 said:
Nope.

Let's start with what exactly you have for an ignition system, for a cam, and intake/ carb, and where you think the timing is set.
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That was going to be my first question too!!! Actually, I was hoping for an answer from you as it pertains to the question as written. I'd like to know how the ballast resistor functions in a Mopar myself!!! Geof
 
Ballast resistor was designed to add longer life to a points ignition system by dropping the voltage down to around 9 volts. When you start the car the ballast is bypassed giving a full 12 volts to get the car started, when you release the key then you're running through the ballast which, like I said is decreased voltage.

That's why sometimes when you start the car and release the key it dies, usually indicates a bad ballast.

To the OP, is this the case or will your car idle and then stall when put in gear?
 
the ballast resistor lowers the voltage to the coil in run to prevent its overheating. GM and others used a resistor wire inside the wiring harness. They all get a full 12 volts during start.
 
You guys are dancing around the answer in a backwards sort of way. ALL US, anyways, manufacturers used a ballast type setup. GM and maybe Ford typically used an "in harness" wire resistor, as opposed to the Chrysler ceramic resistor

THEY COULD HAVE designed a 12V coil that would operate directly off 12 (actually 14) and been done with it.

THE REASON 12V cars were designed in this manner is SO THAT you can have a hot spark for starting!!! The ballast is bypassed during start, so that you normally get pretty much the same hot spark during cranking as you do during running.

Ford and GM both do this by an extra set of contacts in the starter solenoid, Mopar did it with an extra set of contacts in the ignition switch, the infamous "brown" "ign2" circuit.

So I'll say it once more. THEY COULD HAVE just designed a coil to operate directly off the battery. Some tractors (12V) do this very thing.

On an aside, ballasts are NOT exclusive to 12V vehicles. We once had a 6V Ford flathead 6 in what had been a grader, and my Dad built a homemade tractor out of it. I still remember the little ballast hooked right on the 6V coil, with a little ventilated tin cover. This would have been a late 40's or 50's engine.

Here's one listed as OEM for '30's Fords. The resistor itself on this part looks exactly as I remember it all those years ago

qxqkg1.jpg
 
67Dart273 said:
You guys are dancing around the answer in a backwards sort of way. ALL US, anyways, manufacturers used a ballast type setup. GM and maybe Ford typically used an "in harness" wire resistor, as opposed to the Chrysler ceramic resistor

THEY COULD HAVE designed a 12V coil that would operate directly off 12 (actually 14) and been done with it.

THE REASON 12V cars were designed in this manner is SO THAT you can have a hot spark for starting!!! The ballast is bypassed during start, so that you normally get pretty much the same hot spark during cranking as you do during running.

Ford and GM both do this by an extra set of contacts in the starter solenoid, Mopar did it with an extra set of contacts in the ignition switch, the infamous "brown" "ign2" circuit.

So I'll say it once more. THEY COULD HAVE just designed a coil to operate directly off the battery. Some tractors (12V) do this very thing.

On an aside, ballasts are NOT exclusive to 12V vehicles. We once had a 6V Ford flathead 6 in what had been a grader, and my Dad built a homemade tractor out of it. I still remember the little ballast hooked right on the 6V coil, with a little ventilated tin cover. This would have been a late 40's or 50's engine.

Here's one listed as OEM for '30's Fords. The resistor itself on this part looks exactly as I remember it all those years ago

qxqkg1.jpg
Click to expand...
And this helped the original poster? To hear your theory?
 
Need more info;what ignition. Does it do it when hot and cold? Can you wiggle the switch and it stays running?
 
green1 said:
Need more info;what ignition. Does it do it when hot and cold? Can you wiggle the switch and it stays running?
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And this helps? You reposting the question I asked earlier?

I do have a suggestion, but I know you won't like it.

By the way, it's not "my theory." It's the facts of how these were built.
 
Green1, if you read the ORIGINAL post, the question was...How does a ballast reisitor work and effect the electronics. Only in subsequent posts does the OP even elude to his problem, then doesn't give any specific information about his car, the car's electronics or anything!! To lambaste 67Dart273 for explaining about ballast resistors??? Thats the ORIGINAL question. Until the OP gives some accurate information about his car and his problem, I don't mind reading about ballast resistors!! 67Dart273 is a very knowledgable source for Mopar electrical systems, I for one am listening and learning!!! Geof
 
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