Car only wants to run when key is still in start position

-
Jakes70Dart

Jakes70Dart

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2013
Messages
62
Reaction score
1
Location
bethany
Hey guys, I recently took the cluster out to bypass the ammeter and soldered and heatshrinked it all like Ive been told. But didnt think it was related.. get driving down the road and the ballast resistor pops on me when Im on my way to work...so I get another one and install it in the morning and its strange, as its cranking over it trys to run but when I let the key roll back to the run position the motor dies!?!?!.


any clue how I can limp it home or least get it moved to a better spot until perm repair can be made?

looks like someone added a 40 amp med size fuse in line to something that is a yellow wire?!.. the fuse was popped and I replaced it to get voltage to the rest of the car:violent1:
 
Run a 12 supply directly to coil + . This would over heat the coil eventually but OK for short term.
 
any guess to what the problem would be?!!..maybe wrong resistance to the coil?! where the resistor isnt allowing the voltage to the coil?!
 
Try a jumper across the ballast resistor as a test.
It sounds like someone added a 40 amp fuse in place of the fuseable link.
 
Mogre said:
Try a jumper across the ballast resistor as a test.
It sounds like someone added a 40 amp fuse in place of the fuseable link.
Click to expand...

THIS

If it won't run, you probably "bumped" the bulkhead connector and lost connection in there to the ignition circuit.

So if it does this with ballast jumpered, either problems in the bulkhead connector, the ignition switch connector, or the switch itself.
 
Ok...got the 40 amp fuse jumper ed to limp home but my tach is showing 8k rpms...it's wierd
 
OMG, you jumpered a 40 amp fuse? I wouldn't do that even temporarily. I hope you have a fire extinguisher.
I believe others here were referring to jumpering the ballast resistor in case it's open.
 
I would try another new ballast resistor. It doesn't hurt to have a spare and can use to check old one.. My thoughts
 
Jumperd just fine ...I was investigating and seen that the power wire the tach is driven off of has let go inside of a butt connector... looking to have grounded out on the radio...so my tach was fried and revving backwards...The small 10 amp fuse on the back of the radio had popped and the 40 amp fuse popped and the ballast at one time it looks like... so ...I'm at a loss of how I popped all those fuses
 
You sure? you didn't? hook the battery up? ??? backwards ???
 
Battery is wired fine.....All problems started after taking the cluster out to bypass the ammeter and putting in a new cd player
 
ok guys so here is where I am at now.. bought a new MSD coil with ballast resistor... checked all wires leading to the coil (thinking possibly a bad wire)..started checking voltage coming from the alternator...checks out fine... when I start to drive and accelerate the car will start to sputter and then I believe i start to fry the ballast resistor, because once I ohm the resistor with the car shut off I dont get .8 ohms anymore telling me only once I start driving is when the ballast resistor starts to go...cant figure it out
 
If it's burning up ballasts, that might be an indication it's getting too much voltage. Have you checked the voltage on the IGN side of the ballast?
 
With the car shut off I would pull the connectors back just far enough to probe it and it read .8 and took the car down the street and back and it started sputtering and missing so shut the car off and probed again and got a reading of 1 ohm
 
You don't know how to use your meter?

You don't know how to read voltage?

You don't know how to read WHAT? Please SAY "whut" "WHAT" is

Thank you


Post the brand / model or a photo of your meter and we can walk you through this

What Rusty was getting at is IF you have a charging problem and your battery is running way too high when the system is charging, that might be damaging ballasts.

All you need to do is to set the meter up for reading 12V, and with the engine running at a fast idle, read RIGHT AT the battery posts

READ THE resistance of the ballast. You said it "no longer reads" but you did not say WHAT it reads. Does it read a dead short? infinity? Some other reading?

Please specify

!!!RUSTY!!!! Where is that dammed crystal ball!!!!!
 
How to test the ignition side ...isn't all ignition side running through it... have a fluke meter... I know how to ohm and check dc voltage but did not understand what he meant by test the ignition side of the ballast
 
Tested battery at idle yesterday and was getting 12.2 at the battery and alternator showing 12.2 to 12.5 going to the battery with the positive clipped on the upper lead of the alternator and the . - probe grounded on the body
 
Will have to test at a higher idle when i am not at work on my phone...sorry for the typo's
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top