HEI conversion help
- Thread starter plymouth73
- Start date
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TrailBeast
AKA Mopars4us on Youtube
On average our coil wire is about 30 inches.
Also note for general knowledge that Pertronics does not make a III unit with multi spark and rev limiter for our electronic distributors.
If you have electronic now and want to run thier new module you will either have to do it with a points distributor or mod your electronic somehow to accept it.
It also cannot be mounted external like the older 4 pin type we have seen before, as it has to be near the distributor points cam to sense off of. (one of the things I don't like)
The 4 pin GM style with rev limit can be used external of the distributor because it does not have the pickup sensor built into it.
Also as far as I have seen they don't make an HEI III 8 pin module with multi spark and rev limit. (I would like to have those as an option for our HEI kits)
I have been trying to find a way to build our HEI kits with multi spark AND a digital rev limiter, but either someone doesn't make a part yet or it doesn't exist at all.
I know this is an old thread but I'm gonna drag it up instead of starting a new one since it's the same thing only with a slight twist.
Ok @TrailBeast so if I under you right in post #7 (and 8. Lol) I can cut the 2 brown ballast wires and splice em together and everything on the other side of the ballast can get cut out? Isn't the blue wire on the other side of the ballast one of the wires from the ignition?
Also, my ecoil harness has 2 hot wires going into one terminal, should I spice the 2 brown wires together and spice the 2 ecoil wires together THEN slice the factory harness to the ecoil harness or should I just hook a brown wire to each hot wire?
Ok @TrailBeast so if I under you right in post #7 (and 8. Lol) I can cut the 2 brown ballast wires and splice em together and everything on the other side of the ballast can get cut out? Isn't the blue wire on the other side of the ballast one of the wires from the ignition?
Also, my ecoil harness has 2 hot wires going into one terminal, should I spice the 2 brown wires together and spice the 2 ecoil wires together THEN slice the factory harness to the ecoil harness or should I just hook a brown wire to each hot wire?
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If all I need is the 2 brown wires, should I do like diagram A or B? No reason why B shouldn't work right? It's all going through the same terminal in the end
BillGrissom
Well-Known Member
75slant6,
We assume you have a 1975 slant. I don't know that wiring schematic. In my cars, the thicker brown wire is only hot in "crank", termed "IGN2" to bypass the ballast. But it is not hot in "run", where "IGN" (blue?) gets powered. Since IGN isn't hot in crank, you need to connect both and run to both your ECU and coil+, so the ignition is powered in both crank and run. Coil- doesn't connect to ground. If you tried that, I bet your coil got real hot. Coil- is how the ECU controls spark (termed "low-side switching").
You have to figure out the coil wiring because you are using a purty after-market E-core coil (Ford TFI connector?). Had you used the GM 8-pin module and GM "external coil" (1985-95 V-8 pickups), no figuring since a short GM cable connects the two for easy plug n' play. That is what TrailBeast kits for those who can't go to a junkyard. I just picked all the parts a few weeks ago for a friend w/ an earlier Corvette, plus the knock sensor/module, and nice plug wires, all for ~$40 on half-off day. In his case, I grabbed the whole distributor, but we just need the 8-pin module inside it, and take the pickup connector.
We assume you have a 1975 slant. I don't know that wiring schematic. In my cars, the thicker brown wire is only hot in "crank", termed "IGN2" to bypass the ballast. But it is not hot in "run", where "IGN" (blue?) gets powered. Since IGN isn't hot in crank, you need to connect both and run to both your ECU and coil+, so the ignition is powered in both crank and run. Coil- doesn't connect to ground. If you tried that, I bet your coil got real hot. Coil- is how the ECU controls spark (termed "low-side switching").
You have to figure out the coil wiring because you are using a purty after-market E-core coil (Ford TFI connector?). Had you used the GM 8-pin module and GM "external coil" (1985-95 V-8 pickups), no figuring since a short GM cable connects the two for easy plug n' play. That is what TrailBeast kits for those who can't go to a junkyard. I just picked all the parts a few weeks ago for a friend w/ an earlier Corvette, plus the knock sensor/module, and nice plug wires, all for ~$40 on half-off day. In his case, I grabbed the whole distributor, but we just need the 8-pin module inside it, and take the pickup connector.
TrailBeast
AKA Mopars4us on Youtube
That's about it Bill.
On my systems the module gets it's power from one of the coil terminals to power the ECU. and not knowing how it's wired up makes it kind of hard to answer the questions.
Bill hit it on the nose though, when he said tie the start and run wires together and then straight to the coil +
The other red wire off your coil positive is maybe powering the ECU?
The picture shows how you tie the two wires (start and run) together and use that for the coil ignition positive.
This gives the coil 12v in both positions.
As bill said, the coil ground goes to one of the module terminals and not just grounded.
Oops. Sorry bout the lack of info. I have a 72 Duster, carb'd 5.9 magnum with factory 72 wiring and a ready to run hei setup
Ok. Looking at the wiring diagram again it just dawned on me what y'all are saying about brown/blue and the blue wire bypassing the ballast. So the brown wire from the ignition and the blue wire from the ignition/alternator get hooked together then a wire from there to the coil.
As far as the harness on the e-coil, the 2 red wires hook to the brown/blue wires and the yellow wire goes where? To the distributor like the original coil ground?
As far as the harness on the e-coil, the 2 red wires hook to the brown/blue wires and the yellow wire goes where? To the distributor like the original coil ground?
TrailBeast
AKA Mopars4us on Youtube
It's a ready to run setup, no module with it unless it's in the distributor
This one.
SB Mopar HEI Eletronic Distributor Ready To Run Chrysler Kit Dodge 318 340 360
This one.
SB Mopar HEI Eletronic Distributor Ready To Run Chrysler Kit Dodge 318 340 360
BillGrissom
Well-Known Member
Now you are asking about the other side of the system, but haven't described your ECU module. If you have a points distributor, yes you would connect the yellow wire to its single wire. But, I don't think points would last long trying to drive an e-core coil w/ no ballast. If you have an electronic pickup distributor (only thing that makes sense here), as TrailBeast said, its sensing wire pair goes to the ECU and the ECU output drives the yellow wire (shorts to gnd to charge up the coil, get spark when transistor turns off the gnd).
TrailBeast
AKA Mopars4us on Youtube
Ok then, the wires marked with the green X's get tied together before the ballast and you connect a wire from those to the coil positive. (the red line to the coil)
The other red wire from your two on the coil goes to the distributor positive, and the neg wire goes from the coil neg to the distributor neg wire.
The other red wire from your two on the coil goes to the distributor positive, and the neg wire goes from the coil neg to the distributor neg wire.
Awesome! Thanks! And then I leave the alternator regulator and wiring in place?
TrailBeast
AKA Mopars4us on Youtube
Yes.
Whew. Glad I asked! I'd mistaken the regulator for an ecm (not sure what I was thinking since it was points) and had read the ecu wires could all be removed. Last night I almost cut those back to the harness!! Thanks a ton guys! I think I've about got a handle on it now, plan to hook all this up tonight
BillGrissom
Well-Known Member
So you truly are going to try driving that e-core coil with points and no ballast? It might work OK for a few days before the points get badly pitted.
No Bill, see post 35. I got a Ready-to-run distributor setup.
BillGrissom
Well-Known Member
Sorry, I missed that. For my small block, I have the same Ningboa distributor ($45)and e-core coil ($20), from Steve White Performance (ebay) w/o plug wires. I haven't tried it yet. Many here run that, so should work well. The ECU module is similar to the GM 4-pin HEI I recall someone stated a Japanese car that appears to use the same module.
So hook the yellow wire up to this black wire on the distributor?
TrailBeast
AKA Mopars4us on Youtube
Yep, and when you tie the three wires together they will go to the red wire on the distributor and your coil positive.
BillGrissom
Well-Known Member
Yes. If you remove the cover your thumb is touching, you will see the HEI module. I recall 4 pins, though your cover looks different than I recall mine. The pickup in those Ningboa distributors looks better than a 70's Mopar. Rather than a single pickup coil, it appears to have multiple pickup fingers all around, probably to compensate for shaft bushing wear and resulting sideways play. I think the pickup in 85-95 GM small-cap distributors is similar, as is Pertronix.
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