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| Moderated by: Greg Fletcher | Page:   1 2 |
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| Ballast Resistor? | Rating: 
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| Posted: 09-23-2005 01:26 am |
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21st Post |
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Joel Member
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I can swap plugs but - even if the plugs aren't firing - there should at least be fire thru the wires.
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| Posted: 09-23-2005 01:57 am |
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22nd Post |
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Mark Rosenbaum Member 
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That's correct only if the plugs are not shorted. A shorted plug will not allow the development of a voltage high enough to make a spark, trigger the timing light, etc. As you noted, it's likely there's somethign simple and basic that's been overlooked, but I'm completely at a loss to know what it might be. Perhaps if you start from the beginning as if the problem were brand new you might notice something....
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| Posted: 09-23-2005 08:07 am |
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23rd Post |
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Joel Member
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I think i'm going to buy points and condenser and start from there. if that doesn't work. the only thing i can think of is to buy an new dist and see if that makes a difference. i will switch plugs and see what happens. i'm baffled and don't know what taking it to a professional would help. . . just remember it's a 'hobby' not a car.. .
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| Posted: 09-23-2005 03:32 pm |
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24th Post |
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Brett Gibson JH5 20497 Member
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Have you checked to see if you may have crossed the positive and negative wires on the coil, that will give you problems like these...... Brett
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| Posted: 09-23-2005 04:45 pm |
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25th Post |
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Joel Member
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Brett: I don't think so - but I'll check again. I hooked it up the way it was wired before I put in the new coil. BUt, that doesn't mean that the PO(s) didn't have it wired up incorrectly in the first place. Actually that wouldn't suprise me - seeing some of the stuff he did to the car. I switched everything out b/c of intermittent spark. Now it's zero spark. I'll carefully trace all the wires again. That's a good suggestion. I'm thinking that it's something simple like that. . . . Let's see - off the top of my head (I'm at work and not near the car): On the positive side: one wire from the Pertronix, one mysterious red wire that has the 'resistor' built in and goes thru the firewall - probably to the tach, and one (should be unecessary now in my understanding but I left it for posterity as it was there on the original - I've run it w/o as well) that comes from the wiring harness to give extra kick when starting. On the negative side: One wire from the Pertronix and one from the harness that sits right next to the aforementioned wire for extra kick when starting. Again, I'm not at the car right now but that sounds about right. I think Mark gave me some wiring info in an earlier post and I checked it out. But, I'll admit I have been giving some credibility to the previous wiring and maybe I should just start from scratch. Thanks again! Last edited on 09-23-2005 04:55 pm by Joel |
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| Posted: 09-23-2005 05:53 pm |
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26th Post |
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Brett Gibson JH5 20497 Member
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Joel, I think most people on this list at one time or another have shared your experience of wanting to throw the towel in due to frustration, when I succumb to the effect's I usually just step away for a day or two and give it a bit of thought, plus a few beers. I dont mean to insult you but what works good for me is that I go back and check all the basic's, top dead center on #1, timing marks all ligned up etc etc, making sure the fit and function make sense, and I'm comfortable with what I see, having a extra wire hanging about that I'm not all that sure of ( function wise ) would give me pause for concern. And one last thought, are your grounding straps / wires making a good contact, not sure about the Petronix but my Alison was giving me trouble due to a bad ground. Good Luck Brett.
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| Posted: 09-27-2005 03:14 am |
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27th Post |
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John Finch Member
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I have purchased but not installed a Pertronix coil and electronic ignition. I called Pertronix and they told me that with both units (coil and elec dist) no ballast resistor is required. If you have a non Pertronix coil then he recommended the resistor. I used the phone number on the instructions. Hope this helps.
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| Posted: 09-27-2005 09:34 pm |
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28th Post |
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Joel Member
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I called pertronix a couple of days ago and got the same response. I was waiting to post until after I installed the brand used dist I have coming from British Masters. I'll give ya'll the low down after I get it in.
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| Posted: 10-03-2005 05:58 am |
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29th Post |
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Joel Member
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Update. Thanks for all the comments guys. I was being a bit flippant about not knowing all the wires on the coil. I actually have a pretty good idea of what they are all for :-). I too called Pertronix. Ballast resistor not necessary for any of their coils. I replaced the distributor with a brand used one from British Masters. I had gotten all four cylinders firing - but when the oil pressure built up - the dist popped out!! The broken rim wasn't enough to hold it in place - especially with the crappy clamp I had. So, I replaced it and now she's running on all 4. Coupla things: Before I do anything I'm going to replace the tach wire so I'm getting enough juice. The original pulley with the timing marks is not on the car. The new and improved pulley has a 'scratch' on it to indicate timing. At TDC *1 the scratch did line up at 0 on the gauge. When timing the engine - at 10 deg advanced the motor will barely run. In order to get it to idle I have to advance the timing to 30+ degrees. I'm guessing that I'm moving to the next plug instead of the one I thought was number one. Anyone agree w/ me? I'm thinking I'll move all the wires one plug forward and see if that takes care if it. She's not running right - lousy acceleration from about 1500-3000 rpms. But at least she's running and I drove her today! She idles pretty well - that's a first since I bought the car. Also, there are carb troubles b/c the front carb seems to throw out some atomized fuel when I rev her up - and the rear one doesn't. I'm closer to getting the ignition gremlins tossed out. Thanks to all for the comments.
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| Posted: 10-03-2005 05:23 pm |
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30th Post |
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Mark Rosenbaum Member
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Congratulations on your success in dealing with a particularly difficult set of problems. I'm curious about your 'new and improved' crank pulley. What is the 'gauge' you're using with it? How certain are you that the 'scratch' mark on the pulley actually represents TDC for the #1 (front) cylinder? If this mark does not accurately indicate TDC, your timing issues may disappear once you correct the situation. Improper cam timing can also cause all sorts of performance issues. Once you know for certain where #1 TDC actually is, verify that your cam timing is correct (i.e. the index marks on the two cam gears should align when the #1 piston is at TDC for the start of its power stroke). If a PO made an error here you'll need to correct it. But don't guess about TDC as there's a serious risk of valves hitting pistons and bending, if you get the cam timing too far off. Your low-speed performance issues sound like carb problems in addition to whatever ignition and/or cam timing problems you may still have. The cloud of fuel mist you describe is normal if it occurs when the throttle closes after one revs up the engine -- it's an 'echo' that results when high-speed gas flow is reflected back from the closed throttle and passes out the carburetor throat into the atmosphere. This phenomenon occurs in all engines but happens to be particularly visible with Strombergs. Having it appear at only one carburetor suggests that there's something out of sorts with the other carburetor.
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