What does a coil ballast resistor do?

What does a coil ballast resistor do?

A Ballast Resistor is an electrical device that reduces voltage to the coil so that more energy is available for the spark plugs during starting.

What happens when a ballast resistor goes bad?

If your ballast resistor is bad, your vehicle will not run and you will have to have it towed to the mechanic’s shop. The biggest sign your ballast resistor is bad is your vehicle will start, but immediately stop as soon as you let go of the key.

Does PerTronix coil need a ballast resistor?

Todd, since you need a new coil, I would suggest you buy the PerTronix 1.5ohm coil part #40001 for chrome or #40011 for black and run without a ballast resistor. This is providing you have the original Ignitor. If you have the Ignitor II (better unit), then use part #45001 for chrome or #45011 for Black which is a .

How do you tell if a coil needs a resistor?

How do you tell if a coil needs a resistor? To find out for sure, use a multimeter to check the voltage on the positive wire of the coil with the ignition on. You can test the resistance of the coil using a voltmeter and measure the Ohms (resistance) across the +’ve and –’ve terminals.

Do I need a ballast resistor?

So does your application require a ballast resistor? Quite simply, if your distributor has breaker points the answer is yes; if not, the answer is no. See all 7 photos 2 Older points-style ignition system used a single resistor which reduced amperage to the coil resulting in extended life for the coil and points.

How can you tell if a ballast resistor is bad?

To test your ballast resistor you need an ohm meter or multimeter set to ohms. Remove the connectors from both sides of the resistor. The ohms should read between 1.8 and 5 ohms. You should be getting 9 volts to the positive side of the coil.

Can you bypass a ballast resistor?

The duty of the ballast resistor is to limit voltage to the ignition coil. A quick and easy way to diagnose ballast resistor failure is to bypass it by running a temporary jumper wire from the battery to the coil. If it starts and remains running, you’ve found the problem.

Do electronic ignitions need ballast resistors?

Electronic ignition systems, whether factory Mopar or aftermarket, don’t utilize breaker points, thereby not actually needing a ballast resistor to control amperage through the pickup coil.

Which PerTronix coil do I need?

The 3.0-ohm coil should be used on PerTronix Ignitors installed on four- and six-cylinder engines while 1.5-ohm coils should be used for eight-cylinder applications. These coils can be used on virtually any inductive (non-capacitive discharge) ignition system.

Do you need a resistor with a 12 volt coil?

If a 6 volt ignition system is converted to 12 volts and a Delco style 12 volt coil with an internal resistor is installed as part of the conversion, no external resistors are required. The 12 volt battery must be connected so the negative (-) battery terminal is connected to ground.

How do I know if I have a ballast resistor?

Why is a ballast resistor needed?

A ballast resistor is used in a circuit to limit the current and hence prevent it from over current faults. Here, as the current in the circuit varies and increases above a particular threshold value, the resistance also starts to increase.