65 satellite killing coils.

[AR67GTX]

Car running read 13-14v at coil and output side of ballast.

Well, that’s definitely a problem.

 

[Geoff 2]

Comments/suggestions:
- a non factory coil may well require a different bal res than the factory 0.5 ohm unit. Coil & BR need to be matched.
- same voltage both sides of the coil with the engine running indicates a shorted BR [ unlikely ] or wiring changed/problem.
- the points gap closes up as the rubbing block wears. This increases the dwell & the coil is 'on' for longer & heats up more.

 

[AR67GTX]

Possibly a picture of your firewall showing the ballast resister, voltage regulator, and wiring might reveal something.

 

[65PlymSatellite]

So I got a chance to get under the hood today. I changed the ignition switch inside the car hoping that was the issue. So far I’ve changed coil, ballast, voltage regulator, and now the ignition switch. I was getting the same 13v to the battery side of the coil while running. Any ideas what to check next?

 

[65PlymSatellite]

pics of voltage values from coil positive and ballast

 

[65PlymSatellite]

pics of voltage values from coil positive and ballast

View attachment 1578461

 

[Beekeeper]

Check the voltage on the positive of the coil to ground. Checking from coil positive to the ballast is not a true reading in fact not sure how your are even getting any voltage reading that way. Or is that reading to ground?

 

[65PlymSatellite]

Coil +

 

[65PlymSatellite]

Ballast in

 

[Beekeeper]

that has resistor has to be bypassed somewhere in that circuit

 

[Beekeeper]

Your charging is a little high or your meter is off a volt or so. On second thought thats probably perfec

 

[Beekeeper]

I think this guy @HALIFAXHOPS can help with the ignition

 

[RemCharger]

Pics for the win.
Why is there 2 wires going into both resistor connectors ?

 

[RemCharger]

Unplug the resistor and check resistance

 

[65PlymSatellite]

 

[65PlymSatellite]

So today I unplugged the resistor and connected 12v directly from the battery and realized it wasn’t reducing the voltage. I decided to throw on a cheap internally resisted coil off my dad’s Chevy, and it ran great. No more sputtering, gasping, misfiring, or shutting off as it was doing. The coil temp is no longer too hot to touch as it was also. I know this is just a bandaid, but I’m just so puzzled as to what could’ve happened to cause the ballast resistor to be bypassed all of a sudden. My father has owned this car since 1981, and before that it was his father’s. The ballast resistor and coil were working fine in conjunction not so long ago, and this car is only driven a couple hundred miles a year. What internally could have deteriorated, or failed to cause a total bypass of the ballast resistor. I just don’t get it.
Maybe I’ll just upgrade to one of those all in one HEI distributors and be done with it.

 

[Vinny]

Just for fun, I'd try starting the car, and then disconnecting the ballast.
It should continue to run...

Edit;
It must be grabbing B+ from the brown wire if everything Is truly virgin

.....No, disconnecting a ballast resistor on a factory points system will make the car stall.

 

[AR67GTX]

All those gray wires - has someone home fabricated an engine wiring harness to replace an old factory one? There should only be one wire on the driver side terminal of the ballast resister.

 

[65PlymSatellite]

.....No, disconnecting a ballast resistor on a factory points system will make the car stall.

About a year ago, when I was working on the distributor, I accidentally brushed against the ballast resistor pulling off a terminal and it did just that.

 

[65PlymSatellite]

All those gray wires - has someone home fabricated an engine wiring harness to replace an old factory one? There should only be one wire on the driver side terminal of the ballast resister.

I think that’s original. Here’s a 1965 Coronet with a reproduction of an original harness. Two wires in both ballast terminals