Why does my car have a bad ballast resistor?
The ballast resistor is commonly found in older vehicles, because they did not have the benefit of circuit boards found in most of today’s vehicles. Over time, the ballast resistor can be damaged by normal wear and tear, so there are a few things to look for when you suspect a bad or failing ballast resistor needs servicing.
How to test ballast resistors, resistance and coils?
Ballast Resistors, Resistance and Coils 1 Test procedure: 1.1 Switch off ignition. 1.2 Disconnect all wires from coil (-). 2 Interpreting the results of the test: 2.1 If no significant voltage drop is detected in 1.4, the vehicle does not have a ballast resister. 3 Recommended coils
How are ballast resistors used in spark plugs?
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.
How many volts does a GL1000 ballast resistor deliver?
The coils, ballast resistor, points and dual condenser of a GL1000 are optimized for proper ignition function by coils that are designed to deliver full secondary circuit energy pulses to the spark plugs with primary input circuit voltage of approximately 7-9 Volts … not the 12 Volts that you might expect.
What happens if the ballast resistor is not working?
If the ballast resistor is not working properly, the vehicle will not start. Since it is an electrical system, it is something best left to the professionals to handle. The only way to have the vehicle up and running again is with a ballast resistor replacement.
The coils, ballast resistor, points and dual condenser of a GL1000 are optimized for proper ignition function by coils that are designed to deliver full secondary circuit energy pulses to the spark plugs with primary input circuit voltage of approximately 7-9 Volts … not the 12 Volts that you might expect.
How to test static resistance of a ballast?
First, test for static resistance per above…should be exactly 3 ohms, otherwise, toss the ballast. Start with a fully charged battery. Disconnect the fuse to the headlight. Also, disconnect any heavy load accessories which come on with the ignition. Do this to keep from draining your battery during the testing which follows.
Is it possible to have too little resistance?
Too little resistance in use is rare…I’ve never actually seen this. It is of course theoretically possible and the expected outcome would be premature pitting of the points. However, the usual cause of prematurely pitted points is a bad condenser assembly (or poorly grounded condenser).