Coil Part

[brannigan]

I'm swapping the coil in my 3500S for a new unit as part of a new electronic ignition distributor. There is a small part with a green wire that was attached to the coil bracket but the wire was not connected to anything. Can anyone help me with identifying what it is. Pictures below.

I also need to bypass the ballast resistor that feeds the coil. Can anyone help me with the location of the ballast as I can't find it anywhere.

Thanks,
Paul

 

[Rubythursday]

That is a condenser to stop ignition interference on the radio.

Depending on the year the ballast could be a wire in the loom rather than a separate component. In which case its easier to run a new feed for the coil.

 

[brannigan]

Thanks very much for the help. Given that the radio condenser is bolted to the car body would I be right in thinking it should be connected to the negative terminal on the coil?

I've read a few threads that mention taking 12 volts from the washer bottle for the coil as it is close but does this work as a replacement for the ballast feed or is it in addition? I suspect in the long run I should really run a new wire from the fuse box for this.

 

[rockdemon]

I believe on an s it would always be a resistive feed hence you need a 12 v feed from somewhere else

 

[arthuy]

The ballast is a wire in the loom.

You want a 12v supply from the ignition circuit so it is only live when the ignition is on.

I would take a feed from the fuse box and feed it through the bulkhead. You can trace the wire out to the ballast wire behind the clock but i would just pull the fuse box out and solder the wire on to the correct fuse term as this keeps wiring per the diagrams.

Colin

 

[Rubythursday]

The radio condenser/suppressor would be connected to the positive side of the coil. I.e the side fed from the ignition controlled circuit. Check with your electronic ignition instructions because they are often not needed with electronic ignition.

 

[brannigan]

Thanks to all for the advice. Looks like a bit of wiring and soldering for me.

 

[darth sidious]

The ballast is a wire in the loom.

You want a 12v supply from the ignition circuit so it is only live when the ignition is on.

I would take a feed from the fuse box and feed it through the bulkhead. You can trace the wire out to the ballast wire behind the clock but i would just pull the fuse box out and solder the wire on to the correct fuse term as this keeps wiring per the diagrams.

Colin

But isn't the ballast wire completely in the engine compartment? i.e. is there any part of the ballast wire actually inside the car, behind the dash/clock etc?

 

[quattro]

The ballast is a wire in the loom.

You want a 12v supply from the ignition circuit so it is only live when the ignition is on.

I would take a feed from the fuse box and feed it through the bulkhead. You can trace the wire out to the ballast wire behind the clock but i would just pull the fuse box out and solder the wire on to the correct fuse term as this keeps wiring per the diagrams.

Colin

But isn't the ballast wire completely in the engine compartment? i.e. is there any part of the ballast wire actually inside the car, behind the dash/clock etc?

I believe (and I could be wrong, but seldomly admit to it) that the ballast resistor wire on my car is indeed in the engine compartment, although it is inside the wrapped up wiring loom, but there are cars where the coil takes it power from the back of the tachometer. These tacho fed coils could very well have the ballast resistor behind the clocks, but I don't know cos I never looked.

There is a ballast resistor behind the clocks, but this is not for the coil feed

Richard

 

[Dave3066]

I've read a few threads that mention taking 12 volts from the washer bottle for the coil

For electronic ignition I think if you read back through those threads you'll find that the washer bottle supply was used to supply 12v to the ignitor unit in the distributor, not the coil.

That's what I'd done on mine. I've got a Flamethrower coil using the original ballasted feed with no problems.

Dave

 

[Rubythursday]

The ballast wire is joined into the main loom behind the instrument cluster and the other end appears out of the loom under the bonnet where it joins to the wire which goes to the coil. The reason it joins to a wire and not runs direct to the coil is that the resistance wire is not flexible and would easily fracture at the coil connection. The picture shows the resistance wire joining to the coil wire external to the loom on the inner wing. I have removed the insulation at this point as the crimp was making a poor connection so I soldered the joint and will be putting a bootlace crimp and insulating it shortly. The ballast wire is whie/pink

There seems to have been 3 options at least on the 4 lungers as my 71 doesn't have a ballast at all and a 12v coil, the 77 has the ballast wire, and I have seen some with a ballast attached to the coil.

My Uncle had a Lada with a ballast wire in the loom, it was a single strand of resistance wire, he had a short on the coil and the resistance wire glowed red hot and cut through the loom, luckily Lada had anticipated this problem as the windscreen washer pipe was also wrapped in the loom so once the wire melted the pipe it self extinguished!

 

[darth sidious]

The ballast is a wire in the loom.

You want a 12v supply from the ignition circuit so it is only live when the ignition is on.

I would take a feed from the fuse box and feed it through the bulkhead. You can trace the wire out to the ballast wire behind the clock but i would just pull the fuse box out and solder the wire on to the correct fuse term as this keeps wiring per the diagrams.

Colin

But isn't the ballast wire completely in the engine compartment? i.e. is there any part of the ballast wire actually inside the car, behind the dash/clock etc?

I believe (and I could be wrong, but seldomly admit to it) that the ballast resistor wire on my car is indeed in the engine compartment, although it is inside the wrapped up wiring loom, but there are cars where the coil takes it power from the back of the tachometer. These tacho fed coils could very well have the ballast resistor behind the clocks, but I don't know cos I never looked.

Yes, but those have a white wire with a female spade (power to the tacho), with a pigtailed female bullet (the "in" to the tacho). There's then a white with yellow tracer wire with a male bullet (the "out" of the tacho). That white/yellow wire then goes into the engine compartment (or so I understand) and terminates in a solder connector which the ballast wire then starts out from. i.e.

There is a ballast resistor behind the clocks, but this is not for the coil feed

Richard

What is the resistor behind the clocks, may I ask?

 

[Rubythursday]

The ballast wire starts before it reaches the engine compartment. My photo shows where it emerges from the loom which is only about a foot from the bulkhead grommet which isn't long enough.

The resistor behind the clock fastened to the instrument mounting frame is the shunt for the ammeter.

 

[arthuy]

If you trace the wires out the white eventually join the ballast wire.

This is from a 2200tc but the 3500s should be the same. The other end of the pink/white wire ends up in the engine bay with a heat shrink covering in.

Colin

 

[darth sidious]

So the ballast on some cars actually does terminate inside! :shock:

Another bleeding example of P6's having more wiring variations than Imelda Marcos had shoes! :shock:

Who in their right mind could like these cars? Oh yes... that's right... us! :!: :!:

 

[quattro]

The resistor behind the clock fastened to the instrument mounting frame is the shunt for the ammeter.

Is it?

It looks like a resistor for the instrument lighting to me.

It's wired into the rheostat for dimming your dash lights.

Richard