Ballast resistor is broken...

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gdrill

gdrill

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I don't know how often this happens. I am just learning the ins and outs of Mopar electronics. But I was having a spark issue so I pulled the ballast resistor for a look and found it was broken. I have a spare to try, hopefully it isn't broken as well!
 

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They have, can, and do break. Good thing they are cheap. I'd buy two. Things like water from a car wash, etc, can break em, or leaving the key on for too long (engine off), running a big hi--ratio coil not designed for it, or even a bad coil.
 
You might as well throw one in your glove box, one in your lunchbox, one in your wifes purse, one in your kids backpack, you may even want to wire tie one onto your dog's collar.

In other words, keep them on hand.....
 
You might as well throw one in your glove box, one in your lunchbox, one in your wifes purse, one in your kids backpack, you may even want to wire tie one onto your dog's collar.
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Words to live by.

I keep two in glove box one for personal use, and the other for a fellow Mopar driver when in need.

Just plane idle...
 
I must live wrong. Of course nowadays I run an HEI module, and NO ballast, but I don't think I've replaced more than about 4 of the things in my entire lifetime. To put that timewarp into a proper frame, I first put a Mopar breakerless system on the old 70 WAY back around 73 or so. Someone had one on their car, had trouble with it, and wanted my help to hook up a Mallory DUAL POINT, and wanted "all that crap" off their car.

so I happily put my own dual point in the trunk, and hooked up the entire breakerless system on mine!!!

I think I replaced one ballast after that one, the system was on the car when it got sold around 75-76

About the same time, I put a 360, later 340 in my 62 Landcruiser, and again adapted a junk--yard Mopar ECU harness. I DID have trouble, the ECU's do not like getting wet. I later used a plug in MSD box for awhile, but mounted it under the dash of the FJ-40

1 spare ballast should be plenty. If it is not you are doing something wrong, like, maybe, leaving the key on when stopped. "Car washing" the engine doesn't do 'em any good.

Of course I DO admit that modern replacement parts ain't what they used to be. Standard, NAPA/ Echlin and others should be hanging their heads in shame. You know damn well that Waltrip doesn't use this crap on HIS car
 
Broken relates to "open" which relates to "will never run". I've only replaced a couple ballast resistors in over 30 years but they can and do go bad. Like everyone else said, keep a spare.
 
Never had to replace one but I do carry a spare because everyone says I have to.
 
Actually, it will run without the ballast, but only as long as the starter is held on. Let go of the starter and it mysteriously dies. Often the act of inspecting the ballast by removing the terminals breaks it. If you have a small block, the $45 ready-to-run distributor gives you HEI and kiss the ballast goodbye.
 
I have to put this ballast resistor failure in perspective, Murphy seamed to play a role in both instances I experienced long ago.

First failure in 67 Dart occurred in downtown Auburn, Maine late night in 15 below weather in 1972 where nothing was open at the time and no spare on hand…

Second happened to a 76 Cordoba around 1979 Sunday in the middle of nowhere on the way to a wedding all decked out. In those days not much was open for business Sundays once again very inconvenient to find someone to fix it… this was before I had a handle on Mopar’s quirks.

So now I carry spare ballast, it’s the best cheap insurance to repel Murphy and his diabolical tricks.
 
gdrill said:
... What is the "$45" distributor you are referring too?
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Yes. skipwhite has the best price. He also sells a $20 E-core coil. You can find several posts here reviewing it. Most like it. I noticed they just came out with one for my BB engine (383, 400), but ~$75. I'll wait until the price drops. Nothing for the slant yet and perhaps too tight down there to fit one. I put an electronic distributor in my slant, driving a GM 8-pin HEI & coil.
 
wjajr said:
First failure in 67 Dart occurred in downtown Auburn, Maine late night in 15 below weather in 1972 where nothing was open at the time and no spare on hand…
Click to expand...

First time I had one fail was in a 68 Barracuda in Bath, Maine in the mid seventies, how strange is that. I was on my way to Portland for a concert.
 
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