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Bypassing ballast ?
#1595641
03/20/14 02:55 AM
03/20/14 02:55 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 27,421
Balt. Md
383man
OP
Too Many Posts
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OP
Too Many Posts
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Posts: 27,421
Balt. Md
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I am curious if anyone has run the Mopar ign with the ballast resistor bypassed ? I know one of the Mopar mags said to do it as I never had since I felt it would maybe overheat and burn out the coil or Mopar ECU. Course you will have a hotter spark. So since one of mags was telling you do it I was wondering if anyone has and what the results were ? And if anyone even raced the car with it bypassed to see how it did ? Thanks , Ron
Last edited by 383man; 03/20/14 02:57 AM.
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Re: Bypassing ballast ?
[Re: 383man]
#1595643
03/20/14 10:14 PM
03/20/14 10:14 PM
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 15,119
85086
moparpollack
Lil Herman
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Lil Herman
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 15,119
85086
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Only when running an MSD box. 
56 Plaza 63 D100 step side 67 Coronet, 68 Roadrunner, 69 Super Bees, 69 Coronet 500 convertible, 70 Roadrunner Post, 79 D150 360, and a severe case of Mopar a,d,d
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Re: Bypassing ballast ?
[Re: SportF]
#1595647
03/22/14 09:21 AM
03/22/14 09:21 AM
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 52,972
Romeo MI
MR_P_BODY
Master
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Master
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 52,972
Romeo MI
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Quote:
Well, here is a curious question, why would running 12 VDC through a coil with points burn it up when you could use the same coil with MSD and run a hundred volts through it and not burn it up?
I dont know where you get a hundred volts... but with
a coil designed for 12 volts the wire size inside
is larger... a coil thats designed for lesser voltage
has thinner wire size... sure it can take it for a
while but they do burn out... I have done it myself
and it finally did burn out... I had burn out the
ballast on one of my cars so to get home I jumped
the ballast but forgot about it till the coil quit
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Re: Bypassing ballast ?
[Re: SportF]
#1595649
03/22/14 12:17 PM
03/22/14 12:17 PM
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 52,972
Romeo MI
MR_P_BODY
Master
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Master
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 52,972
Romeo MI
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Quote:
I have no doubt that coils have burnt out, but the real question is why. To get more spark out of a coil you have to put more in. And to quote from MSD install instructions, talking about the primary coil wire connections: "During cranking or while the engine is running, very high voltage will be present and no test equipment should be connected."
I believe it was my son whom hooked up an inductive pickup at the + coil and used an "O" scope to look at the voltage and it was 200+.
But that number may be wrong, but it was WAY higher than 12VDC.
Just a point of curiosity really, I have studied magnetism probably more than most, but you could study a small portion of magnetism for a lifetime, and still learn. It is a fascinating phenomenon.
Yes the 2 windings do create a higher voltage.. I assumed
you were talking the input voltage... yeah I liked
playing with magnetism a few years back but havent
played with it since(in a testing mode)
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Re: Bypassing ballast ?
[Re: SportF]
#1595651
03/22/14 04:42 PM
03/22/14 04:42 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 27,421
Balt. Md
383man
OP
Too Many Posts
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Balt. Md
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I have read that MSD units can pulse about 300 volts to the coil primary but the question here is the amps (current flow) that goes thru the coil. Its my understanding that the MSD units will pulse about the 300 volts very fast and even if you have a 1000 volts to the coil pos terminal it will still depend on how long the coil neg side is grounded to figure how many amps flow. 1000 volts at the coil but if no ground no current flow. Of course the more volts without changing ohms means more current flow but as I said the MSD pulses the voltage so fast that it cant be to much more current flow or it could burn something up.
I had thought I read in Mopar Action where they said its fine to bybass the ballast and I thought some people said they did it and thats mainly why I am asking. I would not think it would work real long but I never tried it. Ron
Last edited by 383man; 03/22/14 04:48 PM.
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Re: Bypassing ballast ?
[Re: 383man]
#1595653
03/22/14 06:16 PM
03/22/14 06:16 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,008
Frostbitefalls MN (Rocky&Bullw...
gregsdart
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,008
Frostbitefalls MN (Rocky&Bullw...
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Bypassing a ballast on the stock system jumps the juice up to 150 percent or there abouts of what it is designed to handle long term. The start circuit has no ballast so it will spark at low voltage in the cold with a weak battery.
8..603 156 mph best, 2905 lbs 549, indy 572-13, alky
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Re: Bypassing ballast ?
[Re: SportF]
#1595655
03/23/14 08:57 AM
03/23/14 08:57 AM
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 159
australia
charger410
member
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member
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 159
australia
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Msd ignitions have a inverter power supply which steps 12v up to a regulated 300volts it's then timed with the coil to pulse on for a period of a couple of nano or micro seconds seconds, cant remember which off the top of my head as opposed to fractions of a second with a regular coil points. The combined time the coils on for verses the voltage applied equals the total power consumed by the coil So Msd's ignitions matched with coil puts out heaps higher voltage and current but for a shorter duration 
Peter. Australian Charger, alloy block injected 410in, w9 na 9.03@148 leafs 3000lb
1967 barracuda 605 hemi Stage5 millennium 8.2@170
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Re: Bypassing ballast ?
[Re: charger410]
#1595656
03/24/14 12:20 AM
03/24/14 12:20 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 27,421
Balt. Md
383man
OP
Too Many Posts
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OP
Too Many Posts
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 27,421
Balt. Md
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Quote:
Msd ignitions have a inverter power supply which steps 12v up to a regulated 300volts it's then timed with the coil to pulse on for a period of a couple of nano or micro seconds seconds, cant remember which off the top of my head as opposed to fractions of a second with a regular coil points.
The combined time the coils on for verses the voltage applied equals the total power consumed by the coil
So Msd's ignitions matched with coil puts out heaps higher voltage and current but for a shorter duration
Yes that is true. If you look at the coil wireing on an MSD system both the primary coil wires (pos & neg) go to the MSD box. The pos does not come from a ballast like a stock unit as thats so they can control the voltage in the coil primary and out to the ground through the MSD unit. And they can make it multi-spark when they want it to. I was just curious if anyone had run their car with the ballast bypassed on the basic Mopar electronic ign ? My thoughts are the coil or ECU may burn out and I was surprised to see a Mopar mag suggest that but I thought I heard some say they did it. It will give a hotter spark with 12 volts at the coil pos primary terminal with the eng running instead of the 5 to 7 that its gets through the ballast. So I was curious if anyone has done it. Ron
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Re: Bypassing ballast ?
[Re: Diplomat440]
#1595660
03/24/14 01:21 AM
03/24/14 01:21 AM
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 159
australia
charger410
member
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member
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 159
australia
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The Main output Transistor on your ignition Box will only be rated at 4 amps continuous, so if you bypass the Ballast resistor you'll probably find you might exceed that all thought I've never checked it. A standard coil would be rated around the same current capacity If you were going to bypass the Ballast put an amp gauge, it will have to be able to hold peak readings, on the 12 volt side of coil and that will give you an idea. For a race car you should be able to get away with it but for the street you would be pushing it
Peter. Australian Charger, alloy block injected 410in, w9 na 9.03@148 leafs 3000lb
1967 barracuda 605 hemi Stage5 millennium 8.2@170
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