My MSD ??
#109311
08/23/08 07:28 PM
08/23/08 07:28 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 827
twin cities
dart_sportsatellite
OP
super stock
|
OP
super stock
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 827
twin cities
|
I am using an MSD 6AL, on a 69 Plymouth. Blaster coil, and MSD Distributor. Car ran great, but yesterday it sputtered and died. I left the ballast resistor in line, as I read in a couple of different places on MSDs website, and in the instructions that it was ok to do so. Doing some trouble shooting, I have voltage everywhere I should, so I figured what the heck, I'll bypass the resistor, and it cranks. So I reconnect the resistor, and it cranks. ???? Examining the resistor, it's broken inside, could this have taken me down? I mean to where the engine wouldn't even turn over?
|
|
|
Re: My MSD ??
[Re: dart_sportsatellite]
#109312
08/23/08 07:56 PM
08/23/08 07:56 PM
|
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 36,040
Lincoln Nebraska
RapidRobert
Circle Track
|
Circle Track
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 36,040
Lincoln Nebraska
|
The ballast resistor breaking & loosing continuity would certainly kill the eng bec now there's no power to the coil but that wouldn't cause a sudden no crank situation, there's another wiring issue for that.
live every 24 hour block of time like it's your last day on earth
|
|
|
Re: My MSD ??
[Re: dart_sportsatellite]
#109314
08/23/08 09:56 PM
08/23/08 09:56 PM
|
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,822
Colorado
denfireguy
top fuel
|
top fuel
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,822
Colorado
|
Quote:
I am using an MSD 6AL, on a 69 Plymouth. Blaster coil, and MSD Distributor. Car ran great, but yesterday it sputtered and died. I left the ballast resistor in line, as I read in a couple of different places on MSDs website, and in the instructions that it was ok to do so. Doing some trouble shooting, I have voltage everywhere I should, so I figured what the heck, I'll bypass the resistor, and it cranks. So I reconnect the resistor, and it cranks. ???? Examining the resistor, it's broken inside, could this have taken me down? I mean to where the engine wouldn't even turn over?
The ballast resistor is shunted out of circuit when you crank the motor over. If it started when the key is turned and then stopped when you returned the key to run position, then you have a bad ballast.
If it does not crank, more likely suspects are dead battery, starter relay, neutral safety switch and/or combinations of these.
Ballast resistors do go bad but it most likely opens up and would kill the spark, not drain the battery.
Craig
2014 Ram 1500 Laramie, 73 Cuda
Previous mopars: 62 Valiant, 65 Fury III, 68 Fury III, 72 Satellite, 74 Satellite, 89 Acclaim, 98 Caravan, 2003 Durango
Only previous Non-Mopar: Schwinn Tornado
|
|
|
Re: My MSD ??
[Re: Alikazam]
#109318
08/24/08 10:29 AM
08/24/08 10:29 AM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 827
twin cities
dart_sportsatellite
OP
super stock
|
OP
super stock
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 827
twin cities
|
Quote:
You don't have the ballast resistor inline with the coil wires do you? You are using the orange and black wires for the coil and just have the ballast in line with the "switched on +24 V" wire to the MSD box telling it that power is on right, or where? I don't think you want to run the ballast resistor at all with a full MSD ignition unless you have it setup to convert back to factory quickly. The MSD sparks that coil a lot and I think it would be bad for a ballast resistor the amount of cycles being put through it by the MSD.
Right, the resistor is not inline with the coil, just left it so I could switch back. I know I don't need it anymore, but MSD says you can leave it, so I did. Guess I'm wondering if the resistor which was broken would cause enough drain if it grounded out to prevent cranking. Doesn't seem like it, but, along with a poor ground elsewhere? The ammeter worked when I turned the key, but the car didn't crank until I jumpered the resistor, and kind of wiggled it around. Also cranked after reconnecting the resistor, which leads me to think that since I moved the resistor, that I broke that path to ground. The resistor is out of the car now, and if it starts today, I guess I'll go for a ride. Just don't want to have it hauled home again. The way I have the neutral safety switch bypassed (manual trans. with auto start relay) would prevent cranking if that connection failed, but wouldn't affect it while running, I removed that before and the car still ran.
|
|
|
Re: My MSD ??
[Re: dart_sportsatellite]
#109319
11/18/08 09:29 AM
11/18/08 09:29 AM
|
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 571
Beaverton, OR, USA
Alikazam
super gas
|
super gas
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 571
Beaverton, OR, USA
|
Sorry I've been away, did you get this fixed? I fought problems with my +12V sense line going to the MSD getting grounded out and not letting her start up, especially when she was still hot. Turned out to one time be a chaffed wire touching the intake, then a corroded wire that had high resistance through it that would drop the "sense +12V on" voltage and not let the MSD fire. It is possible with your broken ballast resistor or spade terminals on it with even a little corrosion you were dropping your sense voltage enough that the MSD didn't think the key was "on" so to speak. Hope you got it fixed  Good luck. P.S. I meant 12 V in my previous post as well... I deal with 24V a lot at work and just auto piloted that voltage when typing, oops.
Last edited by Alikazam; 11/18/08 09:43 AM.
|
|
|
|
|
