Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: RJS]
#2961107
09/04/21 11:53 PM
09/04/21 11:53 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,190 Plymouth, MI
Blusmbl
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I’ve never left the ballast resistor on any of my MSD installations.
'18 Ford Raptor, random motorcycles, 1968 Plymouth Fury III - 11.37 @ 118
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: SomeCarGuy]
#2961119
09/05/21 12:44 AM
09/05/21 12:44 AM
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Joined: Feb 2003
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bee1971
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Need to bee more specific when you say MSD Ignition
As in
MSD Distributor ? Or
MSD Ignition Box ? Or
MSD Coil ? Or
All of the above
1971 Dodge Charger Superbee 2011 Ram Sport 1500 Quad Cab Deep Water Blue Loaded Siberian Huskies
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: RJS]
#2961128
09/05/21 03:18 AM
09/05/21 03:18 AM
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 43,352 Bend,OR USA
Cab_Burge
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All the MSD race and street ignitions that I've used , 404B to digital 7 non programable with a grid ,require you to eliminate the 12V resistor to the coil ![scope scope](/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/custom/scope.gif) The box controls the voltage pulse duration and voltage (WAY higher than 12.25V) to the coil for the multi spark feature ![scope scope](/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/custom/scope.gif) DON'T ask me how I know about the voltage to the coils ![whiney whiney](/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/custom/whiney.gif)
Mr.Cab Racing and winning with Mopars since 1964. (Old F--t, Huh)
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: Moparite]
#2961180
09/05/21 10:16 AM
09/05/21 10:16 AM
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 6,571 Downtown Roebuck Ont
Twostick
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Try reading the installation instructions. As far as the coil is concerned, the ballast resister circuit is no longer in play when using an MSD box. The coil gets energized directly from the box and with a 6AL IIRC the capacitor discharges 480 volts to the coil. I suspect Cab has some first hand personal knowledge about this. ![eek eek](/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/custom/eek.gif) Kevin
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: RJS]
#2961226
09/05/21 12:33 PM
09/05/21 12:33 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 31,105 Oregon
AndyF
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You should be able to figure it out by looking at how your system is wired. If the ballast resistor is just dropping the voltage to the MSD ignition box then it is hurting your performance and it probably isn't extending the life of the MSD box. The ballast resistor was originally designed to protect the points. It was then repurposed in the ECU era to protect the life of the coil. Look at how the last guy wired the ignition in your car. Does the coil get its voltage from the ballast resistor or is it coming from the MSD box? You have to actually study how the system before you'll know what the last guy did. He might have bypassed the ballast but just left it there or perhaps he didn't read the instructions and he actually wired it up so the MSD box isn't receiving a full 12 volts. Anything is possible when dealing with backyard mechanics.
Last edited by AndyF; 09/05/21 12:33 PM.
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: AndyF]
#2961292
09/05/21 05:25 PM
09/05/21 05:25 PM
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 11,769 Fulton County, PA
CMcAllister
Mr. Helpful
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Mr. Helpful
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No ballast with MSD stuff.
If the results don't match the theory, change the theory.
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: RJS]
#2961354
09/05/21 08:22 PM
09/05/21 08:22 PM
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 6,571 Downtown Roebuck Ont
Twostick
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Still wishing...
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No the system is stand alone, the MSD goes straight to bat+ at starter solenoid and is grounded to the engine block. The dist. leads go right to the dist. and the the orange and black go to the coil so i would have to say the ballast isn't hurting anything as it is or am I incorrect on that? Ron Unless MSD has changed their install instructions, the big black and red wires go DIRECTLY to the battery. I'm surprised it runs if you have it wired otherwise as I've seen it happen. The wire that normally goes to the + on the coil is what is usually used to signal the on/off wire to the MSD box and that is why you need to bypass the ballast resister so that signal wire sees 12V. Kevin
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: RJS]
#2961392
09/05/21 09:23 PM
09/05/21 09:23 PM
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,815 Sobieski Wi
bee1971
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MSD6AL 2
Ballast Resistor: If your vehicle has a ballast resistor in-line with the coil wiring, it is recommended to bypass it
That’s why I was asking what box you where running or what/all components
So another words you want a full 12-14.5 Volts to the positive side of your Blaster 2 Coil with the engine running using the MSD6AL Box
Peace
Last edited by bee1971; 09/05/21 09:29 PM.
1971 Dodge Charger Superbee 2011 Ram Sport 1500 Quad Cab Deep Water Blue Loaded Siberian Huskies
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: Twostick]
#2961398
09/05/21 09:30 PM
09/05/21 09:30 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,224 JERSEY
RJS
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No the system is stand alone, the MSD goes straight to bat+ at starter solenoid and is grounded to the engine block. The dist. leads go right to the dist. and the the orange and black go to the coil so i would have to say the ballast isn't hurting anything as it is or am I incorrect on that? Ron Unless MSD has changed their install instructions, the big black and red wires go DIRECTLY to the battery. I'm surprised it runs if you have it wired otherwise as I've seen it happen. The wire that normally goes to the + on the coil is what is usually used to signal the on/off wire to the MSD box and that is why you need to bypass the ballast resister so that signal wire sees 12V. Kevin In all my years this is the first car I have with an MSD so pardon my ignorance. But isn't having the large RED to the starter solenoid the same as running it to the battery terminal? I have the large BLACK to engine block and also a jumper from there to firewall. The one wire I forgot to talk about is the small RED which I guess is the trigger you guys were speaking of and yes that goes to the blue wire that used to go to + at coil. So is that why it's best to jump the ballast resister? Thanks Ron
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: Twostick]
#2961399
09/05/21 09:30 PM
09/05/21 09:30 PM
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bee1971
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No the system is stand alone, the MSD goes straight to bat+ at starter solenoid and is grounded to the engine block. The dist. leads go right to the dist. and the the orange and black go to the coil so i would have to say the ballast isn't hurting anything as it is or am I incorrect on that? Ron Unless MSD has changed their install instructions, the big black and red wires go DIRECTLY to the battery. I'm surprised it runs if you have it wired otherwise as I've seen it happen. The wire that normally goes to the + on the coil is what is usually used to signal the on/off wire to the MSD box and that is why you need to bypass the ballast resister so that signal wire sees 12V. Kevin X2
1971 Dodge Charger Superbee 2011 Ram Sport 1500 Quad Cab Deep Water Blue Loaded Siberian Huskies
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: bee1971]
#2961401
09/05/21 09:34 PM
09/05/21 09:34 PM
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bee1971
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Orange This wire connects to the coil positive (+) terminal. This is the ONLY wire that makes electrical contact with the positive coil terminal.
Is this wire directly going to the positive side of the coil ? Make sure this is the only wire
Last edited by bee1971; 09/05/21 09:42 PM.
1971 Dodge Charger Superbee 2011 Ram Sport 1500 Quad Cab Deep Water Blue Loaded Siberian Huskies
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD33
[Re: bee1971]
#2961402
09/05/21 09:39 PM
09/05/21 09:39 PM
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bee1971
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Small Red
This wire is responsible for turning the MSD On and Off. Connects to a switched 12 volt source such as the ignition key or switch
1971 Dodge Charger Superbee 2011 Ram Sport 1500 Quad Cab Deep Water Blue Loaded Siberian Huskies
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: bee1971]
#2961405
09/05/21 09:42 PM
09/05/21 09:42 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,224 JERSEY
RJS
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Yes here is exactly how it's wired in the attachment straight out of the MSD instructions except I am using the starter sol. stud for large RED and engine/firewall for large BLACK. Ron
Last edited by RJS; 09/05/21 09:44 PM.
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: RJS]
#2961408
09/05/21 09:55 PM
09/05/21 09:55 PM
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Joined: Feb 2003
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bee1971
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I know where your going now per instructions
Small Red says - From positive side of coil / From original + side coil terminal
In a Factory Mopar world , that might bee only 7- 9 volts positive side of coil , because of the Ballast Resistor resistance
However if you took it off the feed side , or ignition switch side of the Ballast Resistor , you would have the full 12 - 14.5 Volts going to the small red
So with that said , Take your volt meter , and supply that small red off the feed side/ignition switch side of the ballast resistor (Full 12 - 14.5 Volts engine running) NOT the resistance side of the ballast resistor going to coil
And honestly
If you have any issues down the road , the LARGE Red and Black wires should bee directly fed off the battery terminals
Peace
Last edited by bee1971; 09/05/21 10:05 PM.
1971 Dodge Charger Superbee 2011 Ram Sport 1500 Quad Cab Deep Water Blue Loaded Siberian Huskies
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: bee1971]
#2961412
09/05/21 10:05 PM
09/05/21 10:05 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,224 JERSEY
RJS
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OP
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I know where your going now per instructions
Small Red says - From positive side of coil / From original + side coil terminal
In a Factory Mopar world , that might bee only 7- 9 volts positive side of coil , because of the Ballast Resistor resistance
However if you took it off the feed side , or ignition switch side of the Ballast Resistor , you would have the full 12 - 14.5 Volts going to the small red
So with that said , Take your volt meter , and supply that small red off the feed side/ignition switch side of the ballast resistor (Full 12 - 14.5 Volts engine running)
Peace
OK makes perfect sense, tomorrow I'll see what the Fluke Meter says. Since it's the factory wire that used to go to + of factory coil it may be regulated by the ballast. Thanks Ron Sannino
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: RJS]
#2961413
09/05/21 10:08 PM
09/05/21 10:08 PM
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,815 Sobieski Wi
bee1971
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You got it
No work on Labor Day
LOL
Peace
1971 Dodge Charger Superbee 2011 Ram Sport 1500 Quad Cab Deep Water Blue Loaded Siberian Huskies
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: RJS]
#2961449
09/06/21 01:32 AM
09/06/21 01:32 AM
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 6,571 Downtown Roebuck Ont
Twostick
Still wishing...
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Still wishing...
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 6,571
Downtown Roebuck Ont
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No the system is stand alone, the MSD goes straight to bat+ at starter solenoid and is grounded to the engine block. The dist. leads go right to the dist. and the the orange and black go to the coil so i would have to say the ballast isn't hurting anything as it is or am I incorrect on that? Ron Unless MSD has changed their install instructions, the big black and red wires go DIRECTLY to the battery. I'm surprised it runs if you have it wired otherwise as I've seen it happen. The wire that normally goes to the + on the coil is what is usually used to signal the on/off wire to the MSD box and that is why you need to bypass the ballast resister so that signal wire sees 12V. Kevin In all my years this is the first car I have with an MSD so pardon my ignorance. But isn't having the large RED to the starter solenoid the same as running it to the battery terminal? I have the large BLACK to engine block and also a jumper from there to firewall. The one wire I forgot to talk about is the small RED which I guess is the trigger you guys were speaking of and yes that goes to the blue wire that used to go to + at coil. So is that why it's best to jump the ballast resister? Thanks Ron You would think 12v is 12v but I've seen it first hand on a hydraulic power pack unit that used a 2300 Ford, basically a Pinto motor for power. It had Duraspark ignition and they got tired of them failing so the owner had a CASCAR race team and lots of 6AL boxes in stock so he told the shop to swap it over. The tech wired it exactly like yours and it never offered to run. I told him it had to be wired directly but he was having none of it and sent out for another new 6AL which also refused to fire. Hooked it direct to the battery and vroom. I have no idea why it matters but it does. If you are using the blue wire for your switched 12v source to turn the box on and off, you need to bypass the ballast resister so the blue wire supplies constant 12v when switched on. Kevin
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: Twostick]
#2961478
09/06/21 08:43 AM
09/06/21 08:43 AM
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bee1971
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Like Kevin said
If you want to keep the ballast resistor in place for that factory appearance and use that same blue coil wire Or just wire it off the ignition switch feed side like I mentioned
Anyways , something like this first picture
Or
I removed the resistor element on the backside , and soldered in a heavier gauge wire from terminal to terminal Then fill with two part epoxy
Looks factory and no one knows Stole picture from internet , second picture
Last edited by bee1971; 09/06/21 08:45 AM.
1971 Dodge Charger Superbee 2011 Ram Sport 1500 Quad Cab Deep Water Blue Loaded Siberian Huskies
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: RJS]
#2961570
09/06/21 01:36 PM
09/06/21 01:36 PM
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,866 North of Detroit
HemiDart68
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other then the trigger wire i usually think its best to not tie into ANY of the old wiring. Use new wires and wire the MSD completely independently directly to distributer, battery, coil. You can then wrap it and hide with factory harness, but keep the wiring independent.
In God we trust, all others pay cash.
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: 440Bel2]
#2962646
09/10/21 08:17 AM
09/10/21 08:17 AM
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lewtot184
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I'm dealing with the ballast on my car too.I undrestand that the red trigger wire should have constant battery voltage on it ( mine is between 13.5 and 14 volts while running),what should I be getting on the orange wire at the positive side of the coil? check voltage at the battery with engine running and it should be the same at the positive side of the coil if the ballast is bypassed.
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: lewtot184]
#2962651
09/10/21 09:08 AM
09/10/21 09:08 AM
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bee1971
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MSD Tech
Next, lets review the coil wiring. The ONLY two wires that should be connected to the coil are from the MSD. The orange wire connects to coil positive while the black wire connects to the negative terminal. No other wires should be connected to the coil terminals! Also, do not touch or connect any tools to the coil. With the MSD connected there will NOT be voltage on the coil terminals unless the engine is running – and in that case there will be over 450 volts due to the CD technology of the ignition. Again, the only two wires connected to the coil are the MSD Orange, positive, and the MSD Black, negative.
1971 Dodge Charger Superbee 2011 Ram Sport 1500 Quad Cab Deep Water Blue Loaded Siberian Huskies
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Re: Should Ballast Resister be bypassed or not? MSD
[Re: bee1971]
#2962652
09/10/21 09:13 AM
09/10/21 09:13 AM
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bee1971
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MSD Tech
"One common question in regards to MSD Ignition controls is “Why isn’t 12V power on the orange (COIL +) wire?” The main reason 12V won’t be present at coil + is because your MSD ignition is a Capacitive Discharge Ignition. Like all CD ignitions they use a large capacitor to discharge 420-480 Volts to coil + and coil – will normally be connected to ground. (That’s why you wont see +12V on coil +) "
1971 Dodge Charger Superbee 2011 Ram Sport 1500 Quad Cab Deep Water Blue Loaded Siberian Huskies
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