Coil Wiring

[itllbedonesoon]

Hello all,

 

i have been trying to wire in my ignition coil for about a year now (amidst other distractions), and i am still having no success!!! i have a 2b running a 2.0L pinto with points dizzy and the VG loom.

 

i have had 2 coils overheat, boiled over and brown goo oozed out. Was advised it 'may' be due to running a 9v coil without a ballast resistor which was cooking the coil.

 

I am now on my 3rd coil which is a 9v coil and i have a ballast resistor however.... the engine wont run. Running the resistor in series from the VG to the coil +ve i am not getting enough umph to turn the engine over. (car starts fine without the resistor but the coil gets too hot to touch in about a minute).

 

On some advice i tried wiring in from the started motor a +ve feed to the output side of the ballast resistor. the idea being when the starter motor engages there is a temporary +ve supply which boosts the coil to get the engine started and when releasing the key lets the coil run just off the VG white. The engine started but was idling far too fast (i suspect the booster wire was feeding the starter preventing it from disengaging, and there may have been a slight burning smell).

 

I wanted some advise to see if i am on the right track before i try to destroy the coil and the starter motor this time.

 

I have a Lucas starter motor with 4 terminals. A spade (this is where i connected my ballast booster wire), a large constant live, and two smaller threaded terminals. Is one of these smaller threaded a 'temporary' live when the key as at full turn before releasing to position 3? (I have no friends and cant turn the ignition key and hold the multimeter on the terminals at the same time)

 

am i on the right track, or doing something fundamentally wrong?

Help please.

 

Thank you

[Guest woolly]

other than the points wire is there the rev counter wire or any other connected to the -side of the coil.

 

disconnect the extra starter to resistor wire till the connections are confirmed.

 

woolly

[Longboarder]

There are several different starter solenoid terminal arrangements so it's difficult to be sure what you have. However the basic is two large threaded terminals, one connected to the battery positive terminal by a very fat wire, the other having a braided wire diving directly into the starter and a third terminal, usually a spade for the solenoid activating/switching wire which comes from the ignition switch and 'fires' the solenoid when you turn the key to position 3 (cranking). Some starter solenoids also have a terminal, often smaller threaded which gives a 12v output when cranking, used for the ballast resistor bypass circuit.

 

However fords only used 9v coils for a few years, decided it was a fad/didn't offer any advantages and went back to using 12v coils. My advice is for you to buy a 12v points type coil, wire it's positive terminal direct from an ignition live on position 2 on the ignition switch, negative through the points to earth and bin the 9v coil and ballast resistor just like fords did eventually. You can play with the solenoid you have and work out which terminal becomes 12 volt live only when cranking and wire direct to your 9v coil positive terminal if you want. Leave the ballast resistor in the ignition live feed to the coil for normal running. It will work that way but as said before although it seems like a good idea it doesn't offer any advantages over using a healthy battery.

 

Nigel

[Guest mark kingston]

the whole concept behind using ballast resistors and 9 volt coils was that in cold winter months when cars where parked outside and the battery and the engine was cold and hard to turn over and the battery giving out less power you still got a good spark as the coil was rated to work on 9 volts which is probably all it is going to get under these conditions.

Ask your self are you really going to use the hood in the mids of winter and if you are is it going to be kept outside and not in a garage?

if you answer yes then i agree you need a 9 volt coil and a ballast set up if how ever as i suspect you are going to answer NO then i think a 12 volt coil set up is ok to use .

mark

[itllbedonesoon]

thank you for the advice, simple and reliable is what i want, especially as i am still trying to get this thing on the road.

 

I will look out for a 12v points coil and forget the ballast resistor etc. i just looked up electronic dizzy's on flea-bay but looking at the price, i think i will try to find a points coil and swap it for some 'rocking horse poo' (i laughed my socks off at that article in the last RHOCaR mag).

 

cheers guys.

[fry61]

Can bring a coil to the next meet at the Barleycorn if you like,regards Bob.

[itllbedonesoon]

Cheers Bob,

 

i shall try to get down there, have not been able to lately as have been doing a university course which is on Tue evenings.

 

Thanks again everyone