hello,
1963 f250 4x4 y block
I installed electronis ignition distributer and noticed resistor wire from coil to ignition switch getting un comfortably hot when truck is running so I'm thinking that I need to replace it. My question is1)Can I replace this resistor wire with a generic ceramic ballast resistor?(2) is this wire the issue?Been running with this issue for a few months after I noticed it and thought with snow on the ground I might as well get some issues off my list.
thanks,gatorjaws

 

What kind of ignition did you install?

 

yeah,just that HEI billet off ebay didn't notice a brand but it seems well made and works well

 

 

Do the install directions talk about the feed wire? Might just need a 12v feed and bypass the resistor wire.

 

That. As far as I've seen (so far anyway) all HEI style (the big GM style with the huge cap and coil on top) use the full 12v so you're not supposed to re-use your original resistor wire.
Some people run a new wire, some people find another factory wire under the hood and use that, and still others use the factory resistor wire to trigger a relay in order to feed the new ignition the full voltage it wants.

A relay is more wiring, and one more thing to go wrong (if you don't count any splices that is) but I think it's still a good solution for some.

Paul

 

so,I can buy another resistor wire, or replace with regular wire or is it possible to use a ceramic block type resistor at 1.4 ohms .Does anyone know where I can get a resistor wire the right length?

 

found wire 63"long at parts geek for $18.00, the ceramic resistor block 1.4 ohms at autozone for $3.00 and I have some #10 wire so I will try regular wire first then the block then the new wire.
Thanks all, gatorjaws

 

 

I was thinking about that too.We did cut the end of the resistor wire at the coil to put a new end on it before we realized what it was so I don't if we might have compromized the thing.Honestly, I'm not sure the wire wasn't getting hot all along and just didn't notice it.Like you said earlier it might just be doing its job.

 

It IS doing it's job. It's job is to get hot.
The wire is extra small with an extra thick jacket on it to resist the heat. The smaller the gauge of the conductor, the more resistance it has. The longer the run of wire for a given gauge, the more resistance it has. Remember ohms-per-foot here.
The more resistance it has, the more heat builds up as current is pulled through it. The more heat it builds up, the more resistance it builds up as well.

Heat equals resistance, and resistance equals heat. Not sure about your year, but in later years Ford enclosed the wire in one of those fiber/tar heat resistant outer jackets and separated it entirely from the rest of the harness so it would not melt the adjacent wires.
I'm not sure how the factories mounted the ceramic base ballast resistors (Chrysler used them for years, but not sure about GM and Ford since they adopted resistor wire pretty early on), but if you ever mount one straight to the body of a vehicle it will literally burn the paint off the body just beneath the ceramic base! It's bare wire conductor protected by the ceramic base, but it's exposed on the one area and gets so hot that anything within reach is burned.

So yeah, make sure it's busted before going to the hassle of replacing it.
I believe the resistance value on the typical Ford resistor wire was listed in the past few days in another thread by Number Dummy. Something like 1.4-1.5 ohms. Not sure if that is total, or per-foot rating.

And as a final note, as Tedster said above, make sure your new ignition even needs it. Be a waste of your time and money to replace a perfectly good resistor wire with another perfectly good resistor wire, only to find out that you don't need it for your new ignition.
Which I'm pretty sure you don't. But you need to find out.
Did it come with any instructions by any chance?

Good luck.

Paul

 

gonna try a new non resistor wire first then go from there. Thanks all

 

If you do need a new resistor wire they are not hard to find NOS.

C0LF-12250-A (DY37) - Ignition Coil Resistor Assembly - 61.50" long - No. 20 gauge wire - color code Pink - 1.30-1.40 ohms resistance - 1 each

You can search eBay for that part number, for example.

Chad

 

 

Gatorjaws, It would appear that your bound and determined not to read or look up the instructions for your ignition. You may not have an issue as others have said. If by chance your system requires your resistor wire and you replace it with a non resistor wire you may be creating an issue.