Ballast resistor location
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 312
Likes: 12
From: Warsaw
Ballast resistor location
I upgraded the distributor on my '62 223 I6 with a unit from a 240/300 to get the mechanical advance function. The performance increase was noticeable but now I'm suffering from condenser failures, one might last 2 months if I'm lucky. The local parts house said out of the box failures on the foreign manufacture condensers is high. I've decided to upgrade to a Pertronix Ignitor II system complete with new coil. The problem is locating the ballast resistor under the dash so it can be removed and get the full 12V to the coil. I've tried to trace wires and can't find anything that looks remotely like a resistor. There has to be one as voltage at the coil reads 5.57V. Any help?
As a side note my '49 has a Mallory flat top dual point distributor with a 60+ year old condenser that is still going strong.
As a side note my '49 has a Mallory flat top dual point distributor with a 60+ year old condenser that is still going strong.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 860
Likes: 13
From: Asheville, NC
I changed both our 66 trucks to electronic ignition HEI distributors. The resistor on both those trucks was a pink wire - didn’t look like a resistor - just looked like any other wire. I suppose resistance was simply engineered into the conductor within the wire. I disconnected it and ran a regular 12 gauge wire from the ignition switch. I cannot speak to your year model, but it is possible it has the same setup.
More Turbo
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 734
Likes: 154
From: Orange County
I was looking into the same thing - I found good info on resistor wires in the '73 forum here:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...stor-wire.html
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...stor-wire.html
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 19,311
Likes: 97
From: Waterloo, Iowa
It's called "pink wire" and is connected directly to the ignition switch via bullet connector. Sometimes marked "Do not splice or cut" iirc. It is a "steel" or maybe nichrome, something like that stranded wire with a heat resistant insulation. They get hot. When it exits the firewall into the engine bay, it is regular stranded wire I think. So it looks just like part of the wiring harness under the dash, because it is.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
624WD
Ford Inline Six, 200, 250, 4.9L / 300
5
Nov 23, 2020 01:35 PM
mountain dewd
1973 - 1979 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
40
Apr 30, 2016 10:33 AM
672wd72highboy
FE & FT Big Block V8 (332, 352, 360, 390, 406, 410, 427, 428)
7
Jun 18, 2014 03:59 PM
46yblock
Y-Block V8 (239, 272, 292, 312, 317, 341, 368)
5
Apr 15, 2006 06:39 AM
ford_nut
1967 - 1972 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
8
Jul 11, 2002 04:00 PM
