Ballast resistor wire?
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Freshman User
Joined: May 2000
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Ballast resistor wire?
When I turn the key in my 82 F-150 4.9L, the engine starts fine, but as soon as I let go of the key the engine shuts off. i.e. when the starter is engaged it works, when its not it doesn't.
I have done some looking around and pinpointed the problem to either the ignition switch or ballast resistor wire. When I asked the guy at Canadian Tire (big department store originally based around cars) for a replacement ballast resistor, he had no clue what I was talking about and gave some bull***** about needing a new solenoid.
I have located the ballast resistor in the truck. Are there any ways to tell whether the problem is from the ballast resistor or the ignition switch? Also, would there be any harm in swapping the ballast resistor with standard 16 guage wire until I can get the replacement?
thanks in advance
I have done some looking around and pinpointed the problem to either the ignition switch or ballast resistor wire. When I asked the guy at Canadian Tire (big department store originally based around cars) for a replacement ballast resistor, he had no clue what I was talking about and gave some bull***** about needing a new solenoid.
I have located the ballast resistor in the truck. Are there any ways to tell whether the problem is from the ballast resistor or the ignition switch? Also, would there be any harm in swapping the ballast resistor with standard 16 guage wire until I can get the replacement?
thanks in advance
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 3,172
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Ballast resistor wire?
Ok ,
How many Km on your truck ? What diagnostics did you do to lead you to believe the ignition switch , ballast resistor is faulty ? What exactly are you calling the ballast resistor ? I honestly havent seen a ballast resistor on a Ford truck ? Im betting the Canadian Tire tech is right about the solenoid . More than likely the run circuit of the solenoid has failed . They are cheap and easy to replace .
Paul
How many Km on your truck ? What diagnostics did you do to lead you to believe the ignition switch , ballast resistor is faulty ? What exactly are you calling the ballast resistor ? I honestly havent seen a ballast resistor on a Ford truck ? Im betting the Canadian Tire tech is right about the solenoid . More than likely the run circuit of the solenoid has failed . They are cheap and easy to replace .
Paul
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Freshman User
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Ballast resistor wire?
I already had changed the solenoid 2 days before I went hunting for the ballast resistor wire. I looked over all the wires between Ignition module, eec microprocessor, solenoid and distributer cap -- all good. It's not a fuel line problem because when I hold the key in the start position for the engine runs fine, it's just when I let the key fall back into the run position that it dies.
the following link is to a guy with a bronco who had the same problem:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/dcforum/bigbronco/18.html
According to a picture of the duraspark 3 ignition system in the Haynes Repair manual the Ballast resistor is a special wire that hooks into the wire between the ignition switch and the "Bat." side of the coil.
I had to pull the tape off a cluster of wires running into the dash. I found one end of the ballast resistor there. It spliced into another wire and ran parallel to that wire up into the dash. The ballast resistor was fat, pink and said "resistor" on the side. I'm still trying to find the other end of it, its hidden in the dash.
Sorry for the confusion,
the following link is to a guy with a bronco who had the same problem:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/dcforum/bigbronco/18.html
According to a picture of the duraspark 3 ignition system in the Haynes Repair manual the Ballast resistor is a special wire that hooks into the wire between the ignition switch and the "Bat." side of the coil.
I had to pull the tape off a cluster of wires running into the dash. I found one end of the ballast resistor there. It spliced into another wire and ran parallel to that wire up into the dash. The ballast resistor was fat, pink and said "resistor" on the side. I'm still trying to find the other end of it, its hidden in the dash.
Sorry for the confusion,
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 1,100
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From: Wichita USA
Ballast resistor wire?
If you turn the key on and check for power to the positive coil terminal and have power then I would conclude that the resistor wire is good. Every time I have had a Ford in the shop with this problem it has turned out to be the run circuit in the Ign. module.
