CSX 6000 ballast resistor
 

Firstly let me apologize for the lengthy post but I have some issues I am hoping someone can guide me thru for a cure. My car had always run perfectly until July, 2011 when it would not start cold, 700 miles on car. After some diagnostic work on my part I determined it to be a ignition issue. No spark. I called Shelby engine and they sent me a new MSD distributor identical to what was in it, a MSD 8595. I installed the distributor and it has run perfectly, until last week that is when it did the samething, no start after cooled down. This time it has 1399 miles. I figured that the first distributor could have been a bad one but now the odds of getting two bad ones would be astronomical. I am looking for a other cause, leading to the failure of them at almost the same time interval before I put a new one in again. I have purchased a new MSD 8595 as the other two were and a new MSD Blaster 3 coil also just to be certain, which is also what it came with from Shelby.

I have had several lengthy conversations with MSD about this and have run several test as they requested. Even thought the distributor and coil are not longer under warranty I hope to avoid getting stranded and paying tow bills, flat bed as it were. MSD has told me that if a ballast resister is in line the voltage to coil and disturber will be reduced causing it to run hot and untimely fail, unless you are using a breaker point system.

The CSX 6000 Shelby’s has a ballast resistor mounted on the engine compartment firewall directly in front of the driver side, which is in line with cars ignition system. It is a white rectangular ceramic looking item with a screw terminal on each end, intended for ignition systems with breaker points only apparently.

Can any of the installers, specifically regarding the CSX 6000 only, comment on this before I install the new MSD 8595 and Blaster 3.

Thanks!!

According to the instructions from MSD for your 8595, there is no ballast resistor in the circuit.
3 wire RTR (ready to run), 12v ignition direct to coil + and red of distributor, orange to coil negative, black to ground.

I'm a member of the MSD forum.

Just leave the ballast there and connected. Undo one wire at one end and put it on the same terminal on the other end.

Thanks for the responses. I guess I should have also added, can any installer also comment on anyother condition(s) that they might think of that might cause repeated failure of this system (and corrections) other than the ballast resistor setup? I might add that on the first two distribtors I DID have the ballast resistor inline, which I will delete on this third try. Thanks!

I've seen this distributor before -- it's the one where you set the rev limiter by grounding it out at half the engine speed that you want the limit set, right? It has internal circuitry that almost assuredly can be fried by running at less than the needed voltage (through your ballast resistor).

Maybe so.......MSD says that continued use with voltage lower than 12 will cause it to fail. After two they may be correct. At $400.00 a pop I am going to try and locate any and all causes. Thanks!

Ernie (Excaliber) had one on his ERA and he had problems with it. Even though it worked, it was mis-firing at the higher revs. If yours fails again, you might think about the tried and true 8594 and MSD box combo....