Follow up on the Ballast resistor issue

[BlueRooster]

Patrickt: Of course.

vettestr: I read your response a few times and it all makes sense. The coil was not bulging and it does seem to be working. a backup is wise. I also now have a back ballast re'. As far as leaving the key in run; maybe between the push start and jump start. 20 min sounds about right. Note to self: Don't leave the key in run position.

[vettestr]

Glad you have her fixed and ready to go. An easy check of the ignition spark quality is just a visual check. The spark at the plug should be neon blue if all is at peak performance. A yellow color points to a coil and more of an orange spark leans toward condenser/coil weakness. The new electronics (MSD) replacing the condenser - contacts of the points -saturation time of the coil does skew this visual test but a crisp blue spark is still ideal.

Remove the easiest plug wire at the spark plug end. Install an old or extra plug in the removed wire and set it on a header tube so the electrode is visible and grounded. Start the engine and check the color. **** don't grab the wire when running or you will become the ground path !!! don't let it arc on a polished valve cover as it will mar the finish. A bit shade tree mechanics but shows you where to start looking and don't get shocked cause 20 to 60KV HURTS.

[Tommy]

Originally Posted by BlueRooster

Note to self: Don't leave the key in run position.

A bit of trivia in case you didn't already know this. Cars built with mechanical points back before electronic ignitions had both ballast resistors AND ignition switches with one or more switch positions than modern cars. For example, my 1963 Corvette ignition switch has (from left to right): Accessories, Lock, Off, Run, Start. The Accessories position was to allow all electrical systems except the ignition to be powered. This was specifically intended to prevent overheating the ignition system components and burning the points if they happened to be closed when the operator wanted to sit and listen to the radio. Modern cars generally don't have the Accessories position because modern electronic ignitions don't have that problem. The fact that your car has a ballast resistor tells me you should either have an ignition switch with an Accessories position, or you should remember your note to self. .... BTW, most cars are wired to allow the headlights to operate without having the key on.