Replies sorted oldest to newest
quote:
The term also refers to an automobile engine component that lowers the supply voltage to the ignition system after the engine has been started. Because cranking the engine causes a very heavy load on the battery, the system voltage can drop quite low during cranking. To allow the engine to start, the ignition system must be designed to operate on this lower voltage. But once cranking is completed, the normal operating voltage is regained; this voltage would overload the ignition system. To avoid this problem, a ballast resistor is inserted in series with the supply voltage feeding the ignition system. Occasionally, this ballast resistor will fail and the classic symptom of this failure is that the engine runs while being cranked (while the resistor is bypassed) but stalls immediately when cranking ceases (and the resistor is re-connected in the circuit).
As far as I can judge, the car is still running its original ignition.quote:This is a scenario for a future ignition coil failure, or..?
quote:Originally posted by jb1490:quote:This is a scenario for a future ignition coil failure, or..?
Yes. If you are using a stock ignition system, then the coil needs an external resistor. Without the resistor, the coil will overheat.
If a replacement coil was used, it could have a built-in resistor, which would not require the use of an external resistor.
John
quote:Originally posted by jb1490:
If a replacement coil was used, it could have a built-in resistor, which would not require the use of an external resistor.
