electric problems with Distributor
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 860
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From: Stratford Ontario
electric problems with Distributor
I installed the gear drive distributor with the pertronix ignitor in it. The car would only try to start after releasing the key. My buddy put a test light on +coil side and it was only getting voltage as I released the key. Sometimes it would start sometimes it wouldnt. If it started it ran fine. Any ideas would be helpfull. I put the mallory back in with ballast resistor and it ran fine?
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 16,528
Likes: 53
From: Dayton, Ohio
So while cranking you had no voltage going to the coil ? Where did finally get the power from for the dist ?
When you say you used the ballast resistor are you meaning you used the original factory 2 wires coming from the harness ?
When you say you used the ballast resistor are you meaning you used the original factory 2 wires coming from the harness ?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 860
Likes: 0
From: Stratford Ontario
With the mallory I used the Chrysler type ballast resistor and it works fine. Im guessing that the coil needs the voltage to drop to fire and when I put the gear drive setup in the voltage wasn't dropping so it wouldn't fire. Does that make sense? I also have a mini torque starter, not sure if that matters? Thanks for your help Roger.
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 16,528
Likes: 53
From: Dayton, Ohio
The voltage drop won't help it fire.
The mini starter doesn't have an R terminal,the R terminal supplies the coil with power during cranking.
The pink coming off the ignition switch is SUPPOSED to supply power while cranking BUT if it the switch is misadjusted or the contacts inside are slightly burned it won't supply power and the coil will be firing solely by the power supplied by the R term via yellow wire.
Question-What wire supplies voltage to the Chrysler ballast resistor ?
The mini starter doesn't have an R terminal,the R terminal supplies the coil with power during cranking.
The pink coming off the ignition switch is SUPPOSED to supply power while cranking BUT if it the switch is misadjusted or the contacts inside are slightly burned it won't supply power and the coil will be firing solely by the power supplied by the R term via yellow wire.
Question-What wire supplies voltage to the Chrysler ballast resistor ?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 860
Likes: 0
From: Stratford Ontario
The ignition switch wire supplys the voltage to the ballast resistor. There is also the red from distributor on same contact as ignition. Then other side of ballast is fed to + side of coil. Only real difference between distributors (other than ballast) is the mallory has a ground wire on it. I would like to change the distributor as the mallory is a 9000 series and has no vacuum advance. Great for performance but not so great with gas mileage.
