HEI hot wire connection voltage question.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 20,910
Likes: 962
From: I tend to be leery of any guy who doesn't own a chainsaw or a handgun.
I'll disagree, you can't use the pink resistance wire from the old points distributor and use it for the HEI. I believe I mentioned that in post#8.
Thats why you have to run a new wire from a switched 12volt source from the fuse block out to the HEI power lug. See post #8.
Points can't run at 12 volts or they will burn up.
Thats why you have to run a new wire from a switched 12volt source from the fuse block out to the HEI power lug. See post #8.
Points can't run at 12 volts or they will burn up.
All this is explained in the Ignition sticky.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,593
Likes: 103
From: Southern Indiana
Twelve volts is child's play for a set of points (after all, that's what powers the coil and points). In fact, they routinely experience a couple of hundred volts every ignition event. What burns up a set of points is excess current (a very different thing than voltage). The ballast resistor is there to limit the current, not the voltage that the points are exposed to.
All this is explained in the Ignition sticky.
All this is explained in the Ignition sticky.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 20,910
Likes: 962
From: I tend to be leery of any guy who doesn't own a chainsaw or a handgun.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,593
Likes: 103
From: Southern Indiana
I read it and if you think that gibberish explains anything someone needs to know or could use then pat yourself on the back you got an A+.
I read it in "Pig Latin" and I understood it better that way, give it a try.
Here in America if someone would ask that HEI question the correct and useable answer would be: Run a wire from the fuse panel that is ignition switched on/off to the power connection on the HEI distributar and you are done.
But thanks
for your imput as there are a couple more on here who participate in desk top therory as well.
I read it in "Pig Latin" and I understood it better that way, give it a try.
Here in America if someone would ask that HEI question the correct and useable answer would be: Run a wire from the fuse panel that is ignition switched on/off to the power connection on the HEI distributar and you are done.
But thanks
for your imput as there are a couple more on here who participate in desk top therory as well.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 20,910
Likes: 962
From: I tend to be leery of any guy who doesn't own a chainsaw or a handgun.
I read it and if you think that gibberish explains anything someone needs to know or could use then pat yourself on the back you got an A+. It was an attempt to do away with some common ignition wives' tales regularly circulated on this forum. Apparently I can't get through to everyone. I read it in "Pig Latin" and I understood it better that way, give it a try.
Here in America if someone would ask that HEI question the correct and useable answer would be: Run a wire from the fuse panel that is ignition switched on/off to the power connection on the HEI distributar and you are done. Re-read my posts. I did that. But thanks for your imput as there are a couple more on here who participate in desk top therory as well.
Here in America if someone would ask that HEI question the correct and useable answer would be: Run a wire from the fuse panel that is ignition switched on/off to the power connection on the HEI distributar and you are done. Re-read my posts. I did that. But thanks
for your imput as there are a couple more on here who participate in desk top therory as well.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,593
Likes: 103
From: Southern Indiana
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 20,910
Likes: 962
From: I tend to be leery of any guy who doesn't own a chainsaw or a handgun.
The technology driven parts of a car don't just fall out of a tree.
I'm done here. Please annoy someone else with your childishness for a while.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,683
Likes: 34
From: Working on the car NY
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 2,609
Likes: 12
From: Massapequa Park NY
I converted to a manual choke. I have the carb apart (again), put in another float at 1/4" height, removed the .120 (performance) headle/seat and put in that from the NAPA rebuild kit and will put it together this am. It (now) seems the carbs needs ALOT of gas to get it to fire. And then you need multiple tries to keep it running.
Q jet carb? How's the accelerator pump? Did you change it to an ethanol compatible pump? Can you see fuel squirting out as you work the throttle?
Jim
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,683
Likes: 34
From: Working on the car NY
IIRC, the NAPA kit says it's good for ethanol. Fuel does squirt out. This time when taking the carb apart, I left it on the engine. This am, all I have to do is
try and catch the throttle plate linkage (the piece that goes thru the side of the carb). I have the top plate on. Before I do that, I will take the top plate off, and see if the carb held gas from yesterday. I didn't epoxy the bottom plugs - didn't think I had to. I have to pump this thing about 20 times before it spudders. I have a feeling it has no gas in it after an overnight sitting. I hope that is the case because I'm at a loss about what has happened.Fred
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,683
Likes: 34
From: Working on the car NY
An update (FWIW). I put the carb back with the stock jets, secondary rods and hanger that it had before I put some 
performance updates during the rebuild that I thought would make it run better with the ZZ4. I finished up late yesterday and didn't get a chance to put the carb back on. I will do this today
. I did find out that my carb has the "swagged" plugs that are known to be pretty good and do not have the tendency to leak. This carb was put on in 1975 to replace the spread bore that was on it when I bought it. From what I've read, it was the earlier versions that had a tendency to leak. I also may try a lead from the solonoid to the HEI and see if that gives me more cranking voltage than what I have from the fuse panel. Hoping for the best
performance updates during the rebuild that I thought would make it run better with the ZZ4. I finished up late yesterday and didn't get a chance to put the carb back on. I will do this today. I did find out that my carb has the "swagged" plugs that are known to be pretty good and do not have the tendency to leak. This carb was put on in 1975 to replace the spread bore that was on it when I bought it. From what I've read, it was the earlier versions that had a tendency to leak. I also may try a lead from the solonoid to the HEI and see if that gives me more cranking voltage than what I have from the fuse panel. Hoping for the best
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,683
Likes: 34
From: Working on the car NY
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 2,609
Likes: 12
From: Massapequa Park NY
Jim
Heel & Toe
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
Hey guys been reading about all the HEI issues since I've encountered one myself. This is what I have found. I had a switched hot wire coming from the fuse panel that checked to be 12+ volts. once I hooked it into the B+ terminal the voltage dropped to around 8+ volts I checked it with the coil cover off where the terminal connected to the coil I still don't know the reason for the drop. I then took a jumper wire and connected it from the alternator to the B+ terminal and checked it the same way, "No voltage drop". The whole reason for the check was because my car wouldn't even try to start with the fuse panel switched wire, but after connecting to the alternator hot wire the car started instantly So now i'm a firm believer that the HEI needs 12+ voltage to start and run properly. So now i'm going to do the relay thing. Just my two cents worth