Is this a normal resistor wire?
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Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 72
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From: Massachusetts
Is this a normal resistor wire?
The resistor wire in my 73 got shorted out and damaged, so my friend gave me the one out of his 68 camaro. In the picture you can see where the wire is bent 180 degrees and there is a stripped portion that was covered by a piece of rubber. He said it came out of the harness like that...is this normal? I've never seen one pulled out of the harness before.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 23,375
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From: Virginia USA
Any wire that carries electricity should never be exposed like that resistor wire or not. No, it doesn't look right to me. Appears someone peeled back the insulation. Like kansas123 said, my '71 has cloth insulation and no exposed wire like the one out of the Camaro. I don't use mine anymore as I have an MSD CD ignition system now.
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Joined: Nov 2023
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From: Aubrey TX
Resistance wire is usually nichrome wire. In this case I would bet money it is. Because its intended to act as a resistor it will drop the voltage and the trade off is heat. So resistance wire cannot use the same insulation as copper wire or it would melt. So back in the day they would wrap nichrome wire with fiberglass or asbestos mesh. That said, you must shield that wire from ground or it will short and where the wire sticks out in the photo is where the insulation (mesh) is probably worn. If I were you, I would toss that wire you have and see if you can find one in better shape.
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Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Crossville TN
Measure the wire's resistance with an ohmmeter from one end to the other. If it shows less than 0.5 ohms, it is not resistor wire. (the resistance of the tester leads and a length of regular wire will be 0.2-0.5 ohms)
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Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 72
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From: Massachusetts
I know this is an original coil wire, and it does have the right resistance. My confusion is in the stripped portion, it almost looks factory, but I can’t imagine why it would be like that. I got a new resistance wire for a Ford from Napa, I guess I will give that a try instead.
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Joined: Nov 2023
Posts: 703
Likes: 335
From: Aubrey TX
I know this is an original coil wire, and it does have the right resistance. My confusion is in the stripped portion, it almost looks factory, but I can’t imagine why it would be like that. I got a new resistance wire for a Ford from Napa, I guess I will give that a try instead.
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