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Ballast Resistor Question (Electronic ignition coversion)

Started by TruckDriver, March 10, 2006, 02:31:54 PM

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TruckDriver

I started the conversion to a electronic ignition today. My question is, My car has a 3 prong ballast resistor in it now (factory). The ignition conversion kit gives me a 2 prong resistor. What am I supposed to do here now with them being different. Keep in mind, I never done this before, so explain it so I understand it :-[
PETE

My Dad taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!" :P

John_Kunkel

Three prong ballast? Do you mean two prongs with three wires?
Pardon me but my karma just ran over your dogma.

TruckDriver

It is  the big square ballast resistor in my car now. I didn't pull the wires off yet, but it looks like 3 prong.
PETE

My Dad taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!" :P

Ghoste

It's probably a four prong and it's no longer needed with the new kit.  If you look at your new ecm you will see that there is one less pin for the connector than the oem one too.  Just follow the directions to convert it to the two prong.

Chryco Psycho

2 prong is all that is needed , the green wire to the ECU is not used

TruckDriver

Quote from: Chryco Psycho on March 12, 2006, 02:13:26 AM
2 prong is all that is needed , the green wire to the ECU is not used

I read that in the directions, but can I just splice the new wires into the exsisting wires up by the Ballast resistor?
PETE

My Dad taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!" :P

Nacho-RT74

if you will use the two prongs ballast resistor and 4 pins ECU module, you can simply just cut out the spliced blue wire ( like a jumper ) from one of the sides of ballast and remove the green wire on the other side of ballast plugs. After that, just remove the double plastic isolators ( By the way, I need them LOL ), and fit the single isolators to the existant female terminals.

5 pins modules use the extra parallel internal higher resistance resistor (around 5 ohms) of the ballast. 4 pins one doesn't, only used the lower resistance ends.

But I don't get it completely what are you doing... you are just upgrading electronic ingnition system with just orange ECU module and ballast, or will replace the wiring and dist also using the complete kit ?

if you are upgrading and use same original wires , only need make what I told you.

If you will replace also wiring and want to look like a stock harness with no visible mods or splices you will need to untape the engine harness from dist up to ballast and replace wires. Well, you really need to untape up to spliced blue wire inside the engine harness. The engine harnes has a big spliced blue wire area inside the tape where are solded the ballast source, the regulator source, the main ECU module source and one of the alt brushes source. Will need to cut the Ballast and Module sources to sold on to the splice the new harness ballast and Module sources.

At least that is what I would do to get a new and healthy wires on the the ignition system.
Venezuelan RT 74 400 4bbl, 727, 8.75 3.23 open. Now stroked with 440 crank and 3.55 SG. Here is the History and how is actually: http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,7603.0/all.html
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,25060.0.html

TruckDriver

Ok, this is not off my car, but it is the same as mine (pic). Why cant I splice the new wires that come with the conversion kit, into the exsisting wires that are already on the ballast resistor? I don't want all the old unused wires just hanging there. And, what about the black looped wire and other brown wires? I wont need that? If I don't need the black looped wire, thats fine, but what about the extra brown wires?
PETE

My Dad taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!" :P

Nacho-RT74

brown wires are: one coming from ignition switch and the other goes directly to positive terminal of coil. Is just to bypass the ballast at START ignition swtch to feed with the maximun power available from batt.

Once engine is started and get back the ignition to RUN position, the the brown wire up to  coil is feeded by the blue wire trought ballast what is coming also from ignition, and brown wire coming from ignition is out of use ( but still is hot of course ).

Brown wires and blue are the only ones you need to make 4 pins ecu module work... the jumper black wire on pic ( what really is blue on our cars ), and green can be removed.

YOU don't need to splice the new wires on to nothing, YOU can use just your existing wiring ;), UNLESS you want to replace those wires with new fresh wires coming from kit.
Venezuelan RT 74 400 4bbl, 727, 8.75 3.23 open. Now stroked with 440 crank and 3.55 SG. Here is the History and how is actually: http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,7603.0/all.html
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,25060.0.html

TruckDriver

UUUUUGGGG :P  I still need to splice the distributer in the the system somewhere though. I can do the splice then right up in front of the engine by the distributer then right? But then that still leaves me the 4 prong connectors at the ballast resistor which should plug into the 2 prong one. Why can't I just use the 4 prong ballast resistor even if I don't need all 4 connectors? I mean, the ignition has to still go through the resistor right? And if I disconnect some of the brown wires, the car wont start, right? I am missing something here evidentially. I understand that I can use the original wires OR, if I want, I can replace the original blue and brown wire if I want. What I am confused about, is, the new distributer still needs to be plugged into the old wires somewhere right? I know I do NOT need the green wire at all, And I understand that the black wire goes to the negative side of the coil. Then the distributer comes with the 2 prong plug by the distributer for the brown and blue wires which need to go to the resistor. Were I am getting confused, is there are about 5 wires or so on the 4 prong resistor, and yet I only need 2 on the 2 prong resistor. What will happen with the other wires I am not using? Will the car still start and run?
PETE

My Dad taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!" :P

Nacho-RT74

you can use your existing 4 prongs ballast and just replace you new module buddy ;). I'm just talking if you use the new two prongs resistor and don't get hanging up the rest. Is just a plug and play game ;)

distribuitor... why you need to splice anything ? new kit distribuitors use the same plugs than your existing wires...
I think I'll upload a pic of how is your car wired
Venezuelan RT 74 400 4bbl, 727, 8.75 3.23 open. Now stroked with 440 crank and 3.55 SG. Here is the History and how is actually: http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,7603.0/all.html
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,25060.0.html

Nacho-RT74

here is how's your car wired. Colors are closer as PAINT let me that original wires
Venezuelan RT 74 400 4bbl, 727, 8.75 3.23 open. Now stroked with 440 crank and 3.55 SG. Here is the History and how is actually: http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,7603.0/all.html
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,25060.0.html

Nacho-RT74

can you give me a pic of wires that comes with your kit ?

NOTE: my diagram looks regulator and brushes blue wires spliced on another place of the blue line, BUT all blue wires are solded on same place before the ballast. AND blue wire up to Module is really Blue traced yellow  I think.

If I'm right your new wires comes with:

ECU module plug with brown and tan wires up to distribuitor ( or maybe black and orange ) with already the female/male bullet L shaped rubber plug, black wire with eyelet terminal what plugs on to the negative terminal of coil, anld blue wire ( maybe traced yellow ) what is the one that splice on any part of blue wire on your existing harness.

you don't have nothing to do with brown ballast wires becasue you allways will use your existing one.

Venezuelan RT 74 400 4bbl, 727, 8.75 3.23 open. Now stroked with 440 crank and 3.55 SG. Here is the History and how is actually: http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,7603.0/all.html
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,25060.0.html

TruckDriver

Remember Nacho, My car originally did NOT have a electroinic ignition. Maybe that is where we are missing the point here. Here is  the only pic I have of the new ignition kit.

PETE

My Dad taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!" :P

Nacho-RT74

wait... your car doesn't have electronic ignition BUT does it have double ballast with ALL eth wires ?

please, let's talk by Yahoo
Venezuelan RT 74 400 4bbl, 727, 8.75 3.23 open. Now stroked with 440 crank and 3.55 SG. Here is the History and how is actually: http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,7603.0/all.html
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,25060.0.html

TruckDriver

PETE

My Dad taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!" :P