ballast resistor

[charger01]

May be a silly question, but just what is a ballast resistor and how does it actually function?

[67RedCharger]

A ballast resistor is a device that offers resistance to the current flow to the coil, and points in the distributor.  The way it functions is during the period the car is starting, you want a hot spark for the spark plugs to fire with, so the ballast resistor is not in the circuit for the coil during the starting period.  After you release the ignition switch, the circuit takes on another path for current flow THROUGH the ballast resistor that cuts down on the current flow to the coil, reducing the spark plug fire.

  ~ 67RedCharger ~

[Ghoste]

And is it not also true that in spite of them always saying they hate Mopars because of ballast resistors, don't GM's also have a form of ballast in their starting circuit?  My understanding was that their's is built into the wiring harness someplace and goes by a different name for the same purpose and is not as easy and cheap to change as the Mopar version when it fails.

[67RedCharger]

All depends on what engine you are exposed to with the GM stuff.  I'm restoring a 59 Impala with a 348 tri-power carb setup and the 348 has a ballast resistor.  The 283 V8 has the ballast made into the coil wiring setup.  Seems like it would be less expensive to go with a ballast instead of replacing wiring harnesses.  With "Ole Red"  I have never had any ballast resistor problems.  Can't but like the way things have worked out with my 38 year old car in the ballast department.

  ~ 67RedCharger ~

[Plumcrazy]

The ballast resistor that got all the bad rap was the dual resistor they used on the early electronic ignitions.
When they went to the four terminal ECU they eliminated second resistor.

[Chryco Psycho]

gm uses a resistor in the wiring

[Ghoste]

That's what I thought.  It's just as likely to fail as our ceramic stand alone unit isn't it?

[Chryco Psycho]

generally no , the GM system seems to be much more reliable But if it fails it is a lot harder to fix 

[Ghoste]

Well, the next time some Chebby Bozo trash talks my car because of the ballast, I'm going to remind him that his car has one too only it's much harder to repair and MORE likely to fail (hey, they'll likely never know the difference to be able to dispute it).

[Nacho-RT74]

well I have know about more fails on resistors on Chevys here than on Mopars down here. I never have changed a ballast resisitor on my car REALLY because I REALLY need it,  just trying to find a fail... Never was the ballast resistor.