Has anyone ever had their ballast resistor get :flame: smoking :flame: hot? If so, why?
Mine started smoking suddenly and I don't know why. Could it be the electronic ignition box??
It still runs perfectly and is charging just under 15 volts.
The car is a 68 with electronic ignition and an upgraded charging system, 69 and up, I think.
Sounds like a defective ignition switch. With the engine running, measure the voltage at the ballast resistor. The only way it can become that hot is if current is flowing through the resistor.
Isn't the current supposed to be running through the resistor from ign 1 when the engine is running?
clausoe the resistor will become very hot when the ignition is on.if it is a brand new part it will smoke for awhile when you start the car.or if somehow any type of fluid gets on it,it will also smoke.ie engine degreaser.
If the load on the resistor is increased due to load from the coil the resistor will heat up , possibly the coil is bad or has been changed to a high output coil
make sure tyo carry an extra when you go anywhere!
And there are a couple of different resistances offered depending on your other ignition system components.