Re: Ignition coil exploded

["Jim Blair" <carnuck@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

A: #1, don't leave the key on with the motor not running! (it also burns out 
points) #2, get a cheapie Dodge ignition resistor and attach it to the 
aftermarket coil of your choice. (running a non-resistored coil on 12VDC 
will cause running troubles as the points heat up) If you have the Chev 
style starter with 2 smaller studs, one will pickup 12 volts while cranking 
and the other is the one that makes it crank over when energized. Hook a 
wire to the pickup contact so it goes past the resistor to the coil to boost 
power while cranking (that's what Chev and Ford did. I often had people 
complain about being hard to start after replacing their starter and found 
the wire off due to not having the extra stud. Even worse was when they just 
hooked them all to one contact and wondered why their motor suddenly 
couldn't rev!)


Subject: Ignition coil exploded
To: mail@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID: 
<OF48533438.08C74DB9-ON85256F3E.00140C89-85256F3E.0014A839@xxxxxxxxxx>
From: Colin J Brodsky <cbrodsky@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 30 Oct 2004 23:45:35 -0400





Rather surprising noise in the driveway with my '63 Rambler Classic
today... heard an explosion sound that at first sounded and looked like a
radiator cap that blew, but once I opened up the hood, I found the ignition
coil was blazing hot and apparently ruptured.  I have recently been through
two ignition coils but both were old and I didn't know the history of them.
The car has not been driven a lot; one lasted for quite some time and then
the other died after a few days.  A new replacement exploded today - I had
left the key in the on position without cranking for about 3 hours.

I'm now wondering if a '63 rambler classic needs a ballast resistor added
to it  to prevent this?  I thought the wire to the coil was resistance wire
and it wasn't needed.  The other coil that died quickly also seemed to be
when I was working on the car and had left the key on quite a bit.  Seems
like that is overheating the coil.

Any other possible causes?  The car starts and runs fine other than blowing
up the coils!


-Colin