Re: Duraspark question

[amcnut@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Essentially, yes, it is normal for that resistor block to get hot. It is in the process of "throttling down" 12V to about 6.5 V or so, and one of the ways it dissipates the excess voltage is by radiating heat. The ceramic block is a heat sink/insulator.
This is the same process used to regulate speeds on the heater fan. Those resistor coils get amazingly hot, and if they get leaves or other tree debris caught up in them, guess what happens? More than once I've smoked up the interior of my 72 Javelin because of this. 

Jeff Reeves
Auburn GA
79 Spirit GT
73 Javelin
72 Javelin SST
69 Ambassador DPL
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Date: Thu, 9 Jun 2005 21:38:29 -0700 (PDT)
From: Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>
To: AMC List <mail@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Motorcraft Duraspark question...
Message-ID: <20050609213350.D1396@localhost>

I've got an AMC-labelled Duraspark box with the popular "TFI upgrade" parts installed. Works great. Got the Ford TFI coil for nearly nothing from a yard.

I installed a 1.6 ohm ballast resistor, a big ceramic job, bolted to the inner fender (there is no resistance wire in my home-made harness).  The damned thing gets skin-peeling hot -- easy 500 degrees.  I mean, peel-your-skin-off hot like the barrel of a soldering iron.

The coil seems fine, only a slight temperature rise.  The Duraspark box is the same temp as the fender.

Is this normal?




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