Re: [omc-boats] Ballast Resistor and coil

In a message dated 4/11/05 3:49:05 PM Central Daylight Time, odin@...
writes:

<< the resister is located on the front of the engine and if you
 follow the lead from the distributor it will take you right to it. All you
need to
 do to get home is to pull the two wires from the resistor and hook them
together -
 be sure they don't touch any metal - that will allow 12 volts to go to the
 distributor which will work fine - you should replace the resistor though to
extend
 the life of the points. >>

The resistor is there so the coil will operate at 6 volts, its' rated
operating
voltage. The resistor is shorted out when the ignition switch is put in the
start position and the engine is cranking so that the coil will receive more
voltage during the cranking process.

When the starter motor is engaged, voltage drops considerably - to maybe 8
volts,
so the coil needs a boost in voltage to get adequate spark during cranking.

If the resistor is bypassed, the coil will receive 12 volts and its' life
will be
shortened if run for very long that way. It will get you home in an
emergency,
but you may need to replace the coil if it overheats.

The resistor is called a "Ballast Resistor".

A symtom of inadequate spark can be Loss of power as the throttle is increased
while up on plane. Replacing the coil and/or points and/or the resistor can
eliminate this problem. A defective ignition switch can also cause a similar
problem.

Often I've seen the wiring harness become brittle and start shedding its'
insulation. I've made new harnesses and re-used the plug and a short
length of the original wire from the plug to do this.

Be sure to clean the male and female engine harness plug located behind
and below the rear of the engine. If your boat has ever had a lot of water in
it, that plug will get wet and will corrode over time. This will cause a lot
of
problems with reliability of the engine.

Lee Hazen
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Received on Tuesday, 12 April 2005