Here you go Bigminiandy

[Alacrity]

Proof of Shameless going for it (before she misbehaved again ).

[bigminiandy]

Told you she worked (sometimes)

For the time she worked on the Saturday I was really pleased with her actually, once the coil had cooled down again she started perfectly.

I think its a ballast resistor I need to get to reduce the current going into the coil??? Could somebody back me up on this.


Thanks for posting the picture Geoff, I only have one other photo of her on the plane.

[Alacrity]

I agree with Paul (Eastcoast) on this, if the coil is overheating then there are almost certainly too many volts getting to it, run her with a voltmeter connected to the coil & see what voltage you are getting there. I have checked up regarding disconnecting the alternator wiring & it seems I was incorrect to suggest you could do that without risking alternator damage, you could do it years ago but not these days (my father ran his twin engine work boats with only one alternator wired up permanently & they were running all day & days a week in the summer with no ill effects). Does the alternator belt run anything else (pump?)? If not then just remove the belt & take her out for a blast & see if it cures the problem. It is confusing that the coil is doing this if its definitely a 12v rated one (as opposed to a 9v one designed for a ballast resisted system).

Alternatively put a dynamo back on as she would have had!!

[bigminiandy]

Knowing how unreliable she is i had taken loads of tools with me. The only thing I hadn't took was a volt meter, gutted I would have known there and then. Never mind.

I've had a good look trying to run with out the alternator but it just isn't possible due to the engine water pump. I'll get her running this week on the trailer and connect the flush system so I can get a good reading.

Paul has suggested running a resistor from a transit van but I've also seen the white ceramic block type on the web for about £10 would this do the job? I had considered going back to a dynamo but she's been on an alternator since I've had her and had always previously done the job.

[eastcoast]

Hi Andy, got home and found a ballast in my spares!, could have fitted and tried. anyhow the ceramic one is a transit, Austin, triumph etc and will be fine. any 1.6 ohm will do. if you then have probs starting take a live from starter motor, (the small spade or round pin on starter solenoid) to coil + direct just to give 12v when starting.
also check point gap not too big/small.

[bigminiandy]

Brilliant. Will order one tonight. I know the gap on the points is correct as they were new and i'd only fitted them the week before. Will hopefully sort her this week and get her back on the water the week after.

[Tatra Man]

Coils do run hot - this is quite normal. Most coils are stamped with the voltage and those designed for use with a ballast resistor are usually marked 7 V as they're designed to run on 6-9 volts. Starter solenoids designed for use with cold-climate ignition systems have an extra terminal to bypass the ballast resistor during starting but, if you want to keep the original starter solenoid, you can take the feed from the operating tag on the starter solenoid or the equivalent "start" terminal on the back of the ignition switch via a 10A or more diode to the coil (the resistance of the coil is around 1·5?) as, without the diode, the starter solenoid coil will be in parallel with the ignition coil and its inductance may well upset the operation of the ignition coil.

[bigminiandy]

It doesn't just run hot. It runs fry and egg hot. 20minutes and it's too hot to operate.

[Howstar]

Hi there one thing you forgot to try. the condenser.you get lot cheap copy xxx from china these days.

What happens the current bypass the points . and shorts through the condenser out to earth. and this will burn out your coil out usually when engine is hot. also the rotor arm are not very good these days and have hair line crack in them, get one those red rotor arm from distributor doctor i will put a link here,


http://www.distributordoctor.com/rotor_arms.html


I have had all these faults

Also if you fit ballast resistor in the circuit and if not design to have one ,it will make it difficult to start when cold

here circuit diagram for your ford engine the relay is the stater solenoid
http://wiringschematic.net/ignition-wir ... ford-cars/

one with out ballast

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... em.svg.png

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... em.svg.png


as you see when the starter is energesied it bypassing the ballast resistor

[bigminiandy]

Thanks Howard

It's not the condensor or the pointer that are at fault. I previously had an accuspark points replacement kit fitted in the dizzy and the boat suffered exactly the same symptons.

I've ordered a ballast resistor and will give it ago. I know this will get hot so where is the best place to mount it. Should i attach it to the engine rather than the WOODEN engine bay???