Chrysler Ignition in Avanti ----------------------------------------------- Unfortunately while I was out for a drive the car's ignition went away. I was blasting along on the freeway at about 70 when it cut out, back in and began to cut out more until it completely died. After stopping I made a couple of attempts to start it and it made a half hearted attempt to catch but not quite. It has one of those Jon Myer Chrysler ignition conversions in it. It's close to dark so I'll fuss with this another day. ---------------------------------------------- If you're using the Chrysler electronic ignition conversion, and the car's engine just quit on you, you should first check the ballast resistor. I've both seen and have heard of Chrysler products from the 70s and early 80s doing this, and in almost every case, the ballast resistor is the cause. In fact, the first time this happened to me in a Dodge, I replaced the ballast resistor, then always carried a spare in the glove box in case it happened again. I would just about bet on this as being the problem.. ----------------------------------------------- Lewis, I didn't read all the mail, but I sent Steve a reply about this problem earlier. Would your car still run without a load....sitting still could you rev it up? Would it re-start easily? ---------------------------------------------- I too have the same ignition you do.......and I too have been haveing the same problem. Drive somewhere, show off the Big "A", take off for home and BLAAAHHH!This has happened to me several times but I could find nothing wrong. Sent carb to T-bo for a complete rebuild, Ted Harbit has it now looking for the same thing. See if this sounds like yours........Driving along 65-75, starts to cut out.......let off the gas and slow down...runs OK for a minute, then starts it again. It feels like there is no gas getting to the carb. If I push the clutch in it will idlefine, I can rev the engine all I want. Take off again and when I get to speed, it starts all over again! Mine doesn't die, and it will restart immediately..............Same problem??? I have a Myers ignition for about 5 years ----------------------------------------------- And frank has seen two Avanti's with the same setup likewise quit due to the ballast resistor going bad. real possibility. frank r5421 letts ----------------------------------------------- I can speak from personal experience.. My dad had a 1976 Dodge Aspen from 1977-1985..... every year, around February,, the thing would blow the ballast resistor,, pop off two connectors, pop on the spare one in the glove box.. continue on your way. oh, and be sure to go get a new oneto replace tha bad one.. we even had a spare in the glove box the day the car got totaled. ----------------------------------------------- This problem sounds like there could be too much junk or rust in the fuel tank..... I've had similar symptoms on two 63 Avantis; after removing the tanks, cleaning them out and coating them, the problem was finally solved. You could also have too much crud in the fuel pump, also blocking the fuel flow..... But I'd first check the tank... Lew ----------------------------------------------- No.... if the ballast resistor goes bad, the engine will not run at all... period..... also, I just sent another response about checking your fuel tank.... I've had two cars that exhibited the same problems as yours and both were because too much rust and crud were in the tanks... Lew ----------------------------------------------- Ballast resistors can be the problem in Chrysler electronic distributors, but there is another ignition possibility. I had a '84 Dodge van with a 360 V-8 (same distributor). I would be driving along and it would die completely. I'd coast to the side of the road, wait a few minutes and it would start again and run fine, sometimes for a short distance and sometimes for several days. The first time it happened I had my motor club tow me to the dealer (on a Saturday). They couldn't put me exactly where I wanted to go so I hit the starter and it fired right up. (After that I didn't bother with a tow). My mechanic son said it was the pickup coils in the distributor. Dodge shop said no- replaced ballast resistor, same problem- replaced ignition switch, same problem. Had my son replace the pickups, was still running fine a few thousand miles later when I sold it. Maybe this will help someone who is stranded. It finally got so bad before it was fixed that if I let off the starter, it would die. So, I decided to put it in gear and hold the key in the start position (a little awkward, but when the tranny is moved out of park or neutral the starter disengages, so no harm is done). I actually drove 50 miles this way one time. Paul Johnson ---------------------------------------------- It could be water in the gas or a fuel pump going bad. Before doing anything else, try some gas dryer. Stan Gundry ----------------------------------------------- I once had a coil go bad, a long way from home, on my Chrysler ignitioned avanti. So I now carry a spare coil with my spare ballast resister. I also, for many thousands of miles now, have two resisters connected in series. BTW, if you do have ballast resister trouble, does everyone know that in a pinch you can just connect the two wires that go to the ballast resister and keep driving? I did this several times when I owned my cuda. Martin ----------------------------------------------- You can, but you may blow the control box on a Chrysler electronic system. I had this conversation with Jon Myer just Saturday- he said that the purpose of that resistor is to drop the voltage down to 9.2 volts, because the box wasn't designed to take the 12+ volts the battery/alternator feeds to it. This is totally different from the function of a ballast resistor in a points-type system- there it acts to reduce sparking and points consumption. Regards, Chuck ----------------------------------------------- I had the same problem, and I now carry a spare ballast resistor. don hedgepeth ----------------------------------------------- I was told that the ballast resistor is very sensitive to heat and Avanti's have plenty of that, so install it in a cool place if possible. don hedgepeth Fort Bend Theater wrote: ---------------------------------------------- Thanks for your replies, especially Lew's advise. I will keep an extra ballast resister in the car. In my case, it appears the problem was a loose screw that holds the wire loom to the module which I located under the dash on the firewall. I believe I will replace the ballast resister today just for shit and grins. I have had problems with ignition cutout on old cars in the past and checking and cleaning wire contact points has solved it. A long time ago I came onto a supply of stainless nuts of the size used on wire terminals in autos of the '50s and 60's and after brushing and cleaning the wire connector and screw stud have replaced the rusted nut with the stainless one. SteveM ---------------------------------------------- After a fashion, the ballast resister does the same thing for the Chrysler box except that it becomes black box "consumption" instead of points consumption. In the Chrysler setup, is the ballast resister bypassed during the engine's start mode? I use one on my GT Hawk, but don't remember this aspect of it. Fortunately, I've not experienced any trouble with my Chrysler conversion, except for a self-imposed problem caused when I neglected to set the pickup gap to .008." With the gap too wide, the engine would not start. Chris Altenburg ---------------------------------------------- Chris: I believe that the ballast resistor used on Chrysler electronic ignitions has two (2) resistor coils in it; one for starting and one for running. That is why, usually, when the resister goes bad and the engine will not run, you can still start it, but the engine dies the second you let off the starter. lew ---------------------------------------------- Chris: You're right.... the ballast resistor that Dave T. and John Myers includes with his conversions, as well as the Mopar electronic conversion kit (which I have one now) has a resistor with a singer resistive winding. What I was thinking about below, in my previous message, was what Chrysler used on their cars in the 70s, and possibly the early 80s. I remember the ballast resistor as being more than twice the height as the one we're using, and it had four wire plug-ins on it... two on each side. It was much different looking than the one we use on our electronic ignition conversions. I can't find one right now, but I'll see if I can still dig one up to check it. Lew ---------------------------------------------- Lew, Close, but no cigar. I don't believe that the Chrysler ballast resistor is any different than the one GM used for a million years for its cars. It has a single resistive winding. Two wires extend from the ignition switch to the ignition's positive power terminal. One is hot and supplies 12 volts from the ign. sw. to the ignition (and the starter solenoid) only when the key is turned to start then, when the ignition switch is allowed to spring back to its run position (driver releases the key), the first wire goes cold, and the second lead is hot with 12 volts which first goes to the ballast resister and is dropped by it to about 9 volts for the run functioning of the ignition. My memory on the Chrysler box is that it always gets the ballasted 12 volts to it, whether the ignition switch is in its start or run position. Thanks, Chris Altenburg ----------------------------------------------