labrat Posted February 10, 2002 Share Posted February 10, 2002 I posted this in troubleshooting, but more people come here so maybe i'll get a quicker answer. Here's the deal. I've finished my conversion, small block all in place, try to start the motor, and no spark. All of this ran fine when in the 72 chevy truck I pulled it from. After much troubleshooting, find out that the voltage to the HEI dist. is dropping to about 9 volts when I crank the motor. I'm pulling voltage directly off the battery for this (thru a relay) but it's still not enough. I have a 625 CA battery and even jumper cables to my girlfriend's car is not enough, the voltage still drops. Do i just need a bigger battery, or is something else going on here? Voltage is also dropping at the battery terminals themselves. I am running a remote battery in the trunk, is 1 guage wire big enough for this? I am at a loss and getting really frustrated here! IS 9~10 volts enough to fire an HEI ignition? Do I just need to go to points and forget HEI? I've replaced everything electrical in the dizzy, and i don't know where to turn right now. Thanks for any and all assistance! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denny411 Posted February 10, 2002 Share Posted February 10, 2002 9 volts should fire it just fine for start up.It sounds like your module to me maybe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labrat Posted February 10, 2002 Author Share Posted February 10, 2002 okay, i bit the bullet, and went out and bought a points style distributor, cap, rotor, and coil. Upon reading, this coil requires an external ballast resistor. Any idea of the value of this resistor, or where i might find one? I have got to get this thing running soon! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted February 10, 2002 Share Posted February 10, 2002 Bill, I reponded in the other post too, but the setup should work temporarily without the balast resistor. Long term it will burn out your points, but at least you'll know if it works before you put on the resistor. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gbvol54 Posted February 10, 2002 Share Posted February 10, 2002 Ballast resistors are relatively cheap and should be available from any parts store. They were used on most/all "older" engines. In fact the 240's came with one (at least my 73' did). Not sure if the resistance is different from engine to engine. Good luck, it's gotta be frustating as heck to be so close..... Long term, as I'm sure you know, the HEI is the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Thurem Posted February 10, 2002 Share Posted February 10, 2002 5 ohm I think, 5 bucks. wire it so you get full voltage when cranking, but as soon as you let go of key it runs through resistor. thure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labrat Posted February 11, 2002 Author Share Posted February 11, 2002 Put in new distributor today, adjusted timing by eyeball, and it fired first time! IT'S ALIVE! Bwa ha ha ha... This is a great feeling, i fired it up with open manifolds and had the neighbors running to see what was exploding! (I live in a duplex...) But it runs! I will probably go with an aftermarket electronic ignition later, but i will never go back to HEI. I spent over 125 bucks replacing everything electronic in that distributor, when for 65 bucks I got a whole new points setup including plug wires and coil. Now I just have to locate a ballast resistor so I don't burn up the coil... Thanks for all the help here guys, I'm a transmission crossmember away from tearing up the streets! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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