Ignition question involving use of ballast resistor

in addition, looking at the pdf of the instruction sheet, the fact
that they specify those squeeze on connectors that bite through the
insulation worries me. i've used them quite a bit but they are
problematic on several levels and their use in a supposed high-class
high-performance etc. product kind of sits me back a minute, and that
combined with the lack of proper support you're mentioning really
makes me wonder about these guys. even if their basic engineering is
good, it seems their applications and marketing torpedoes the whole
ship.

 

looking at the pdf of the instruction sheet, the fact

I had a 72 Dodge 318 PU that I replaced the ignition with a later
Dodge Van electronic ignition. I had squeeze on connector problems
with it after a few years. I replaced everything with Mil Spec
connectors and all was OK.

product kind of sits me back a minute, and that

These are my thoughts also. Too many aftermarket products,
particularly electronic, are market by folks who know little about
their products. There are a few who do but they alwys turn out to be
manufactured by Industry leaders like Bendix, Delco and the like. The
ones that the big three turn to with problems. Like the brakes on my
Chevrolet P30 RV chassis.

Bob AZ

 

A lot of time the problem with the insulation displacement type
connectors is that people don't pay attention to the proper size (red,
blue, or yellow) for the gage of wire. That is particularly a problem
with using one made for bigger wire on smaller wire (say, blue connector
good for up to 18 ga wire but used on 20 or 22 gage wire). But, yeah,
otherwise, due to exposure to air and moisture, they are not nearly as
reliable over the long term as a soldered or crimped-and-soldered
connection. Crimped (no solder) is good if done right - i.e., right
size connector for the gage of wire, and good quality crimp tools - none
of this squeeze it flat with pliers routine.

So much about making connections is dependent on the skill and care of
the person doing the work. Shipping typical consumer (poor) quality
connectors to be installed by the typical consumer is a recipe for poor
reliability. But the typical consumer wants quick and easy vs. takes a
little time and care to do, and the manufacturer/marketer wants low cost
and to make it easy for what he knows is his ignorant, cheap, and
impatient consumer (not saying you are any of those - just generalizing).

If they put better type connectors in the kit, they may lose sales due
to cost or higher skill levels required for installation (and you could
credibly argue that they eventually lose sales due to poor reliability
with cheap connectors, but unfortunately the company who cheaps out will
probably have the overall better profitability record (in today's
ebay/consumer market).

 

Bill

Just a tip that many might use.

When faced with using a too large terminal just strip the wire a
little more than twice as long as needed, bend the wire over double
and then crimp in place. IOW use the additional wire as a filler.

I also agree on using the proper crimp tool. I do hate those cheap
ones like the brand name "Crimp". Fortunately in many years I have
collected enough crimping tools that I can do almost all of them.

And also there was a thread seveal years agou about whether to solder
and crimp or just crimp. Related to mostly battery cables. It was
noted that GM crimped only. Less trouble with corrosion as in green
stuff. The connection then needs to be sealed.

Bob AZ

 

Good suggestion about doubling up on the wire, Bob - I think I've done
that myself a couple of times - didn't actually double it over, but
stuck a second piece of wire in there.

For sealing a crimped or plain soldered connection, I've taken
electrical grade (acetic acid-free) silicone sealer and covered the
joint with it, then slid a piece of shrink tubing over it and shrunk the
shrink tubing - fun watching the excess get squoze out. Wiped off
whatever squeezed out. I think I got that idea from my Dad when I was a
kid - I think that's how they did wire splicing with submersible pumps
when they were a new item - maybe still do. The pumps came with the
splice kit including the sealer - that was in a time when your typical
silicone sealer had acetic acid in it, so the acetic acid-free type was
provided with the kit.

 

You think YOU'RE holding the bag.... try one of the 89-92 TBI v8
engines! That's an orphan and you can't even very well "MacGuyver" a
solution for it like you can with a carb.

The problem is that there's not only no reason for the factory to keep
supporting 80s vehicles, there's also no aftermarket interest in 80s
vehicles to cause the kind of support that you can get for 60s cars.
About the only 80s car that even raises any interest at all is the Buick
GN/GNX.

 

Once upon a time I had a job (briefly) for an automotive supplier and
occasionally would have to fabricate/repair wiring harnesses for test
vehicles that weren't off the shelf parts. The way I was shown to
weatherseal a soldered wire connection was to use silicone *grease*
under the heat shrink. Sometimes connections would be potted in 5-min
epoxy as well, e.g. multi-pin connectors. I hadn't thought of using
slow-curing silicone sealant, but that seems more elegant if anything.

nate

 

I never would have thought of using silicone grease either, but I could
see that working in certain situations.

 

I like the ideas presented regarding sealing crimped terminals. Good stuff!
To add my $0.02 worth, I've also done the double-over (and sometimes more)
wire trick when the terminal normally fits a larger wire. I also prefer to
use a crimper like this one: http://tinyurl.com/7lcqas (Klein pn 1005).
Another way to keep moisture out of the crimp zone is to use heatshrink
tubing. You can get heatshrink w/ adhesive/sealer on the inside. A side
benefit is a little more support for the wire as it exits the crimped
terminal. When I added a second battery and wiring (front & rear) for an
electric winch to my '77 Dodge 3/4 ton pickup, I used 1/0 welding cable with
heavy-duty sealed heatshrink on the crimped terminals. Yes, the ground
cables are also now 1/0 wire! The connectors for the winch are 175A units,
and I made up a 1/0 jump-start cable w/ gnarly clips... I don't have to open
the hood to give (or get) a jump-start!

Bryan

 

I can't believe how complex these internal combustion engines are and
how well they run when everything is operating correctly. They are truly
marvels of engineering.

At 2500 rpm, a V6 is firing each plug over 20 times a second.

Each intake and exhaust valve is opening and closing at the same rate.

125 explosions a second, all synchronized to maximize power output.

Meanwhile, the cooling system is pumping coolant throughout the engine
block and heads and through the radiator.

The power is transmitted to the wheels by another complicated system to
propel the vehicle down the road at speeds in excess of 70 miles an
hour. Thousands of different parts are involved and all must be working
correctly for the vehicle to maintain forward motion. I am truly amazed
that I don't see more vehicles broken down on the side of the road.

 

Its not a car engine, but given the stats you quoted above you should
enjoy this little read....


http://www.sandersaircraft.com/aircraft/dreadnought/One_Second_with_Dreadnought.pdf

 

Holy Crap!

Each cylinder displacement is as big as a small V6!

And there is 28 of 'em!

"Each piston has traveled 50 feet in linear distance, changing direction
100 times per second, with the total linear travel of all 28 pistons
adding up to a ¼ mile."

What controlled fury!

Look at the crew who probably serviced the carburetor:

http://www.vintagecarburetors.com/about.htm

happy looking bunch, eh?

 

well you should put the msd in and the coil pack in . then you should
run a NOVIS
system on your cars brain box to change the factory setting . to a
higher voltage . You can also up the fuel and air ratio , novis is a
wonderfull tool .

 

Novis? Never heard of it and can't find anything about it thru google.

Are you sure of the spelling?

 

That pretty much sums up an R-4360 ;-)

28 cylinders, 56 spark plugs, 4 magnetos. One caburetor (actually a
hybrid called an "injection carburetor" with venturis the size of coffee
cans.

In this case, controlled SEA Fury ;-)

And when those engines were installed in a B-36 or a Globemaster, they
would run *continuously* for 20+ hour missions. A B-36 had SIX 4360s,
each of which had two turbochargers in addition to its 56 plugs. That
made for one very busy flight engineer! Turbocharger wastegate,
throttle, mixture, prop pitch, and several other parameters were all set
and monitored by the FE. Good old days!