Ballast resistor on the 280Z

[TomoHawk]

Can somebody tell me where the ballast resistor is supposed to be on a 280Z? I thought it would be very near the coil, but the only thing I see there is a noise cap.

thx.

[sblake01]

A 280Z has no ballast resistor.

[TomoHawk]

OK...

That would explain why I don't see one. Can you explain why it's not there? Possibly because the distributor doesn't have points?

thx

[sblake01]

Well, I don't know the electronic explaination but I do remember noticing that every car I've had with points had one and every car I've had w/o points didn't.

[JZM]

Ok here we go.the ignition ciruit is equipped with resistor.during cranking, electrical currant by-passes the resistor,thereby connecting the ignition coil

directly to the battery.this provides full battery voltage avaliable at the coil and keeps the ignition voltage as high as possible.the low voltage currant is supplied by the battery or alternator and flows through the primary circuit.which consists of the ignition switch,resistor,primary windings of the ignition coil,distributor contact points,condensor and all connecting low tension wiring. [as written in the earlier Z and all ignition discription service manuals].If you remove the resistor from the system[early] you could go through coils,points and condensors prematurely.

Basically with out you could fry your primary side and any related low tension wiring.the 280Zs do have a resistor in there system but it's inside the car and it ties into a whole lot more than just your ignition.electronic type ignition systems need higher and more consistant power to operate.electronic ignition

coils are made not to use these resistors mostly due to the higher resistant

primary windings.same as with all related low resistant wiring which is still

not as weak as the earlier wiring systems.hope this helps you in your quest for knowlage about this subject.

JZM

[TomoHawk]

zgarage.com has a good article about the coils to use, and tells you how to pick the right one- not the 'high-voltage' one you'd use on points ignition. You're actually looking for one with the right resistance.

http://www.geocities.com/zgarage2001/engine.html

[JZM]

Are we talking about coils or why and where about resistors????

coils are a differant subject all-together.w/ todays tech-old school rules don't

apply like they used to.but if your a hard core Z person stay w/the coil type it came with. not that thats what I thought we wre talking about,unless I missed something...?

JZM

[TomoHawk]

You started talking about the resistor in your last post, then started talking about the coil. The 240Zs, and most 260Zs had points ignition, so it applies there. Since there's no ballast resistor in the 280Z with apoints-less distributor, the coil is very important, and I posted a relevant link about that.

[Bambikiller240]

Since there's no ballast resistor in the 280Z with apoints-less distributor

Are you sure about that? JZM seems (if I'm reading correctly) to be saying that there IS one. (see below)

the 280Zs do have a resistor in there system but it's inside the car and it ties into a whole lot more than just your ignition.

JZM

[sblake01]

But the initial question was 'where is the ballast resistor in a 280Z' my answer was 'there isn't one.' That is, no ballast resistor. There are five different circuits in the IC ignition unit on the side of the distributor which basically assume the function of the ballast resistor as well as others functions:

1. Spark timing signal circuit, which detects the ignition signal sent from the dist. p/u coil, and amplifies the signal.

2. Lock-preventing circuit, which cuts off the ignition coil primary current when the ignition switch is in the ON and the engine is off.

3. Duty control circuit, which controls the ratio of the ignition coil primary current ON-OFF time periods, in one cycle of ignition operation.

4. Power switching circuit, which makes or breaks the primary circuit current of the coil.

5. Current limiting circuit, which controls the current value so that excessive current will not flow through the power switching circuit.

After doing the homework, I conclude that there would be no advantage in using a higher output coil since this system seems to allow a finite amount of current to the distributor.

[TomoHawk]

That's cool, Steven.

Do you have any links for that? It'll take a while to digest, and better yet, some diagrams for the 280Z would be good. I noticed an empty plug on my coil that I can't identify.

[Bambikiller240]

But the initial question was 'where is the ballast resistor in a 280Z' my answer was 'there isn't one.' That is, no ballast resistor.

I understand that, but it seems to me (unless he's talking about a resistor that doesn't function as a ballast resistor) that JZM is saying that there IS one, inside the car.