Mopar to ya!
- Thread starter zrxkawboy
- Start date
CleanSump
Site Donor 2026
My mom and sister both had to keep a spare and a nut-driver in their Duster and Dart.
Not a Mopar guy. What is the story here?
I have only had a couple of old time Mopars, but they both got 12v coils installed and that stupid resistor tossed out.
Buy one Get one gimme 5 good till spring
I was a Mopar guy, but this is before my time!
I didn't realize the point of this was to drop voltage to the coil. I just read something about 80/90s Mopar electrical systems being very robust and designed to take up to 20 volts in the event the regulator built into the SBEC failed and the system got the full output of the alternator.
I recognized the part, and I grew up with Chryslers, but I never experienced a failure of this type. Maybe the driving in Vancouver wasn't stressing them?
I used to keep a ballast resistor in the glovebox of my '73 New Port Custom. It was $2 at that time and in 8 years of ownership, it was fortunate that I never had to use it but at least I had one if needed..
This is a good summary: https://mopowergarage.blog/2025/11/...sistor-and-how-technicians-can-test-it-today/
About 30 years ago we were driving a 1980 Plymouth Volare wagon with the venerable Slant Six.
My wife had to get to work for 4 p.m. and phoned me at my work, sometime after 3, to say that the car would start fine, but would die when she touched the accelerator.
I asked her whether the engine was actually quitting as soon as she released the key. Yes, she confirmed.
I stepped her through finding a piece of wire in the garage, stripping the ends, and installing it across the open ballast resistor. With hesitation she did the workaround, and got the car going.
She did a very neat job on the bypass, and I replaced the ballast resistor the next day.
All this before we had cell phones it internet - I was really impressed she worked through it.
My wife had to get to work for 4 p.m. and phoned me at my work, sometime after 3, to say that the car would start fine, but would die when she touched the accelerator.
I asked her whether the engine was actually quitting as soon as she released the key. Yes, she confirmed.
I stepped her through finding a piece of wire in the garage, stripping the ends, and installing it across the open ballast resistor. With hesitation she did the workaround, and got the car going.
She did a very neat job on the bypass, and I replaced the ballast resistor the next day.
All this before we had cell phones it internet - I was really impressed she worked through it.
That's pretty amazing. Not only with her willingness, but with the patience it probably required to walk her though it.
All on a landline with no video. This was pre-digital camera, but I wish I'd taken a photo of her repair.
This was used on the points distributors.
My dad drove a 68 valiant for 3 decades and never touched that resister
Yeah I wonder how overblown this issue is.
I'd note that your behavior influences the failure rate. If you leave the key in the run position, but the engine is off, it can overheat. So, if you have a habit of doing this, you may see the failure multiple times. Folks that avoid that, could never see it.
The ballast resistor?
Our '80 Volare had one, and also definitely had electronic ignition.
