Okay here is the deal.
The ballast resistor does two things. First, it limits the current drawn by the coil. I'm not going to explain how electricity works (wikipedia.org) here, but that is what it does. It keeps the coil from overheating.
In the process, it also drops the avaliable voltage at the coil. In the case of these systems, from ~ 12v to ~6v.
The reason for this is to enhace point life. The lower voltage arcing across the points means they last longer.
The coil used w/ a ballast resistor has a lower impedance than a 12v coil. (1.5 vs 3 ohm) This means that it pulls more current than then 12v coil (to make up for the lost voltage, so power remains constant, P=IV)
So, when you upgrade to an electronic ignition:
1.) You don't have points, so you don't need to worry about point life.
2.) The GM module WILL NOT FUNCTION under ~9volts. What this means is that, if you use the power for your coil as the power for the module (which is convinient, cause its close) at low RPM when the alternator isn't kicking 14+ v, then ignition module will shut off. Your car will die. If you use the stock coil with it's lower impedance, it will never work because the voltage will never exceed 9v.
3.) If you use a 12v coil w/ the ballast resistor, you will be getting less spark energy than you think you are.
So, if you wanted to for some reason use the ballast resistor, the appropriate procedure would be to supply seperate power (12v) for the module, and the use an original 1.5 ohm coil.
Or, you could remove the ballast resistor, power the module off of the same power feed as the coil, and use a new 12v 3 ohm coil. (or your old 1.5 ohm coil, but it will probably overheat from the increased power dissipation)
I don't know if the duraspark or chrylser modules will work below 9v.
But the underlying point is that without points, there is no reason to use the ballast resistor. Yes, one can make it work - but it makes the system more complicated and takes more work than just taking it out.
Once you upgrade to electronic ignition the ballast resistor is merely a solution looking for a problem.
In general, mismatched parts will be a problem. No Ballast resistor w/ stock coil will lead to a dead coil. Ballast resistor w/ GM module will lead to weird stalling problems and hard starting.
The ballast resistor does two things. First, it limits the current drawn by the coil. I'm not going to explain how electricity works (wikipedia.org) here, but that is what it does. It keeps the coil from overheating.
In the process, it also drops the avaliable voltage at the coil. In the case of these systems, from ~ 12v to ~6v.
The reason for this is to enhace point life. The lower voltage arcing across the points means they last longer.
The coil used w/ a ballast resistor has a lower impedance than a 12v coil. (1.5 vs 3 ohm) This means that it pulls more current than then 12v coil (to make up for the lost voltage, so power remains constant, P=IV)
So, when you upgrade to an electronic ignition:
1.) You don't have points, so you don't need to worry about point life.
2.) The GM module WILL NOT FUNCTION under ~9volts. What this means is that, if you use the power for your coil as the power for the module (which is convinient, cause its close) at low RPM when the alternator isn't kicking 14+ v, then ignition module will shut off. Your car will die. If you use the stock coil with it's lower impedance, it will never work because the voltage will never exceed 9v.
3.) If you use a 12v coil w/ the ballast resistor, you will be getting less spark energy than you think you are.
So, if you wanted to for some reason use the ballast resistor, the appropriate procedure would be to supply seperate power (12v) for the module, and the use an original 1.5 ohm coil.
Or, you could remove the ballast resistor, power the module off of the same power feed as the coil, and use a new 12v 3 ohm coil. (or your old 1.5 ohm coil, but it will probably overheat from the increased power dissipation)
I don't know if the duraspark or chrylser modules will work below 9v.
But the underlying point is that without points, there is no reason to use the ballast resistor. Yes, one can make it work - but it makes the system more complicated and takes more work than just taking it out.
Once you upgrade to electronic ignition the ballast resistor is merely a solution looking for a problem.
In general, mismatched parts will be a problem. No Ballast resistor w/ stock coil will lead to a dead coil. Ballast resistor w/ GM module will lead to weird stalling problems and hard starting.
