Ballast Resistor

milt Learner Dubber

16 posts · joined Oct 2003 · 9 Nov 2005, 5:26 pm

#426885

Hi All,

When I turn the ignition on, my kombii starts but as soon as I stop turning it over it dies out.

I asked a guy and he told me my Ballast resitor has died. I have a starter coil that requires one, its an SU10R I think and it say resistor required on it.

I guess my question is where is my ballast resistor? I have 2 wires running off the + on my starter coil which go to 1/ another coil (which I thought was used to charge my aux battery) 2/ the back of the carby. Or should it be in the distributor or on the way to the distributor?

I figure its possible that I don't even have a Ballast resistor, if so my sarter will prob be burnt out right?

Any help will be much appreciated

Cheers

Milt

68AutoBug Beetle Restorer - Experience over 138\% - YIKES --

11,654 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 9 Nov 2005, 7:08 pm

#426924

On vehicles with a ballast resistor-
The coil is rated at less than 12 volts...
so when You are turning the starter motor over, and the battery voltage is NOT 12 volts, You are still getting enough voltage for the coil....
Once the engine starts, the power goes thru the ballast resistor, which drops the voltage going to the coil otherwise the coil would probably overheat and fail....

I haven't had much to do with the ballast resistors, but all the ones I've seen are white - about 4 inches long -
square in shape with the resistor wires going round it..
they are made from ceramic material....

Lee Noonan 68AutoBug

http://community.webshots.com/user/vw68autobug

- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---

tassupervee That really hurts doesnt it!

1,171 posts · joined Sep 2003 · 9 Nov 2005, 7:10 pm

#426925

Your ballast resistor should be located on the wire that connects to the + side of the coil. Ignore the ones going to the carbs or from the starter.

Its a whitish creamic rectangular thingy about 12mm square and about 60mm long or so. It has a wire from the key attached to one end and the other end goes to the coil +
They are usually attached to the coil bracket but can be found in a variety of places.

Trace the wire back that eventually goes back to the key. It should be there somwhere.

Avaliable from ANY car parts store.

L8tr
E

Im not a complete idiot, quite a few parts are missing....

milt Learner Dubber

16 posts · joined Oct 2003 · 9 Nov 2005, 7:22 pm

#426929

It seems as though i dont have one then.
This is a problem then right?

Could my coil have died from not having one and then cause this problem on startup???

1303Steve Scirocco Rare

8,650 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 9 Nov 2005, 8:46 pm

#426985

Hi

As a rule VWs never had a ballast resistor. What is probably happening is the ignition swith is failing to mantain contact during cranking. Look closely at your igntion lights, they should remain on during cranking, if they dont a new ignition switch is needed.

Steve

tassupervee That really hurts doesnt it!

1,171 posts · joined Sep 2003 · 9 Nov 2005, 9:29 pm

#427025

1303Steve wrote:Hi

As a rule VWs never had a ballast resistor. What is probably happening is the ignition swith is failing to mantain contact during cranking. Look closely at your igntion lights, they should remain on during cranking, if they dont a new ignition switch is needed.

Steve

Thats true but he is running a ballasted type coil.
But the idea of the key switch being dogey is certainly a good one.
L8tr
E

Im not a complete idiot, quite a few parts are missing....