12 volt resistor

[NHbalerman]

On my Foerd 240 industrial engine on a new holland baler it just quit running start back and die found the resistor smoking I guess it is going bad,it has a resistor right before the coil and this is factory but can I put a 12 volt coil on it with a built in resistor and do away with this resistor? And what kind of resistor is this is it from 12 to 6 volt? It is a 12 volt system. Thanks for the help

 

[Steve@Advance]

Check the points gap first.

Sounds like maybe they are closed up.

It's normal for a resistor and coil to get hot if left sitting with the ignition on and the points closed.

A resistor will either work or not, very uncommon to partially fail.

The coil "may" be failing, drawing too many amps, but check the point gap first.

And yes, you can replace the coil with a true 12v coil and do away with the resistor. Shop carefully, go by the printing on the coil, not what the box says or what the counterman hands you.

 

[Bob]

More than likely that Ford industrial has a "starting bypass" that bypasses the resistor during cranking for a HOTTER spark while the starter is drawing the system voltage down, and it's a good idea to simply replace the coil with the correct style IF coil replacement becomes necessary, IMHO.

 

[Janicholson]

A failing coil will make the resistor hot. So will points hat are not gapped wide enough. If the points are a bit closed, use a tiny dab of grease (not graphite grease) on the dist. cam lobe. Don't discard the resistor, it is likely fine. If you can check ohms, it is probably 2 to 3 ohms (disconnected) Putting a 12v coil for use without an external resistor is not best. Buy the way they do not have an internal resistor, they are just a coil designed to operate on 12v instead of about 6v. Jim

 

[John T]

A 12 volt tractor using a 6 volt coil plus an in line series voltage dropping (12 to 6) ballast resistor normally runs fairly warm and can smoke if oil or dust etc is on it. If you were to disconnect it and check it with an ohm meter Id expect somewhere from 1.5 to over 2 ohms. I would check the points to see if they are closing then opening to the proper gap and not all burned or pitted or carboned up. If the points were staying closed or the condenser was shorted or the wire from coil to points was shorted that could overheat the ballast and coil. While its possible to toss the ballast and replace it with a full true 12 volt rated unit with no external ballast required, it can help with cold weather starting if it has the 6 volt coil and ballast pus the start ballast by pass system.

John T