Resistors burnt out = HELP

Zane

If 2 equal value resistors are paralleled, total vaue is 1/2 the individual resistor value..... ..Dell

Tractor electrics are as simple as you get... usually only three-four circuits.. ignition, starting, charging, and lights.

Check your wiring for a short. My guess is you have a wire touching ground somewhere ahead or behinf the resistor, and that is where the circuit is open ( if anywhere ).

Do you get a voltage reading on the ignition switch side of the resistor? If so, that line is good. Do you get a voltage reading on the output side of the resistor? If so, then the resistor is good. ( check to make sure you didn't twist one of the legs off making it a 10 watt 1 ohm resistor again... )

Overall, with more resistance in the circuit.. there is less current flow... don't see how that could cause your problems unless you have a short somewhere. Follow those wires good. Run temporary ones as jumpers and disconnect the old ones as a test. At home I keep many varied lengths of pre-made jumpers with aligator clips.. makes these diagnostics easier. For your tests, you don't need anything that fancy. Just recreate your basic ignition circuit, bypassing everything, including switch... just start with the battery, whatever resistors you are using, and the coil... If everything is working, then start working backwards and start adding in componets to check.. like the switch, wiring blocks if used, etc... you will eventually find the component or wire that is causing the fault.

Check your connections well, and make sure you arent grounding anything where it shouldnt be.. like an errant strand of wire sticking out from the primary connection on the coil, etc.

let us know what you find.

good luck

Soundguy

Trick resistor is rated 20 watts (2-10 watt resistor in parallel is worth 20 watts) 20 watts is factor of 3+, well in excess of recommended electrical engineering design stds.

You do realize all ceramic POWER RESISTORS smoke for about 1/2+ hr because of the way that they are made. The heat from electrical usage (watts) vaporizes the oil used in manufacturing and makes them smoke for a while. This is normal and most people never realize it because radiator fan usually blows smoke away from those hot buggers.

But then I haven't inspected your installation and you could have mounted them so they touch plastic wire insulation which is a NO-NO.

I can't think of any reason for your resistors to smoke and quit working. Are you sure you burn out your resistors?..... instead of case of electrical beginners pannic? ..... ....Dell

I studied and completed a "Home electronics" course from Bell and Howell and the Devrie Institute on the GI bill at home. I even got through all that ----- --mathematics but only with the help of a calculator that I had to go buy and at the time pay about $60.00 for to get though the course. I wish I could have retained all that stuff. I think that if I could have really learned all that theory and math I could have by now invented a transporter like that on "Stay Treck"! All I really learned to do was solder pretty good. I built about every kit that "Heath Kit" had to offer in the course of the course. I even built the first all solid state TV that any body around here had ever seen. I could even repair it! I still have that thing and it looks like a big dog house with ventilation holes drilled all over it so it can cool. The picture tube finally gave up the ghost about 10 years ago and it was going to cost more than a good new TV so it is out in the barn now.I use it now to raise mice and Wrens. I just can't make myself throw it away! The moral of this story is that an education doesn't neccessarily mean that you learned anything!

Zane

My guess, the frontmount coil was designed for 12.6 volts with a design safety margin of +10% = 13.8 volts. The designers apparently didn't realize that the popularly used (because its cheep and has built-in voltage regulator) Delco 10-SI 12 volt alternator actually puts out 14.7 volts and 14.7 volts pushes too much amps and melts the insulative tar inside the coil. If'n they'd designed it for 15 volts, ya wouldn't need that "trick resistor" (1/2 ohm, 20 watt) to limit the coil current so the insulative tar doesn't melt..... ....Dell