09-19-2016, 06:58 PM | #1 |
Gone Wild
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: East TN
Posts: 525
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Ignition Coils and Ballast Resistors
This post only discusses the coils found on the 2 stroke Columbia or Harley Davidson carts and not the ones found on the 4 stroke Columbias.
There are two types of coils, externally resisted coils and internally resisted coils. Many times it is stamped on the side of the coil which type it is. The coil that came from the factory is an internally resisted coil. Externally resisted coils are alot cheaper than the internally resisted ones and that's probably why those are usually found on these carts instead of the factory type. An externally resisted coil can be used in place of an internally resisted coil but you will need to install a ballast resistor. Whether or not it says which type of coil it is, you still should check the resistance because it may be out of spec. Points can't flow more than about 5 amps without failing quickly or burning up so points do need the required amount of resistance. Low resistance is great for a hot spark and starting a cold engine but it's hard on the points. Points are fairly cheap to replace so it's not the end of the world if they burn up. Carts with electronic ignition modules definately need the required amount of resistance or the module will burn up and those are fairly expensive. The specs on the ignition coils for the Harley and Columbia 2 strokes call for: Primary Winding Resistance: 3.4 - 4.2 ohms (3.4 - 5.0 ohms is acceptable. If you have an electronic ignition module, the top end of the range is preferred.) Secondary Winding Resistance: 6,000 - 9,000 ohms Primary Circuit TESTING 1. Turn the key off or unhook the battery. 2. Turn the multimeter knob to the "200" resistance setting. 3. Probe the coil as shown in the picture for primary resistance. 4. Multimeter reading is in ohms. Write down the primary resistance and save it for future testing/troubleshooting. You should have 3.4 - 5.0 ohms of resistance. If resistance is 0.0 ohms, the coil is shorted and needs to be replaced. If it is less than 3.4 ohms, you need to buy an internally resisted coil with the required amount of resistance built in or you need to buy a ballast resistor to make up the difference. If it is much over 5.0 ohms, you may have an open coil and therefore needs to be replaced. Too much resistance will cut the amps too far down. Secondary Circuit TESTING 1. Turn the key off or unhook the battery. 2. Turn the multimeter knob to the "20k" resistance setting. 3. Probe the coil as shown in the picture. 4. Multimeter reading is in ohms X 1,000. Write down the secondary resistance and save it for future testing/troubleshooting. The higher the secondary resistance, the more the windings in the coil. This equals more voltage to the spark plug but the amount of current you can generate decreases. You should have at least 6,000 ohms of resistance. Anything below 6,000 ohms really isn't going to be enough voltage to have a good reliable spark. Some types of coils can have up to 15,000 ohms of resistance so your secondary resistance may be higher than what is recommended by the factory. |
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09-19-2016, 07:06 PM | #2 |
Gone Wild
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: East TN
Posts: 525
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Ballast Resistors
The purpose of the ballast resistor is to add resistance to the points or ignition module to cut down on the amps going to these parts. The voltage will drop on the output side of the resistor so when installing one you don't want any other circuits affected by the increased resistance and loss in voltage other than the points/ignition module and coil.
Which Ballast Resistor Do I Need Some math will answer that. Desired Resistance - Coil Primary Resistance = Resistance Needed Example: If you have 1.0 ohm primary resistance, then you need a ballast resistor between 2.4 and 4.0 ohms. Multiple ballast resistors may be required. 3.4 - 1.0 = 2.4 ohms needed 5.0 - 1.0 = 4.0 ohms needed Testing Ballast Resistor Resistance TESTING 1. Turn the key off or unhook the battery. 2. Turn the multimeter knob to the "200" resistance setting. 3. Probe the resistor as shown in the picture. 4. Multimeter reading is in ohms. Write down the resistance and save it for future testing/troubleshooting. Installing A Ballast Resistor 1. Unhook the battery. 2. Find the coils + terminal and see where this hot wire is coming from and if there are any other wires in the circuit that may be affected. The ignition circuit was wired up slightly different through the years. 3. Compare your wiring to one of those in the picture and install the ballast resistor as shown. The color of the wires should be correct. There are two basic setups, resistor before the coil and resistor after the coil. Pick one that best suits the mounting location of the resistor. |
09-19-2016, 07:08 PM | #3 |
Gone Wild
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: East TN
Posts: 525
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Re: Ignition Coils and Ballast Resistors
Internally resisted coils thread.
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11-08-2016, 07:18 PM | #4 |
Gone Wild
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: East TN
Posts: 525
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Re: Ignition Coils and Ballast Resistors
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02-02-2017, 09:43 PM | #5 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 1
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Re: Ignition Coils and Ballast Resistors
where do i get the ignition parts for the Harley motors. I bought one of these and found out the ignition system was missing.thanks Glen
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07-27-2017, 05:11 PM | #6 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 6
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Re: Ignition Coils and Ballast Resistors
If coil has no markings how can I verify if coil has internal resistor or not. Thank you
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09-17-2017, 06:51 PM | #7 |
Gone Wild
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: East TN
Posts: 525
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Re: Ignition Coils and Ballast Resistors
If the coil has no markings or indication of being an internally resisted coil, then all you have to do is measure the primary resistance of the coil with a multimeter. Non-internally resisted coils will measure a low resistance ~0.5 ohms or so.
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09-17-2019, 02:37 AM | #8 |
Guest
Posts: n/a
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Ignition Coils and Ballast Resistors
It seems to me it is excellent idea. I agree with you.
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07-09-2021, 10:10 AM | #9 |
Not Yet Wild
Join Date: Jul 2021
Posts: 17
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Re: Ignition Coils and Ballast Resistors
First off, I would like to say that I can't thank everyone enough for their knowledge on these carts. It has been a lifesaver.
I've been following many of the threads while working on a coworker's harley cart. I've done many fixes to keep it moving and now I'm down to testing the coil. My resistance is 1.4ohm, so I'm assuming that this isn't a external resistance coil, and likely a faulty coil, correct? Sent from my SM-G781W using Tapatalk |
Tags |
ballast resistor, ignition coil |
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