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Coil Woes - Saga continues - PART 3

K

KRAZIE87K5

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Phew... okay installed the new coil and balast resistor this morning before work. Checked voltage with IGN on, and it only read 6.5v, which wasn't enuf to fire the coil. /forums/images/icons/frown.gif So I removed the ballast, and it fired right up. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif But the coil got pretty hot at first, and then when the fans kicked in it kept getting even hotter. /forums/images/icons/frown.gif So I shut her down keeping my volt meter attached from the + side of the coil to ground, and noticed that once the engine stopped running, the fans kept going (which is correct), and the volt meter read .31-.32 volts. Right as the fans shut down the voltage jumped to .41v, but then dropped to 0v.

How hot does a regular canister-type coil get under normal conditions? Should I be able to touch it without burning my hands??? /forums/images/icons/tongue.gif Because it gets hot enuf to where I don't want to touch it, even before the fans kick in at 210*... and that doesn't seem right to me!

Anyone? Sorry to stay on this BORING problem, but I can't drive my rig! And its really obnoxious! /forums/images/icons/frown.gif /forums/images/icons/grin.gif Keep all the feedback coming!

SEE HERE FOR PREVIOUS THREAD!

-Dan
 
Dan, I have no clue what is wrong with your truck...

I just have to ask, does any mod or repair go smoothly for you? /forums/images/icons/tongue.gif Your experiences make me want to stick with proven stock parts some days... /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

Rene
 
LOL... Rene, it just seems that everything is a "learning experience" with this project. I've built many other vehicles that never wanted to teach me like the K5 does... /forums/images/icons/tongue.gif /forums/images/icons/smile.gif I guess I'm just lucky! /forums/images/icons/grin.gif

I just wish I could get the DAMN THING RUNNING! I want to take the topper off and go cruzin!

-Dan
 
Have you considered running a stock HEI? Not as sexy as all the custom MSD crap but reliable as all get out...

Rene
 
I've got 3 HEI distributors in the garage... but maybe only parts enuf to make ONE complete good dist. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif Then I would have to get new wires ($50-80) too. Anywho I just liked the idea of keeping the nice little Mallory Unilite distributor around, since I've got something like $300 into it! Maybe I could do that for testing purposes... but what a headache! Prolly not as big a headache as what I've got going on right now though... /forums/images/icons/wink.gif But what really gets me is that it worked just fine for such a long time! Something had to of happened... and its all around the same time as the Ferd fans install... hmm...

I really wish I could figure this one out... but its just driving me nuts! /forums/images/icons/tongue.gif

-Dan
 
Maybe the fans are wired incorrectly or are drawing too much from the wrong circuit?

Why wouldn't your wires work on the HEI?

Rene
 
the posts are different?
I really enjoy the posts from Dan.
they have a flavour like no one else.
He doesnt get too discouraged during the OMG times and the elation you can feel when it comes off is grand.
the essense of the hobby
 
HEI caps have male plugs for the wires, while Mallory uses female... so they won't attach to the HEI cap. /forums/images/icons/frown.gif

On the subject of too much draw, the fans are each wired on their own circuits, with 30A breakers, and HD relays. Both relays are triggered with a thermal switch, which is powered by a constant power source in the fuse block. I'm thinking of moving that power source to a different location. /forums/images/icons/grin.gif

-Dan
 
FWIW, stock fans (at least '88 F-body) draw power from a #2 wire "straight" (fusible link also) from the + battery terminal.
 
So my setup is just like that right? Except I used breakers vs. fuseable links... /forums/images/icons/confused.gif

-Dan
 
Geee... Thanks Mike! I think! /forums/images/icons/grin.gif In all your infinte wisdom, you don't have any suggestions for me? Someone out there has had to of had a truck that cooked coils too... SOMEONE! /forums/images/icons/blush.gif Just hoping they find me and tell me what the he!! I did wrong here... /forums/images/icons/grin.gif

Glad to be a source of amusement for you! /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif /forums/images/icons/tongue.gif /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

-Dan
 
The only difference is the stock setup I believe does not have ANYTHING going into, or coming out of, the fuse panel that is fan related. Primary fan is turned on with the ECM, and the secondary fan is a temp switch, also an AC pressure switch of some type if AC equipped.

Of course all that stuff really is tied together, but nothing comes directly from the fuse panel.

Also, not sure if this helps at all, or how it could affect the coil, but apparently the fan relay "trigger" wire from the ECM gets its power from a 10amp fused lead from the fuse panel. So fuse panel to ECM, ECM to relay. The difference, which is also giving me fits (I wanted to not use inline fuses if possible) is that the relay trigger wire is hot in run only.

Now I'm not quite seeing any correlation between your problem and the stock relay feeds being "run" only, but since the relay feed on yours comes from the fuse panel, and you are seeing volt spikes that seem to be triggered by the fans, I thought the info might be of some use...

A lot of the plugs in the fuse panel are tied together, so I'm just curious if that has something to do with it.
 
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
A lot of the plugs in the fuse panel are tied together, so I'm just curious if that has something to do with it.

[/ QUOTE ]Agreed. That is the first thing I am going to change tonight when I get home. I will relocate the thermal switch's power source to be DIRECTLY from the batt for testing purposes. I'll see if that effects anything.

-Dan
 
i wish you would get this thing fixed just to see what the problem is/forums/images/icons/wink.gif lol
have you considered disconecting 1 of the fans and trying it that way
maybe you are just pulling 2 much amperage
also you could try bypasiing all the switches and relays and running a 1-0
wire straight from the battery to the fans and let them run continuously just
as a test to see if the problem is the fans or the wiring. it could be a bad fan,
and by isolating fans and switches it would help narrow the problem
good luck
 
I planned on isolating EVERY piece of the fans setup this weekend in effort to find the prob., I just hope the coil can take all the heat! /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

-Dan
 
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