I just picked up an ignitor electronic ignition to replace a mallory unit that died both these units fit in the stock GM distributor. This is for a 71 GS 350. My problem is that the Igniter requires 12 volts and the hot wire to the coil has a resister somewhere in the system so I only get 6 to 8 volts. Where can I find 12 volts from the igniton switch ? I want to be able to find a hot wire under the hood preferablity near the dist. I contacted Ignitor's tech. no help! I would prefer not to cut up the loom, sooo if someone could tell me where to look and what color wire I'm looking for I'd sure be indebted. Thanks in adance, John Ricketts Tarpon Springs Fl.
Trace your hot wire back through the harness. Somewhere towards the P/S back of the engine, a wire tees off to the starter, thats the resistor, kind of a cloth covered wire if I remember right. You should be able to disonnect it from the starter, tape it off or whatever and have a full 12 volts. Now can someone back me up to make sure I got it right?
The resistance wire runs from the fuseblock to a point where it tees into a wire from the starter solenoid (R) terminal, and then to the + side of the coil. When the engine is cranking, 12 volts is supplied by the (R) terminal and flows to the coil. When the engine starts, power flows through the fuse block, then through the resistor wire to the coil. No power flows from the (R) terminal in the run position. The fuseblock's foward half is in the engine compartment. The foward half comes apart with a bolt in the middle. Take it apart, and use an ohmeter to isolate the wire to the coil. Each wire hooks into the foward half with a special type of barbed clip(available at NAPA I'm told) If you pinch the clip with needle nose pliers, the wire and clip will pull out through the front. JUst get another clip(or use your original-unsolder it), and run a 14 gauge wire directly to the coil. Tape up the original wire, or disconnect the wire from the (R) terminal, and tape that. That way you don't have to cut your harness apart. Here's a picture of a replacement HEI wire. Notice the special clip at the end opposite from the HEI distributor connector.
