Hello All new guy here!!

I am not a chevy guy, actually truth be told I am a Mopar Man first and a chevy lover second and I am not a fan of fords after mid 40's.

Anyway I have been trying to get an answer to my problem within the mopar faithful but to no real resolution, so I came here after a few web searches and hope you guys can help me with my problem.

Now I am installing a GM HEI on my small block dodge!!! WHY you ask?? More reliable and can't deny the HEI track record.

I already have a distributor made up, cut an original HEI off and welded a dodge dizzy mounting pad on, custum cut the shaft to fit. I had this done by a demo derby guy, he used a used dizzy and then I put a new set of weight in and then a new cap, rotor, MSD wires, plugs and a used coil, still running used 4 pin module too.

So I installed everything a couple weeks ago, removed all the original electronic mopar ignition, had to jump the ballast resisitor to get a full 12volts to the dizzy. Hooked everything up and tried to fire her up, had a heck of a time starting the car, finally got it running and it just didn't sound right. I took it out for a spin and again drove not bad, had an ignition miss ever so often, got back home and shut the car off. Came out 10 minutes later and again had a real hard time starting the car, finally got it going again and then was letting it idle to recharge the battery and the car stumbled and then caught itself and then ran another minute and then died completely.

Now I tried to restart the car and it just would fire not even a sputter, decided I would start with the basics first, does it have spark? Nope!! So I pulled out the HEI and reinstalled the mopar ignition and half a crank the ol' girl fired up. Next day took the cap and coil apart and found the red wire on the coil had burnt up.

So my question, after this long winded tale, is why did the coil burn up? The only thing I can deduce myself is that the coil didn't have a black ground wire going to the center conectin on the 3 gang wire connection. It only had a yellow and red on either side with the black wire just being screwed to one of the coil mounting screws, this doesn't seem right to me. Am I correct in assuming that the black wire needs to run to the center connection, since there is 3 wires coming out of the dizzy module. And would this lack of ground cause the coil to burn up? Or is it the module?

Thanks for your help guys,
Brian H

73 Roadrunner 340/auto
70 Sport Fury 318/auto
71 300 4drht 440/auto
68 Chrysler T/C Station Wagon 440/auto

One by One the Penguins are Stealing My Sanity!!

there should be a ground strap under the corner of the coil that goes into the middle slot in the cap the module harness plugs into.sorry no pictures but any good parts store should be able to get you one.

Here's a thread by shifty that has great pictures and info. Scroll down until you see the coil mounting and wiring.
HTHhttp://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=148346

I have a hunch your distributor may not be "phased" properly. IE your rotor should be pointing to a nipple on the dist cap WHEN the reluctor is also being tripped, if the distributor is properly phased. That is a hard one to check, but if you have a junk dist cap laying around, cut a "window" in it, to see if the rotor is pointing to a tab, when the reluctor is being tripped.

It will fry without the ground being properly installed.

Thanks for the help guys, I knew you'd know what was going on.

I have a new coil comming and will let you know when I get 'er going again.

Thanks
Brian