Help Ignition Problems

[hot_c210]

Hi all,

need some help

1978 c210 w/L24 and 280z electronic ignition still using old ballast resistor and coil..

car ran beautifully last night put it in garage and went to bed

got up this morning, car wont start, no spark, resistor glowing red

my question:

1) how do i convert to the 280z type coil setup (including coil type etc)

2) what actually went wrong?

cheers in advance!

[coupe72001]

Hi,

Sorry for the late reply. The electronic ignition does not run with a ballast resistor. You need to remove it (and join the wires from each end).

Wiring should look like the diagram in this link:

http://www.the510realm.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10299&p=103772&hilit=wiring+black+box#p103772

Look closely at your ignition module, you'll see:

B for battery

C for coil

I don't know what exactly has gone wrong, but depending on where you have lost spark, you may have fried the ignition module (little black box on the side of the distributor). They seem to be vulnerable to premature death when there is a wiring issue.

There are a tonne of coils to pick from, so long as you don't choose a type designed to be used with a ballast resistor - like the original C210 coil.

A typical combination is electronic distributor, Bosch GT40 coil (not GT 40 R) and delete ballast resistor.

I can supply some pics if need be.