vauxhallviva.com

does anyone have a picture of where the ballast resistor in the engine bay is i just can't find it on my 1256 hc 1973 but others said i should have one ?

There is no ballast resistor as such on an HC, it' a resistance wire that's built into the loom. If fitting electronic ignition it is best to bypass it completely. If retaining points it's best to retain it. You must fit the correct type of coil for the resistor wire ignition and swap it for a non resistor type coil if bypassing the wire.

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=22328&hilit=Bypass

ah that explains as i have a new coil that other members recommended as they said my engine had a ballast resistor as i still have points anyway as i understand the coil starts at 12 volts and then reduces . Thanks for the explanation

lancsamb wrote:as i understand the coil starts at 12 volts and then reduces

The coil usually runs through the ballast resistor which supplies it with a lower voltage, but during starting there is a bypass wire that runs from the starter solenoid and supplies the full voltage without resistance. As soon as you let go of the key and the starter stops (because the engine is running), the by-pass is disconnected and the lower voltage is present. With the load of the starter, this usually results in about 9-10v during starting, to give a bit of a boost.

again great to be a member of this club with members with so much knowledge thank you