4 replies to this topic

[Mini118118]

Hi guys my mini is running like dog and I'm suspecting the IGN coil, problem is I don't know if it's a ballast resistor type or not.
It's a 1990 G reg mini 1000 Auto. If it is ballast resisted where is the resistor located, there is a large gold resistor close to the radiator filler cap could that be it.
The car is ticking over fine and has absolutely no power, to the degree that when I drive I have to keep lowering the gears as not to load the engine so it doesn't peer out. I fitted a power spark electronic switch so no more points or condenser that was fitted 3 months ago,
If I put the lights on or the heater it makes it worse. Suspecting the coil or possible a bad earth or + feed to the coil..
Plenty of smoke out the back when she's misfiring and an over rich smell of unburnt fuel out the exhaust..so putting a fuelling problem aside..

[Mini118118]

Ohh and done the obvious checked the dizzy cap leads for breaks and water ingress

[tiger99]

The resistor you see is the dim dip resistor, not needed and a source of unreliable headlights. If you want to get rid of it, find teh dim dip relay and remove it, permanently joining the blue/red and blue/brown wires.

Your ballast resistor, if fitted, is the white/pink wire to the coil positive terminal. There will also be a white/yellow on teh same terminal, from the starter solenoid, which bypasses the ballast rresistor during starting. If there is only a single plain white wire, you have an unballasted system.

[Cooperman]

When you have had to rewire a couple of front looms because that pink/white high-resistance wire (known to many as 'that b****y pink wire') has melted and taken most of the front loom with it, the answer is go to a 12 volt coil. It's just so simple to take a new white normal wire from ignition switch to coil +ve, fit a new 12 volt coil and job's done with no more worries about melted front looms.
I had to re-wire the front loom of a Mini 30 a while back because the bloody pink wire melted. It was a 5-hour job and very messy to do. I've had to do another one since for the same reason.

[dklawson]

Or... instead of buying an expensive new coil to do away with the pink/white ballast wire... buy an external ballast resistor (most parts stores will have them) and bypass the pink/white wire... but keep your original coil. The ballast ignition system is a very good concept that has a tainted reputation among many people whose cars have Lucas electrics. Many other cars around the world used an external resistor (typically on a piggy-back bracket attached to the coil) and did not deal with the problematic pink/white resistor wire. Using the external ballast resistor is a much less expensive way to address the pink/white wire problem than investing in a new coil AND changing the wiring.

Before spending any money on this, how long has the car been acting up? Did it ever run "right" for you? If this is a recent change, what else has been worked on no matter how unrelated it may seem. How long has it been since the engine was given a complete tune up? Have you done a compression test? Is there oil in the carb dashpot? Work systematically through an ignition tune up followed by some minor carb adjustments if necessary before buying new parts you may not need.