<VV> Ignition Wiring Question

[Doug Mackintosh]

Bill, are you sure you don't have the standard wiring. Per the '65 manual (and 
my consistent experience with Earlies), the connector that plugs into the B/Y 
wire from the starter has 2 (spliced) wires leaving the connector: the B/Y wire 
from the coil (+) is joined to the braided resistor wire from the harness at 
that connector. 


When the starter is cranking, 12 V is delivered from the starter solenoid to the 
B/Y wire, to the connector, and on to the coil through the B/Y wire.
When the solenoid releases, 12 V is no longer delivered to the B/Y wire from the 
starter, and the only power to the coil is from the resistor wire in the 
harness, which is joined at the connector to the B/Y wire to the coil. 

Electrically, there is no difference if you rewire it as you described. All you 
do is move the splice (between the resistor wire and the B/Y wire) from the 
connector to the coil. By making the joint at the connector, Chevrolet saved a 
few feet of wire.

<<Bill H. asked:

This may be a dumb question but I'm confused.  I thought voltage at the coil 
from the starter is supposed to be 12V, then it is stepped down to around 6-8V 
which is accomplished by the "resistor wire."

Some previous owner of my '66 Monza wired the coil directly to the yellow wire 
of the 2-wire connector coming from the wiring harness (not the main one 
though), and wired the resistor wire to the same 2-wire connector.

So now the coil shows 12V when the engine is running.  The car has standard 
points ignition.

Is this a problem?  The car has a "dead spot" in the accelerator that I am 
trying to track down, which causes a stall condition when the engine is cold 
when you step on the gas going up a hill.

I am wondering if I should move the resitor wire to the coil, and retain the 20 
B/Y wire there, which I assume comes from the starter only when it (the starter) 
is engaged.  This would mean two wires at the (+) terminal of the coil, the 
20B/Y and the resistor wire.>>


Any adivce would be helpful.  The 66 is a new acqisition and I am still trying 
to sort out some of the glitches.

Thanks everyone!...Bill Hershkowitz 66 Monza Sport Sedan 110 PG A/C

 -- Doug Mackintosh
Corsa member since 1996
Corsa/NC member since 1996, Virtual Vairs member
Corvair owner 1969-1971 and 1996-on