Electrical: Coil overheating

[hopkinld]

I have a 1962 Studebaker Hawk GT with a 289 and 4V carb. I can drive the car about 3 miles and the Coil overheats and the engine shuts down. I can try to restart, but no firing. In about 5 minutes, I can restart it and drive another 3 miles and it shuts down again. I have replaced the coil twice and the resistor twice, but it has not helped. Do any of you have an idea what could be causing the coil to overheat?

[bensherb]

I have a 1962 Studebaker Hawk GT with a 289 and 4V carb. I can drive the car about 3 miles and the Coil overheats and the engine shuts down. I can try to restart, but no firing. In about 5 minutes, I can restart it and drive another 3 miles and it shuts down again. I have replaced the coil twice and the resistor twice, but it has not helped. Do any of you have an idea what could be causing the coil to overheat?

Shorted/bad condenser.

[64V-K7]

The ballast resistor was replaced in or about 1961 with a thermal resistance ignition wire. Follow the time line here and thing s will work fine.....

http://www.studebaker-info.org/TW/tw1098/tw1098p37.jpg

[Bud]

I agree with bensherb, I'm going with a defective condenser as I've had that happen several times. Bud

[345 DeSoto]

Coil shorting interally...

[StudeRich]

You probably should check the Resistance of the Coil, it could be the wrong OHM rating for a V8 Engine.

Also check that you are not still running the original Pink resistance Wire from the Coil to the Ign. Switch, with the External Resister you have, you do NOT need both!

Those Resistance Pink Wires came on all Studebakers starting in 1959.

Are you still running Points or a Electronic Ignition Module?

[bensherb]

I measured that pink resistor wire on my '62. It didn't offer enough measureable resistance difference over a plain old 16ga primary wire to make it worth changing. I'm still using it with my HEI, with Accell super coil, and module.

[Bud]

The pink resistor wire used as a ballast resistor in the later cars should have a resistance between about 1.5 and 1.8 ohms with the primary winding of the coil having the same resistance. The use of the resistor wire and an external resistor will cause an excessive primary voltage drop to the coil resulting in a lower output from the secondary of the coil. The pink resistor wire shouldn't fail unless it is physically abused. Bud

[hopkinld]

Thank you! I had wondered if it could be a bad condenser. I know they almost never go bad, but I have always replaced it when changing the points.

[hopkinld]

Thank you for the information.

- - - Updated - - -

I have replaced the coil 3 times in the last year.

[hopkinld]

Thank you for the information. I will check it. I am still using points.

[hopkinld]

Thank you for your help.

[hopkinld]

Thank you for the information. I will check it.

[hopkinld]

I finally found the cause of the coil overheating. The wires from the ignition switch were reversed for when it is turned to start and turned to on. This was causing a by-pass of the resistor when the engine was running.

[tsenecal]

Glad that you got it figured out. I'll save your solution for future troubleshooting.