67gtxclone

This is regarding my 67 GTX clone with a 1975 440.

We started working on the ignition and as soon as we hooked up the battery, we got smoke under the dash. It appears it was an ammeter issue, we have disconnected and tied that off for now. The ignition kit I got had a chrome box, a 1 ohm ballast resistor with 2 prongs, the distributor, and an Accel coil for the pointless ingition. What was on there before was an orange box with a 4 prong ballast resistor. According to the website of the company I got the electrinic ignition from the chrome box should use a 1/4 ohn 2 prong resistor. The 1 ohm resistor is for the orange box. Yeah, I know, this is confusing. Anyway, we went with the orange box and the 4 prong ballas resistor because the wiring was set up for 4 prongs, I have no idea what the ohm reading is for the 4 prong. Anyway, we now have electricity to the coil at all times when the battery is hooked up. The power should die when we turn the key off and give power when we turn the key on. If anyone has any idea about this, I am very open to your thoughts. In addition, I can get the headlights to work only on high beam, on low beam, nothing, but the tail lights work. Any suggestions on this would also be welcome.

rdrunner1974

You should have power at coil with the ign. switch on and NO power with the switch off. Sounds like you crossed some wires when attempting to change ignition.
Are you saying that you bought an ignition and it came with a 1 ohm resistor but their web site says it should be 1/4 ohm??
Check this link to find wiring diagrams for your car and for igntions. There are diagrams for different ECU's and the 2 or 4 pin ballast. You can eliminate the amp meter and install a volt meter.
http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=18

67gtxclone

There is power to the coil all the time when the battery is hooked up. Yes, the chrome box kit came with a 2 pin 1 ohm ballast resistor. On their site http://www.mopartsracing.com/parts/electronic.html they say the chrome box should used the 1/4 ohm ballast. The 1 ohm ballast is supposed to used with the Orange box. The wiring harness is set up to use the 4 pin ballast. It all messed up.

The site you gave looks like it will be helpful, thanks a bunch for that!

Sangetsu

Something is crossed up or hooked up incorrectly, possibly a full-time power wire has been crossed up with the ignition wire, or grounded. The amp meter is a full-time instrument, so if you have a short in a power wire it may share the same routing as the ammeter wire, and you'll get smoke from under the column.

The headlight issue is strange, you didn't hook up the battery backwards by any chance, did you?

1966sportfury

what about the the starter relay. located by the brake booster could it be wired wrong?