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Old 05-16-2018, 07:51 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by afsam94 View Post
i received the new coil and distributor cap.

In discussions with Ken he suggested the coil I currently have installed which I obtained from NAPA auto parts may be less than adequate for my atomic 4. He also said the one Moyer was providing (resistor not required) is different and better.

I have a couple questions please as follows:
  • Instructions with the new coil say "Do not install these coils on 12 volt systems equipt with a resistor or with resitance built into the wiring harness." Do I have to worry that my atomic four may have such a resistance component currently?
  • Why is this coil better and is it less likely to drop spark than my current coil?
  • Directions with this coil say "If the negative battery post is grounded the coil terminal marked - must be connected to the distributor. If the positive post is grounded connect the coil terminal marked + to the distributor. Please help me understand what I need to be aware of here.
thanks
Al
The A4 does not have resistance in the wiring harness. Do not worry about that.

You might have a ballast resistor. This would normally be a ceramic piece a couple of inches long with two wires connected to it. It would go on the + terminal of the coil. If you have one now, you can get rid of it. The Moyer coil has enough resistance on its own.

If the negative battery post is grounded the coil terminal marked - must be connected to the distributor A4s are negative ground engines, so connect the coil this way.

Why the Moyer coil is better - A4s are very hard on coils and doubly so with electronic ignition. Coils need resistance to keep too much current from going through them and causing them to overheat and fail. Aftermarket random coils from car parts shops might have the correct resistance and they might not. So....it is MUCH easier to just buy a coil we know works with just about any A4 setup than experiment with various car parts. The time and aggravation saved is worth a few $.
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