Ballast resistor

[Tom Santoli]

Do I need the ballast resistor in my Series 3 2.25 liter diesel glow plug system? The plugs are not the coiled style but rather the torpedo looking style. I believe these are in parallel, there is not lead from #1 to ground.

The resistor is in place now but smokes when powered.

Thanks for any help.

Tom

[SafeAirOne]

What is the voltage rating of the heater plugs you're using?

The original series-wired ones were...less than 12v plugs, hence the resistor.

It sounds like you have some sort of conversion installed and the necessity for a resistor will depend on the plugs used.

[Tom Santoli]

The glow plugs are marked Wellman 623 11V; quick search suggests some folks wire these with the resistor in place and some without the resistor. Apparently these were used as part of some conversion kit from Diesel Glow?

I'd like to eliminate the resistor, will the 11V plugs i have burn out when seeing 13.2 volts?

Thanks again.

[I Leak Oil]

They will burn out quicker seeing 13.2V no doubt.

[SafeAirOne]

If they're 11v plugs you should be all set without a resistor. I've been running my 11v, NGK Y208T glow plugs for years without anything but full battery power.

The original Champion CH45 glow plugs for the 2.25 diesels were 1.7v plugs, hence the resistor. If you were to use the resistor with the 11v plugs, they'd either be ineffective or take 5 minutes to get up to temp.