OK, What is This Thing??

Was bored and saw this doohickee thing on THAT site. Never seen one or heard of one of these. Have you? If so, what's it do??

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-Auto-Li...ar:1933|Make:Ford&hash=item19d862d57f&vxp=mtr

 

I never have. Looks kinda cool.

 

I'd have to put that one right up there with ignition noise suppressors.

 

It appears to be a 6-volt ballast resistor....

 

It's an aftermarket ballast resister
intended to reduce the currant flow
across the points to reduce arcing
and extend their life.

Mart3406
=============

 

Old points would oxidize with higher current going to the points. This device keeps the current constant going to the polnts. tungsten oxide is an electrical oxidization that will turn the points a blue color. They wont have a good contact because they are corroded.

 

The info printed on the back of the box regarding cold weather and low RPM current makes me think this may be more of a "thermistor" than a simple ballast resistor. In any case, it has some low resistance value that lowers the current in the primary side of the ignition circuit. The downside is that there will be a corresponding weaker secondary current available to the spark plugs.

Bottom line: Do you want points that last longer at the expense of a weaker spark, or do you want to do a little more maintenance of your ignition system and have it operate at it's highest possible efficiency?

This is a piece that should be on display, not on a car.