> I had heard that the U20 was a copy of the Mercedes 190 engine that Nissan
> slanted it slightly so it wouldn't be an exact copy
Copied, no. Inspired? Yes. Datsun folklore and trivia... yes!
> By the way, I got Sean's roadster running, the positive or charging pole
> was loose under the wire, I disconnected the wire, tightened the pole up,
> reconnected it and problem solved.
Glad to hear it is running. Dirty connections are always problem with the
roadster.
> This summer I want to upgrade the
> alternator, so that will wait. Today his ballast resistor went out, left
> him stranded down town. I was at work so he couldn't reach me till I got
> off.. Where can I get one of those?
The Ballast Resistor should about around 1.6 Ohm. Thankfully most
12V coils with external resistors are fairly common, so you should be
able to find a generic item.
Of the ballast resistors, the Original Nissan Items, with ceramic are
nice as you can remove them, and look at the resistance element. Nothing
more than a coil of wire. Typically I have "saved" most ballast resistor
by taking the connections apart, cleaning them up with fine emery paper.
Reassemble... and they usually work fine.
One thing you can do, and for Sean to learn, is BYPASS the ballast
resistor. Wears out the points very quickly, and is not good for
the ignition coil to run that hot. But I would rather replace them
later and NOT walk home. Carry a jumper wire with an spade terminal
on one end, and a 4" of insulation removed on the other end.
Connect the "+" side of the coil to the "+" battery terminal. Heck,
I'd rather burn up a set of points than walk home! To stop the engine
when you get home... just put it into 4th gear, and dump the clutch
while keeping your foot on the brake.
Cheers,
Tom Walter
P.S. Best place to get a Roadster part... your friendly roadster
parts source. Just realized most folks do not have access to
a ohmmeter that can measure 1.6 Ohms.
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