[tom s]

Jon might be on to something.My 63 cat had a ballast rest and it burned out,had to use a jumper wire to get home.Tom

[fasteddy]

Andy, that is not the ballast resistor. The ballast resistor looks like a tiny white brick with wire terminals on each end. In from the ignition out to the distributor.

[67SS&99SS]

Thanks fasteddy, that is what I thought they looked like. I have not seen one on the tempest anywhere. There aren't any located under the dash that I am aware of. My Dodge truck and my 'Cuda have one on them and they are on the firewall.

[fasteddy]

Hey Andy, what's with all of the chrome boxes and wires? Does not look like stock stuff to me.

[67SS&99SS]

Thats on my 'Cuda, not the pontiac. Its a new stock type wiring harness, mopar peformance distributor and 8,000 rpm ignition module and the voltage regulator.

[67SS&99SS]

The car runs.

[mechanickeith]

So................ What was the cure??????????

Fuel
Electrical
Timing

Enquiring minds want to know!!!!!!

[67SS&99SS]

Well, I took the car to the local mechanic. I decided I would let a fresh set of eyes look at the problem. The N.O.S. distributor was in the car when it went up there and he checked the coil first. Got fire there. He checked the plug wires next, a very faint spark. So, he said it had to be inside the distributor. He took the points out, cleaned them with emory paper, put them back in, set them, then pulled the plugs. He had one of those small bags you hook to an air compressor that cleans plugs. I cleaned all of them then put it back in there. He checked the alignment of the #1 plug wire and rotor button which was right on and told me to turn the key on. He had one of those setups that went from the battery to the starter soloniod that had a button between it that you could crank the engine over outside the car. Well, a few pushes on that button and the car fired up. I never thought that the points would have corrosion between them, but evidently that was the case. I cleaned the points in the old distributor and that didn't work so I never tried cleaning them in the N.O.S. distributor Oh well, at least its running. I drove it today and it has a loud howling sound from the back of the car. I guess its time for bearings now.

[jusjay]

The "howling" does it change pitch when you go over bumps, or when you speed up and slow down? That will help us to pin point the problem area.

[67SS&99SS]

The faster you go, the louder it gets. I have not gone over any bumps, only driven on smooth pavement.

[mechanickeith]

Some questions,,,,, does the noise change with engine rpm or with road speed? Does the noise go away or get softer when you let off of the gas & come back when you get back on the throttle??

Several things it can be. If it changes with engine rpm, its a good chance it is a bad bearing on the propeller shaft between the engine & trans.

If it changes with road speed, it could be a bad wheel bearing or possibly a bad u joint. As jusjay mentioned, does it change pitch. It will be noticable the most if you go down a street in the right lane. Stay at about 35-40 mph, And let the car suspension go up & down with the movement of the road as you pass side streets. Let the car suspension swoop up & down. If the sound/pitch of the noise changes with the suspension movement, it is a wheel bearing.

Also if the noise goes away & comes back as you go on & off the gas, good chance it is bad bearings/gears in the differential.

I have put cars on jackstands, in front of the rear tires, & ran the car in gear up to about 25 mph & could isolate which side the bad bearing/ noise is coming from.