Sudden Stall

[apache5g]

So, today I was tracing more wires. While the key was in the "on" position, I did not have any current at the coil. I traced the wire from the coil back to the enclosed......thing. Looking through the manuals (including the shop technicians manual), I cannot figure out what it is. This was bolted to the firewall. The terminal on the right side has 2 wires. One wire is from one of the ignition control module plugs, and the other is coming from the plug containing all the wires that go to the fuse panel inside the Jeep. The left side has 2 wires as well. One wire goes to the HEI BATT terminal, and the other one goes to the starter selenoid, connected to the "S" post. I put the meter on the right side, and I had 12+ volts. The other side had nothing. I figured this "connector" must be my problem. I decided to combine the four wires and the Jeep started and ran like normal. Does anyone know what the hell this thing is, and is it safe for me to run my Jeep with a constant 12 volts going to the coil on the HEI? The housing of this thing feels like ceramic, and the inside has a very thin spring like wire wrapped around what feels like a fiber glass tube.

 

[Hedgehog]

It's a ceramic resister for the coil. Some jeeps use a resister wire, the older ones use this thing. They fail or crack. I replaced mine in my Willys with a oil that has an internal resister.