Where it's mounted is good ... and you have the right combination of ignition module and ballast resistor.
Read the links above ... five with four is good, and OEM. Five with two is not, and won't work. Four with two is OEM but four with four will also work.
You're seeing an example of my 'high-speed, low-drag' research technique ... spinning through tons of info while picking out relevant information ... and hopefully hitting on one or two clear, complete, and concise answers.
Yesterday and overnight (while sleeping), the back of my mind kept nagging me about a voltage regulator mounting issue. (Dodge voltage regulators need a good, solid ground -- negative -- connection to work properly.)
My mind seem to be trying to tell me there's a connection between how voltage regulators and ignition modules are mounted. I knew it wasn't a ground/negative connection issue for the ignition module. (Dodge ignition modules get their ground/negative connection from a dedicated wire rather than what they're mounted on ... versus the metal body common ground for voltage regulators.) So, I kept dismissing the intrusive thought.
(Why do I keep hammering on about negative/ground issues? Because, it's the cause of so many frigging problems!)
This morning, the connection hit me ... heat! I vaguely ... kinda ... recalled something I read decades ago.
Dodge ignition modules need to be mounted to large (area) pieces of sheet metal, which serves as a heat sink -- to dissipate heat away from the module. I kinda recalled reading about using heat sink compound between the ignition module and what it's mounted on to help dissipate heat. (Heat sink compound is a grease-like substance that conducts heat well.)
So, the "protectant on the back has leaked out everywhere" is very likely heat sink compound, added by someone to make sure things continued to work. (A rare example of a previous owner -- or mechanic -- actually knowing what they're doing.)
Excessive heat always causes electronics to fail. That's why your computer has a big noisy fan ... and why I fried two laptop motherboards ... and why -- at Leeann's recommendation -- I've added software for overdriving the fans in my current computer.
The sealant on the back side of ignition modules SHOULDN'T melt. (It takes a heat gun and several hundred degrees F to actually melt it.) If it is melted, then you definitely have a heat problem, either from the module itself or where it's located. (Or, the manufacturer used substandard sealant, in the case of aftermarket modules.)
General consensus across everything I've spun through this morning is aftermarket modules are ****. Especially if they're manufactured overseas and particularly in Asia. The consensus is also you should only use genuine MOPAR modules ... and the older the better. (Dodge, like many others, has been cutting costs -- and corners -- lately ... A727 versus A518 is an example.)
So, get -- and use -- some heat sink compound. It will be hard to find. Radio Shack would have been a good source, if the web and Sears hadn't killed them off. So, look for an electronic parts store (local or online). If the store/website doesn't specialize in electronic parts (versus televisions, DVD players, stereos, and other doodads), look elsewhere.
RTV silicone, and similar 'heat' products, won't work. (They resist heat rather than conducting it.) It has to be heat sink compound, made specifically to conduct heat.
And, stick with your old, rusty, corroded, ugly, original, genuine MOPAR module.
