Cdi box died quick link to msd box swap instructions?

[zaidigonzo]

My cdi box died. 1989 usa 930 motor.
Could anyone direct me to instructions on how to wire an msd box instead of a used $900 old cdi box please??
Which msd box to buy and any other parts needed, what wires go where?
Any help greatly appreciated!!
Please,
Thank you

[T77911S]

the instructions come with the MSD, although what i found is that the wires from the MSD to the dist, (violet and green??) need to be sawpped when connected to the green wire with the shield around it that goees to the dist. ( from memory i think the violet goes to the ground side of the dist wire).
get the 6al. i put in the MSD so i could remove all my electronics.

you can also get a connector that you can wire to the MSD wiring that will plug directly into the stock wiring harness. now i can carry my bosch unit and if the MSD fails i just plug in the bosch.

may i ask how you know the CD unit is bad?

you can also have your CD unit rebuilt/repaired.

here is how i mounted mine. i have since cleaned up the wiring.

[T77911S]

wrong pic

[quattrorunner]

/\/\/\ what he said about the green and violet wire.
It's SO easy, but not without a couple odd issues in the wiring.
I used the starter as the power source and grounded to the intake manifold.





Forgive my dirty engine compartment, I had some bodywork done.

[zaidigonzo]

Cool!! Thank you. She died, backfired, no spark. Took the cdi unit out and saw it was a rebuilt unit( sticker), porsche mechanic tested it and found 2 burnt out points in it. I will switch to msd 6 al with epoxy coil. Its an 89 motor, should I get a new rotor without the resistor and plug cables and did you change your spark plug gaps?
Thanks again!

[quattrorunner]

I still have not melted my standard rotor after two years. I keep one handy. I did use larger gaps. Easy to do.

[mark houghton]

Originally Posted by zaidigonzo

Cool!! Thank you. She died, backfired, no spark. Took the cdi unit out and saw it was a rebuilt unit( sticker), porsche mechanic tested it and found 2 burnt out points in it. I will switch to msd 6 al with epoxy coil. Its an 89 motor, should I get a new rotor without the resistor and plug cables and did you change your spark plug gaps?
Thanks again!

.040 or .042 gaps, if I remember correctly as to what I'm running with my MSD. Been running flawlessly for years (ohhh $hit, now I've done it!)

[JFairman]

When you install the MSD there are two ways to wire it to the 6 pin plug that plugs into the Bosch CDI box.
The unreliable ugly way is stuff a bunch of male spade terminals into it with crimped on wires going to the MSD and hope the spade termainals don't vibrate out or short out from rain water ...at the worst possible moment.

The much nicer and way more reliable way to do it is get the female 6 pin plug with snap in male spade terminals inside that fits into it like the one on the wire pigtail that comes out of the black Permatune replacement CDI box.
If you're nice and don't tell them your going to use it to wire in an MSD box they might sell you one.
Like that you can always plug a Bosch CDI box back in quickly.

[T77911S]

yea, i did the spades into the connector for a short time. i did not want to hack up my factory wiring harness and i had not found a connector to go on the MSD wiring yet.

so here is the almost final configuration.
looking at the pic i just realized i need to reroute the wires outside of the relay panel that go to the MSD.
anyway, you can see at the top of the MSD is the wiring harness that connects to the MSD.
i had run the wire for the tach down behind the relay panel but it is not that way in the pic.

i wired mine like quatro did. power to the starter but i ended up grounding to the ground lug on the realy panel that also grounds to the body.
just dont forget. MSD says the violet is +, connect that to the shield or ground wire going to the dist.