MSD 6-AL 6420 failure

[Porschephanatic]

After 15 years, my MSD 6-AL finally failed. The 6420 isn't available any longer. What should I get now. Thank you All!

[ian c2]

Neil Harvey has a couple of modified 6a’s for sale

[ian c2]

https://performancedevelopments.com/neils-deals/

[Porschephanatic]

Cool! Thank you.

[timmy2]

MSD Streetfire. Google it. About $175.
Or MSD Ignition 6425 6AL Ignition Control Box $275

[Porschephanatic]

Originally Posted by timmy2

MSD Streetfire. Google it. About $175.
Or MSD Ignition 6425 6AL Ignition Control Box $275

Thank you. Do you think that I would need a tachometer adapter with the 6425 6AL? I didn't need one with the 6420. Thanks again.

[ian c2]

M&w is a better alternative .
Have you thought about getting your original repaired ?
There’s a 6a in the classifieds , also a crane sparkbox that could be used a temporary measures .
I have a 6a in the garage somewhere I could lend you to keep you on the road whilst yours was out for repair

[Porschephanatic]

Now that you mention it, I may have an old Perma-Tune in the garage to hold me over. I'll look into M+W. Thank you.

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by ian c2

M&w is a better alternative .
Have you thought about getting your original repaired ?
There’s a 6a in the classifieds , also a crane sparkbox that could be used a temporary measures .
I have a 6a in the garage somewhere I could lend you to keep you on the road whilst yours was out for repair

What relegates an equiv. Crane ign. box to backup status? Anecdotally, I’ve had Crane boxes and a pointless trigger in my early 2.7 for 15 years w/o issue.

I’m sure the latest Crane 6A box has cleaned up circuitry, but their early versions (A few? Many?) revealed several hardwired jumper circuits hand soldered to their “electronic” printed circuit board (PCB). Functionally, they worked. As for longevity.....?

Sherwood

[ian c2]

I was simply pointing out what is currently available in the classifieds to get the car back on the road. .

[dicklague]

I have been running a Daytona-Sensors CD1 in my 1973 2.7 MFI for like 17 years love it. Nice set up comes with E transformer coil. Lots of great features and very well made.

[ian c2]

Nice piece of kit .
I have a tab open on my iPad talking about it and crane and msd .
I’ll post a link when I get home from work

[Porschephanatic]

Cool. I didn't know that I had so many options.

[ian c2]

Oh yeah , there are lots of options !!
Repair or direct replacement is allways the easiest option imho , as it’s all about fixing down and wiring so like for like is easy and you know what you get as you’ve had it years ...
If you do go for a repair I’d recommend potting compound .

Here’s the link I talked about on my iPad .

Review the technology in the Daytona, Crane and MSD Capacitive Discharge Ignition systems and decide for yourself why the CD1 from Daytona is superior to all others

Crane are good But they sold out and are know sold as fast Efi . Not d\sure what models they now sell .
Msd no longer sell the analog I don’t think , and I’m not sure the new digital stuff is 100%
Mw are good but confusing with options , I think it’s a model 10 for single plug porsche .
Daytona are good , and give the option of two-step etc .
The electric air guy is offering an smd Cdi built into the original box , looks good but I haven’t seen any reviews .
Plus there are more , but tbh I’d stick with the known players .

[dicklague]

Originally Posted by ian c2

Oh yeah , there are lots of options !!
Repair or direct replacement is allways the easiest option imho , as it’s all about fixing down and wiring so like for like is easy and you know what you get as you’ve had it years ...
If you do go for a repair I’d recommend potting compound .

Here’s the link I talked about on my iPad .

Review the technology in the Daytona, Crane and MSD Capacitive Discharge Ignition systems and decide for yourself why the CD1 from Daytona is superior to all others

Crane are good But they sold out and are know sold as fast Efi . Not d\sure what models they now sell .
Msd no longer sell the analog I don’t think , and I’m not sure the new digital stuff is 100%
Mw are good but confusing with options , I think it’s a model 10 for single plug porsche .
Daytona are good , and give the option of two-step etc .
The electric air guy is offering an smd Cdi built into the original box , looks good but I haven’t seen any reviews .
Plus there are more , but tbh I’d stick with the known players .

Very interesting that you found that comparison. The MSD sure looks sloppy by comparison.

The Daytona-Sensors was designed by Chris who I believe worked for Crane for years. This unit takes all of his experience together. I have found mine to be very well built and reliable. It also stores data on RPM vacuum, etc that can be downloaded by USB.

I know the guys at Daytona Sensors and they are a good crew, and very responsive. Small company, but top notch.

I LOVE the built in soft rev limiter. I have it set for 6600 RPM and it is so much better than the rotor style in my 1973 2.7 MFI set up.

I like the fact that the CD-1 come with a strong matching coil. Yes it does not look like the Bosch that is so unreliable,. but it works well. Also the CD1 box is a bit bigger than bosch and does not look like it at all.

Parts Klassic make a similar Bosch look cdi As well as Jonny the A/C guy.


I also have their WEGO IV AFR instrument installed in the 911 permanently. This is invaluable for adjusting the MFI system. It records over 2 hours of data on AFR,RPM, map/vacuum and can be downloaded via USB.

In summary I have found the CD-1 to be a great performer and very reliable with lots of great features.

[MST0118]

Just saw this and interested in the comparison, too. Does the Daytona have as much power as the MSD-6 AL to allow you to run larger plug gaps? I’d also be interested to know if it can change ignition curve with a locked distributor.

[ian c2]

Most early electronics look like that inside , hence my earlier comment on potting compound .
I’ll post a pic of one of my potted cdi units , and a good crane link later when I get in from work .
Daytona are still current , so you can get all their details from their website . They have some good options

[ian c2]

Hers a couple of pics of one of my cdi boxes .
You cannot see much , as it’s all covered in putting compound ...
If I’m not working this weekend I’ll strip it out and post component pics .
It was pretty high end and high performance about 30 years ago

[ian c2]

And here’s a link for crane offerings from a few years ago .

https://www.enginelabs.com/engine-tech/ignition-electronics-efi/tech-review-taking-a-quick-look-at-cranes-ignition-boxes/

[dicklague]

Originally Posted by MST0118

Just saw this and interested in the comparison, too. Does the Daytona have as much power as the MSD-6 AL to allow you to run larger plug gaps? I’d also be interested to know if it can change ignition curve with a locked distributor.

I do believe the output is better than the MSD......but I could not find it. My 911 idles much better, starts much better, and I do have wider gaps on the plugs.


I know you can program the advance curve in the computer. Here is the listing, and you can download the installation instructions.

http://www.daytona-sensors.com/cd-1--ignition-system---multi-purpose-racing-unit.html

they provide lots of information.....here are the installation instructions in .pdf
http://nebula.wsimg.com/f38ed282eb5687afef42c38b04a0abff?AccessKeyId=1C324 6E298A5DEFACC7D&disposition=0&alloworigin=1