MSD question. car wont start.

[vash]

why do things always happen at the body shop?
well, car wont start. a porsche mechanic dropped off a 356, and poked around. no fuel. he disconnected a plug in the back, he said it is the safety feature for roll over. well, now fuel is present.

no spark. at the coil. he left, since he isnt on the clock. damn! well, body shop is going to put my car back together. they let me poke around. here is what i found. check MSD ground. excellent. looked at 12V switched power. nicely connected tofactory red wire. then 12 power. WTF? PO's mechanic connected it to the top of the 3 fuses in the engine panel. the fuse was blown. and subsequent fuses kept blowing. Jimmy of mobileworks (GOD BLESS this man!) walked me thru things and told me that that wire needs to be connected directly to 12v.

here is the question, do i need to put a fuse in-line here? i dont want to bother jimmy again, he aint on the clock either. do you think i could have hurt the wiring harness? why did the car run fine for 1 year and then decide to ditch me at this most inconvienent time? help me please. i am going to take a tool bag, jack, stands and do the work at the body shop. my car is too low to get onto a flatbed. well maybe...i might try it. AAA! i will do a better job in my own garage.

thanks pelicans in advance!

cliff law

[Rex Walter]

Vash,

You have to figure out why the fuse keeps blowing. If it worked OK for years, why is it blowing fuses now? What else is hooked up to this fuse? Does it blow even if the MSD is not connected to it? Of the three engine compartment fuses, I think mine runs the heater fan and the rear window defogger (one fuse is not used). I also have my MSD connected to one of these fuses - a good source of power. If it still blows fuses without the MSD connected, you have something else going on.

Good luck - Rex

[RoninLB]

Any CD box needs good clean power and ground.

The MSD does draw a considerable amt of current. I used 10ga AWG marine wire for the hot connected directly to the starter lug. I attached the battery feed 1st and then the MSD power feed terminal on top of that. Run same type/different color to the engine compartment chassis ground lug that's on the drivers side inner fender wall. I'd attach that terminal 1st so it's in direct contact with the lug back area. Use dielectric and solder.

Then the dizzy trigger points wire can be disconnected and tapped against a ground simulating the dizzy on/off. Disconnect the coil wire at the dizzy and attach it somewhere close to a ground. Don't hold it with your hand.

[Westy]

Cliff, my car is lower than yours and I got it ona flatbed (twice, unfortunately). Just make sure the guy has a couple of 4x4's and knows what he's doing. It went on with room to spare.

PS. Again, I say redo the ground with heavy wire to a good chassis ground. Talk to ya in a few

[juanbenae]

cliff i know it's a bit out of your way, but you are welcome to use my car trailer and all the tie downs to get it home. not practical, but it there if you need it.

it does have a winch to get a dead solider on it back.

[vash]

thanks. i am gonna try to disconnect from the fuses, and see if the fuse keeps blowing.

if not, i am going to connect directly to the starter lug. got my pickup full of tools to do the work. let you know! if they keep blowing, i will flatbed it. AAA card at the ready. oh well, this is good for calling in sick anyways.

[fred cook]

You might try putting an ammeter across the terms that the fuse plugs into and see just how much amperage the MSD is drawing. If I remember the specs correctly it should only pull a few amps (8-10?) even at redline. The best place to pull the power from seems to be the main power terminal on the starter. That way you will have full power when cranking. I replace the rear fuse panel with one that uses ATO style fuses and added an extra fuse just for the MSD main power lead. The secondary (small red) power lead is plugged into the master plug that used to connect into the bottom of the Bosch CDI unit. When I ran a ground for the MSD, I first grounded it to one of the bolts holding the mounting bracket to the chassis and then went to the engine "just to be sure".

Good Luck!

[vash]

rat-a-tat-tat! that is the machine gun fire shooting down my enthusiasm...sadly, no go. i ran a nice 10ga wire to the starter, for power. i get 12v there, and with my voltmeter, i see 12v at the small red wire with the ignition. i think my ground is good.

the fuse doenst blow with the MSD disconnected to the fuse, so i suspect something wacky going on there. a shop will test it for me, once i tow the car back to my garage. i have mixed feelings. part of me wants to go back to stock config, and the cheapo in me says to send the part (if it is tested bad) back to MSD so they can fix it. i miss the whine of a stock CDI box...

thanks guys.

[vash]

amazing what you can learn on the internet. found the testing method.

dumbass que. on my 81 car, am i using the magnetic pickup? sorry, car is not here. ducking!

cliff
thanks (fred, i know your fuse thread well. definately on my future list)

[Early_S_Man]

Cliff,

Yes, yours has the magnetic trigger ...

The trigger coil in the distributor should measure 600 Ohms +/- 10% when unplugged or disconnected from MSD. While cranking ... meter set to AC Volts [4.0 or 20.0, depending on the meter] ... you should measure 1 - 3 Volts AC.

[vash]

thanks! dusty car is back in the garage. i will mess with it during the week. keep the comments coming. i like making "lists". shop down the street volunteered to hook it up to his countertop MSD demo. i can test my hi vibe coil too. funny guy.

cliff

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by vash

shop down the street volunteered to hook it up to his countertop MSD demo. i can test my hi vibe coil too. funny guy.

perfect

I'm waiting to find one that crashed for a long time. I even tried to crash one myself. Boat battery sw turned on and off and it just kept on ticking. The owner would get a freebie if I toasted this one. It wasn't easy.

if it's toast how about taking info.. huh? Definitely don't leave it behind.

[MobileWrks]

Hey VASH... Calls do not bother me..LOL if you need help, just call.. Jimmy

[vash]

thanks guys.

so warren. set my meter across the two trigger wires, with ignition on, and i should see 600+/- ohms?

i finally hooked my MSD to the countertop unit. i had to use a bunch of alligator clips and stuff. the PO had all the correct 911 pigtails installed onto the unit, so it didnt simply wire up to the tester. no spark. i am gonna call MSD. plus i did the test on the car as well, put dist cable near a ground source and repeatedly jumped/unjumped the trigger wire, NO SPARK. i think i fount ronin's dead unit. i suspected it anyways, because of the blowing fuse.

anything the body shop could have done to fry it? (i wont point any fingers, just looking for explanations at this point). maybe left the ignition on? hook up a battery charger incorrectly?

[vash]

damn it, now i am off to fight the holiday crowd at the UPS office. (thinking happy thoughts, breath in blue, breath out pink)

$25 to $75 to fix it. better than buying new. but 12 days lead time. f!

[juanbenae]

so this will be your 12 days of christmas?

[vash]

i hope it isnt my 12 days of new years. if so, i am buying another unit.

[Early_S_Man]

Did the body shop do any MIG or arc welding on the car???

[vash]

warren, i dont think so. that is a damn smart idea though.

i did some a few months ago! damn. my lower oil cooler bracket. i wonder if i planted the seed of failure...hhmmm.?

just for the future, what do you have to do, disconnect everything?

[MobileWrks]

Call me, and ill swing by on Monday. Mid afternoon...(ON ME!!!!) 916-420-8774 or 408-580-7919 Try to get you back on the road....