msd ignition

[fred cook]

"I had to lower the idle speed by about 500 rpm!"

Please!!!!!!!!!!! You had another problem.

Love this forum!!! Nothing like getting to debate against someone with a mind like a steel trap (snapped shut)! Oh, I fully understand why Loren keeps his heels "dug in", he makes $$$$ pushing the Bosch parts off on the Pcar public! But the truth of the matter is that there are other ignition options available for significantly fewer dollars. I suppose that I could still light my home with whale oil, but a quick call to the EMC is so much more efficient!

Think I'll go fire up the SC and let the MSD do it's work for a while! Oh yes, the old Bosch CDI unit still has a job also. Makes a good door stop.

[randywebb]

I would like to see someone pull apart the guts of an msd and have a look at what is buried inside the epoxy -- this could be done initially by using a band saw to cut slices just as we do with a microtome to cells and tissue samples.

Then we'd know what quality components are being used and what they are.

[RoninLB]

stock ignition harness can be removed without damage and stored. If you choose to feed the msd directly from the starter lug run an extra 12 or 14g yellow wire from starter trigger terminal to a 20amp momentary on sw mounted in engine comp. That install is a home run.


different strokes

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by randywebb

Then we'd know what quality components are being used and what they are.

i usually stop my knowledge input after i figure out what works and how to keep it working. I believe the msd rubber feet vibration isolators are in that league. I use the marine msd and isolators due to their success in small ocean racers. Nothing pounds like an ocean racer. If you're not standing with legs flexed your balls are going down to your ankles.

IMO all electronics eventually fails. As soon as mine fails i'll send it to you. I've already sent out a Permatune that would crash intermittently to a pelicanhead for failed elec part diagnosis.

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by fred cook
"I had to lower the idle speed by about 500 rpm!"

Please!!!!!!!!!!! You had another problem.

Love this forum!!!

with due respect to all.. I had a beat 350cid Chevy that would hard start and developed oil/gas fouled plugs within 1,000mi. I installed an msd and then quick starting, including winters, and 5,000mi to a set of plugs.

[DohertyCM]

I have had one installed for over 2 years, in the engine bay (see picture) and have no complaints...

I installed it with a solid state points, Petronix...it think it was so i didnt have to set gap. I am never any good at it..

But I did notice a difference in performance and reliability.

I put the 7000 rpm chip in it, and left the 6300 rpm rotor cap in as well....main reason is I couldnt find one around here that would fit it.

The point being is I believe it is a good product when coupled with the petronix solid state points system.

[kwm]

Man this seems to be somewhat of a hot-button topic. So much anti-MSD and pro-Bosch out there. First off I say whatever is needed to keep these cars on the road and in the sight of the public then do it. I still remember as a kid seeing my first Porsche on the road and if my MSD helps get my car out there and do the same for some other kid then to hell with the Bosch box. The facts of my matter are clear as far as I see it. My car now starts better in all weather cold, wet, whatever it now idles better and all the rest is subjective IMO. It may or may not have better gas mileage and it may or may not have better top end perforance but to tell you the truth I could not careless b/c if it won't start or idle then who cares about gas mileage and better top end. Plus I have owned cars before with poor idle and it is a total pain in teh ass pulling up to every red light thinking is my car going to stay running or trying to monkey around and goose the gas all the time at stops just sucks.

[DaveE]

Honestly, for me I couldn't care less, Bosch vs. MSD. I only entered this thread to point out troubles I'd had on my BMW, assuming the guy who brought up the subject would want to hear both sides. The MSD I installed on my BMW wasn't replacing anything. It was simply an add-on to a very basic ignition system. i was just a little PO'd about wasting track time and it left a bad taste in my mouth. I have considered buying another though, on the theory that I just got a bad one, and an MSD coil to go with it.

[lateapex911]

My 2 cents, and a question...

I have a 2.7 with Solex cams and webers. The Webers are so so, and the car ran like total crap when cold, and in the lower revs with the stock CDI. Now, I know it's a fine unit, but, since I have a race car, and had a spare MSD 6Al on the shelf, I thought, "Why not give it a try??" Th result was much better. I know I still have carb issues, but, until I can get those resolved ($3K for ITBs and electronic injection), the MSD is staying.

For a fine running SC, I doubt the difference will be dramatic...

Now, a question...does anyone know, or have aguess as to who does the Pelican CDI rebuilds???? Just curious.....

[Mike D.]

Slight highjack on a month old thread - I'm installing a carb. 3.0 in a '74 914. I have the MSD 6al, but I'm not sure how to hook up the distributor with the big green 2 wire plug. I had this hooked up to a 68 2.0 but of course the dist. is totally different with only one wire (point and condenser).

thanks

[kwm]

The green wire should be the pick-up, i.e., "tells the system when to fire." I would call the MSD tech support. Even thought they kept refering to my set up as a VW they did know what they were talking about and you get right through to a live person.

[kent olsen]

Just to throw a curve into this mix, I bought a MALLORY MSD and it workd fine right out of the box. Except not tach (waiting for a tach adaptor) and when I start, the Oil Press gauge goes to Max for the first 5 min.

Kent Olsen
72t upgraded 2.7
soon to be 3.0

[Mike D.]

Originally posted by kwm
The green wire should be the pick-up, i.e., "tells the system when to fire." I would call the MSD tech support. Even thought they kept refering to my set up as a VW they did know what they were talking about and you get right through to a live person.

I will check with MSD. But in this case, the center green wire would go to the signal input (white wire) of the MSD, the wire that the instructions say to put on the points. And the outside or shield wire would then just be routed to a ground somewhere in the engine bay...

does this make sense?

[Brad01mc]

Hi!

The green wire from the dizzy is a coax wire, which means that it contains 2 wires that are shielded from each other. Just like the cable wire that goes into your TV.

This should be evident at the old Bosch connector. If you follow the green wire from the dizzy, it will split into 2 wires at the connector.

Snip the wires off the connector and connect these to the purple and green wires that go into the MSD box. My MSD came with a little connector with two bare wires at the other end of the connector, so I just connected these together with the green wire(s) and tried to fire it up. It would stumble and not quite run. I reversed the wires and it sprang to life.

Basically, one wire is the trigger signal and if it's connected the wrong way, it will cause the timing to be advanced, or retarded so much that the engine will pop, but won't run. There are some links that you can find on this site by searching. I'm on a "smoke" break, so I don't have the time to look for you.

I'm not sure if you ever visit junk yards, but I was able to find an exact duplicate to the 911 green wire on old Mercedes benz V-8's (gas!) 1970's vintage. Since the dizzy on these is up front, they don't suffer the same heat and destruction as on the 911. I have a couple of spare wires if you want to buy one from me. It's about 3 feet long and in $20 (including shipping) condition.

As far as the tach, I just plugged mine into the MSD box. There is a place for this at the end of the box. I think it's labeled. I didn't need an adapter or anything special.

Oh, I have a 1978 SC and a MSD AL-6.

[Mike D.]

Thank you, I think I have it figured out now. My biggest problem was that I didn't realize that the SC dizzy is a magnetic pick up. So I don't use the white wire at all.