FE Power Forums
FE Power Forums => FE Technical Forum => Topic started by: cjshaker on June 08, 2017, 04:03:40 PM
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I drove the Mach to work today and it ran fine. Went out to start it and let it warm up a bit after work and it started to cut out a couple times, then just died. Quick check of fuel and that was fine. Did a quick check of the cap and center button and they were fine. I knew right away what it was. Another damned pick-up! I threw in my spare distributor and it instantly fired up.
This is the 3rd pick-up to go bad in as many years. I had just installed it last year about one week before Drag Week, when my last one went bad (coincidently, at work also ::))! Altogether, it has maybe 1100-1200 miles on it. All of them were new when installed. ALL of my wiring is direct with no cuts, splices or anything else to cause problems. Has anyone else experienced problems like this? Am I just getting faulty parts, or has MSD's quality hit the skids? One I could understand, two I could swallow as a fluke, but THREE? I'll probably hold off on buying a lottery ticket for now.
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Maybe...
-engine ground strap? Two can't hurt.
-in a MSD box or a knock off?
-same supplier both times? Maybe have been multiple shelf stock boxes all from a bad batch. Try a different supplier.
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As previously noted - I got 12 MINUTES out of my brand new MSD distributor. I will add another ground strap when I put in the new one, but now it is grounded to the intake, which is well bolted to the block, and the intake has a grounds strap, but just to avoid having the discussion with MSD I'll put in another one.
Rather discouraging. And they made me pay the shipping to return it.
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Maybe trouble with the newer stuff? I have an MSD box and distributor, setup was on the Galaxie when I bought it. It's at least 7 years old by dated photos. Besides the main ground I have a strap from the intake to the firewall and also an additional ground from the battery to the core support. The ground from the 6AL is connected to the engine behind the alternator.
Concerning wiring integrity, mine was an absolute mess of taped and bundled wires, all had to be redone. The lousy wiring job with taped connections didn't affect the performance of the unit so far as I could tell.
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the pickup on my msd dist is 6 or 7 years old,solid rust and still fires right up,my son is a expert,perfectionist,when it comes to wiring,and he is big on getting a good,good ground.he wired mine up 6 or 7 years ago,no problems so im sorry i have no idea.i know it dont run off a ground,maybe heat or moisture?
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Technically, the ground shouldn't have any effect on the ignition, as the pick-up is wired completely through the box, and the box is grounded straight to my battery. But still, I have 2 ground straps and the engine buckle which goes from the frame to head (although I think it has nylon bushings). I even changed the box to a newer one last year when I was chasing the problem, because it was very intermittent, so I can't even blame the box.
I suppose it's just bad luck. It's not the first time I've gotten a string of bad parts, but I don't really expect it from a company like MSD. BUT, there's a reason I carry a spare distributor now. Obviously a good idea now, and in the future.
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Hey Doug that was the dizzy you were going to lend me. This is not good news to me since I just put a dizzy and 6AL in over the weekend. I guess I should install anb extra ground
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Maybe problem with the alternator giving voltage spikes??
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Damn that sucks, Doug. I remember reading about your hassles last year before Drag week. It caused me to get a spare magnetic pick-up for my Pro-Billet.
About 2 weeks ago my 416 just died when I pulled up in the driveway. I had just ran the 18mi up the mountain in record time. 8) Been trying to get my rings to break in. Anyhow.... I couldn't get it to re-fire. Nothing. I figured I was going to be doing a magnetic pick-up swap. After some troubleshooting I found I didn't have any spark at the coil wire when I jumper wired the mag pick-up plug going to the 6AL. That narrowed it down to the box or coil. The coil was making a squeaking noise when I pulled my jumper out of the plug but no spark. I swapped it with the HVC-II coil from my 504 and it fired right up. So I guess the MSD "High Vibration" coil I just bought last November took a dump. I'm starting to wonder about this MSD $hit too.
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I have to wonder if MSD is cutting corners on quality, or......? The first few years I raced my Fairmont, I used an Accel dual point distributor and a big ugly yellow Accel Super Coil, and it always ran just fine. After a couple of fellow racers pestered me about "getting with modern times" about my "stone age" ignition, so I gave in, and installed a Ford Duraspark distributor I bought at a wrecking yard from a 1975 F250 360, and installed a brand new MSD 6T ignition box. This was around 1990, and MSD 6ALs were not made yet. I chose a 6T as it had a separate electrical connector to hook up a "Soft Touch" rev limiter, to which I added a 2 Step module when I switched the Fairmont from a C6 to the Jerico 4 speed in 2000. That same 27 year old MSD 6T box is still working fine to this day. However, when I built my 85 Mustang Stock Eliminator car, which I first started running in 2003, I installed a new MSD 6AL box, with a Ford Duraspark dist. About 6 years ago, I replaced the Ford distributor with a MSD billet distributor. Since I started running the Mustang, I have had 2 different 6AL boxs fail, and a couple of years ago, the engine died going down the track. It restarted, then died a couple of times on the way back to the pits, then quit altogether, no spark. I installed a new MSD magnetic pick up assembly, and it has been working fine since then. But that seems pretty unreliable considering this is a car just used for racing, so running time is pretty low compared to a street car. Have to wonder if the 6T is just better than a 6AL, or if the older stuff was better quality. I have never had a magnetic pick up fail on a Duraspark dist.
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Oh yeah, although it is still working, my steel round body MSD "Blaster" coil is leaking oil around the crimp where the "can" is sealed to the plastic top.
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Kevin, I did the jumper test on the box the last time this happened. It was weird that I couldn't get a spark by jumping the wires, per MSD's instructions, but when I went to any ground, it sparked fine. That's what prompted me to buy another box and redo all my wiring so that everything went directly to the battery. Problem is, nothing changed. I still had no spark when jumping the wires, but it was fine when going to any other ground. I even made a short video of it then...
https://youtu.be/85PLiA8qIr0
I still can't explain this. My power comes straight from the battery, to a single pull/single throw switch, then straight to the box. Ground is straight to battery. The box lights and blinks like it's supposed to, according to their website. But their test does not work as it's supposed to. Go figure ???
Maybe problem with the alternator giving voltage spikes??
Heo, I thought of that, but I've hooked up a sensitive, large sweep voltage meter and watched it. Nothing out of the ordinary that I could see. I may see about adding some sort of filter or regulator to assure that the voltage is stable, but I don't have any problems or indications of spikes with any of my gauges or lights.
Hey Doug that was the dizzy you were going to lend me. This is not good news to me since I just put a dizzy and 6AL in over the weekend. I guess I should install anb extra ground
LOL, yeah, the one that's in it now is the one I was going to let you borrow. But it's good....for now. I have another spare pick-up to put in the other distributor. I guess I'll keep 2 on hand at all times until I'm confident that the problem has gone away.
Maybe...
-engine ground strap? Two can't hurt.
-in a MSD box or a knock off?
-same supplier both times? Maybe have been multiple shelf stock boxes all from a bad batch. Try a different supplier.
Bob, 2 ground straps, no issues with starting (except for some heat soak on the long drives during Drag Week), an MSD box, and the pick-ups were bought far enough apart that any batch should have been gone through. Still, I think I will buy one from Summit and one from Jegs, just to break it up even more.
On a side note, I spent 10 minutes last weekend running a file through, and re-gapping the points in my '63 Comet, which has sat outside for the last 25 years, and has been parked and not started for the last 8 or 9. It started instantly. I still like points for dead nuts reliability, but the advantages to the electronic ignition are just hard to pass up.
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Rory, funny you mentioned the "older" stuff from MSD. I've had a Blaster ignition that I've been using for 24 years now. Used it for 20 years in my '68 Highboy, now it's in the '70 F-350. Never had an issue with it. It was triggered by points in my Highboy, now by a Duraspark distributor that Faron had done for the engine I got off of Blair. I worry that it's living on borrowed time, but if it ain't broke...
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I'm assuming its a 2 wire pick up? if so i cant see how engine grounding would have anything to do with it. A 2 wire or VR (variable reluctor ) pick up is nothing more than a little ac voltage generator, it produces an alternating voltage wave as the metal tab on the distributor shaft approaches then leaves the fixed metal tab on the pick up. The important thing is that the ac voltage it generates swings to a negative voltage at exactly the point where the tab on the shaft starts moving away from the tab on the pick up, making it useful for a reference.
This is generally called a "zero crossing point" and the circuitry used to trigger off of this shouldn't really care what the " ground " looks like, as it is only really looking for the voltage from the VR lines to go from a positive to a negative, the ground potential, or center point, applies equally to both. The amplitude of the ac signal coming from the VR sensor varies quite a bit, it could be .3 volts ac at idle, then 30-50 volts ac at higher rpms,
the circuitry triggering off of this doesn't really care, it just wants to see the voltage (current flow) swap direction. As long as the main DC voltage used to power the triggering circuitry is sufficient to turn it on, then all should be fine. MSD likes the main power and ground connections right on the battery, so barring a dead battery, there should always be plenty of juice (DC voltage potential) to get the triggering circuit operating, and, it doesn't care if the blocks ground is not quite what the battery ground is, because the 2 wires coming off the VR sensor aren't really referenced to
anything but each other. So my guess is that its simply a bad pick-up, or a bad pick up circuit in the MSD box.
if it has 3 wires, its a bit of a different story, these type can either pull a high voltage low, or a low voltage high, based on the proximity of the tab on the shaft to the tab on the pick up. Either way, if their "ground" this sensor is using is referenced to the block and not to the battery, it could cause problems because the "ground" the MSD is using is what i like to call " the mother of all grounds ", otherwise known as the negative battery terminal.
By far the easiest way to check for a bad block ground is to use a voltage meter, put the positive meter probe to the block, and the negative probe to the battery negative terminal, then watch the meter while the engine is cranking. Its not uncommon to see a 1 to 2 volt reading, what you are seeing here is the resistance of the main ground strap from the block to the battery. try to get this as low as possible with a good beefy ground strap, but there will always be a voltage drop, unless you are using a super conductor, copper wire has resistance, and the more current you try to flow, the more it matters.
Im ranting a bit here, so forgive me, but im an electronics guy, and i see/hear the " it must be a bad ground " argument thrown around as a catch all for anything and everything. Yes, a bad ground can and does cause all kinds of problems, but that doesn't mean its to blame for everything, if the block ground is even marginally bad, the starter would throw a fit. If the block ground was bad enough to cause issues with the MSD ( witch should be grounded at the battery, but lets assume its grounded to the block..), the MSD draws like 7-10 amps, the starter has to go through the same ground and it draws 200-500 amps, if the ground is that questionable, the starter is going to let you know. So if she is cranking just fine, but still no spark, chances are the block ground is just fine.
Jay used to deal in these type sensors, so I'm sure he could explain it better, or tell me where i could be wrong :P
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Older stuff seems great. I have an MSD box and coil from 1994 that I'm still using (I replaced the coil recently, but it still functions just fine).
Not helpful to your post Doug, but I have been using the $48 Duraspark from Rock Auto for a variety of builds and engines and haven't had an issue yet.
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Hah! My old MSD 7AL box takes the cake.
Purchased in 1978 for my r.e. dragster I sold before running it. Ran it on my '63 Galaxie box-top for about 12 years and 60K miles. Took it off, threw it on my '70 Mach 1 for 11 years but only 11,000 miles. It finally died in 2015 but only about 13 miles from home.
I bitched to MSD that I only got 37 years from their product! LOL!
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Is this the ready to run series MSD distgributor? If so, it does prefer straight 12 volts to the module rather than running the factory resisted wiring from the ignition switch. Resisted voltage does hurt the electronics. On the flip side of this, I have had increasing issues in the last couple of years with the electronics in the Ready to Run series of MSD distributors failing early at an alarming rate. Ted Eaton.
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In all the years (40 +) I have been using mag triggered ignitions , I have only had one pickup failure and that was a Chrysler style pickup. The Ford Duraspark style has never failed me. MSD 6, 7 , older Hays Stinger , Crane are all ones I've used.
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This isn't one of their Ready-To-Run series, just their billet style. I've never had problems with their distributors, just the pick-up, and only here in the last few years. I'm wondering if the Duraspark pick-up will work in the MSD. I've read where they're the same, but have never compared the 2 side by side to see if the Duraspark will physically fit in the MSD distributor. If so, I may try a regular Duraspark pick-up.
Oh well, I'll continue using it, but if the problem persists I'll be switching to a Duraspark distributor and be done with it.
As an amateur, I mess with some electronics. Mainly old style tube amplifiers and the like. I've noticed over the years that the quality of electronic parts has depreciated considerably, with most everything being made in China, Taiwan or some other overseas country. You can find, with some extensive searching, military or aviation grade electronic parts, which have MUCH closer tolerances than what's available to the general public.
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As an amateur, I mess with some electronics. Mainly old style tube amplifiers and the like.
Off the thread topic and I apologize but it's interesting to me that like our vintage tin, old amps and receivers are part of our life also.
I'll start a thread in "off topic" so I don't screw yours up.
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... I'm wondering if the Duraspark pick-up will work in the MSD. I've read where they're the same, but have never compared the 2 side by side to see if the Duraspark will physically fit in the MSD distributor. If so, I may try a regular Duraspark pick-up.
The Duraspark pickup and the MSD pickup are not exactly the same, but similar. If I remember there was a slight difference in both how the bolts fastened to the distributor housing and more importantly the size of the holes that the bolts go through in the pickup magnet. We found this out when a pickup failed in my friends MSD distributor on his 351W race car while at the track a couple years ago. Someone else at the track had a spare Duraspark pickup, but we weren't able to make it fit with the limited stuff and time we had at the track between rounds. I have no doubt a person could adapt one with some effort.
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HOLLEY I THINK IS THE SAME WAY,THEIR OLD STUFF SEEMS BETTER THAN THE NEW
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Thanks for that info, Kevin.
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Kevin, I did the jumper test on the box the last time this happened. It was weird that I couldn't get a spark by jumping the wires, per MSD's instructions, but when I went to any ground, it sparked fine. That's what prompted me to buy another box and redo all my wiring so that everything went directly to the battery. Problem is, nothing changed. I still had no spark when jumping the wires, but it was fine when going to any other ground. I even made a short video of it then...
https://youtu.be/85PLiA8qIr0
I still can't explain this. My power comes straight from the battery, to a single pull/single throw switch, then straight to the box. Ground is straight to battery. The box lights and blinks like it's supposed to, according to their website. But their test does not work as it's supposed to. Go figure ???
I watched that video a few times.... something is funky there. I did the same test with mine and it worked. I'd be curious to hear one of the MSD tech guys explain that one. Makes me wonder about that wire running to your box though. Have you checked the continuity of it? Are the plugs on each end in good shape? I'm sure MSD has tens of thousands of those little plugs in service, but they sure look cheesy to me. Like a bad connection waiting to happen.
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I was at dinner last night and was talking to an old racer friend and when I brought up MSD he rolled his eyes and said "that waste of a company""they have the market on there product and you really have to use them""doesn't matter if your Ford or Chevy your MSD will leave ya hanging"..
I had never heard that and thought it was the best of the best. I have a pertronic billet with the flame thrower 3 I think and it was great till I needed to replace the cap.. the replacement was nothing like the original. You leave it sit and you'll have enough condensation under the cap to fart stop the motor. I pulled the 3 week old cap off and the pick ups where green from moisture.
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With literally hundreds having run I have had very, very few failed MSD parts in the shop. But when they do go bad it's without rhyme nor reason. I have had units that looked like they were pulled form the bottom of a lake work great and had a brand new one fail in minutes. I had a new high dollar coil cost 100 horsepower and had a dented and rusted swap meet canister one perform great. I think I might still have an MSD7 from the 1980s in my car right now...
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So what you all are saying here is that MSD is, of late, no more reliable than Pro Comp, the company they sued for copying their junk in the first place. OK, gotcha.
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So what you all are saying here is that MSD is, of late, no more reliable than Pro Comp, the company they sued for copying their junk in the first place. OK, gotcha.
A couple failures out of hundreds is not terrible in my experience. The ProComp failure rate is more like hundreds out of hundreds. I swear that some of that stuff is broken during packaging as part of the assembly process.
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A lot of the Procomp stuff isn't even usable from the start, so not comparable. The amount of MSD stuff out there is staggering, and like most things, we hear about the issues more than the non-issues, but it does bare watching if a trend is starting.
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So what you all are saying here is that MSD is, of late, no more reliable than Pro Comp, the company they sued for copying their junk in the first place. OK, gotcha.
A couple failures out of hundreds is not terrible in my experience. The ProComp failure rate is more like hundreds out of hundreds. I swear that some of that stuff is broken during packaging as part of the assembly process.
Damn Aussies, always chuggin' Fosters on the job. As for me, I'll stick to Accel hi-tension points. Over 8000 rpm with no misfires. Can't beat that with your newfangled modules. Sorta like a vacuum tube versus digital, you know what I mean?
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Boy I remember them days...
Ya got one of them big yellow coils too?
And some Hush Thrush header mufflers hanging from your headers by dog chains?
I gotta go and fill up my Gabriel HiJackers & flip the air cleaner lid...its Friday night!
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A lot of the Procomp stuff isn't even usable from the start, so not comparable. The amount of MSD stuff out there is staggering, and like most things, we hear about the issues more than the non-issues, but it does bare watching if a trend is starting.
The real problem with PC parts is that the thousands of people running them successfully never want to speak up because they fear ridicule from others. So, I think they qualify more for that issue/non-issue thing than MSD. Ya wanna bet that some of the same or similar job shops in China make parts for both? Ya wanna bet that's the problem with the modules?
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Boy I remember them days...
Ya got one of them big yellow coils too?
And some Hush Thrush header mufflers hanging from your headers by dog chains?
I gotta go and fill up my Gabriel HiJackers & flip the air cleaner lid...its Friday night!
Yep, Accel coil and dual point and "race" breaker points. Holley blue pump and DP. Gabriel Hi-Jackers, Ansen Ground Grabbers. Never an issue with any of that. No air cleaner lid, though. Blue anodized velocity stack; best working solution.
People are too lazy to maintain points. Plus, they fear being ostracized from their social circles if caught with a feeler gauge on their key chain. But not me, because I fear nothing. Or, because I have no social circle.
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There has also been a thread about MSD quality going on the Moparts forum ( I lurk there occasionally to catch Mopar Billy's Dragweek stories ), nothing really that helps Doug's issue, but apparently the quality issue, Chinese parts, and what is and isn't made in the USA is coming up enough that MSD has put out a press release. I will note that this info from MSD was posted in 2010, so may or may not be out of date. I copied and pasted the reply from MSD below. If you want to go to the full thread on Moparts here's the link:
http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/2294043/all/msd-quality.html
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Racers, we would like to set the record straight on a few of these ‘built off-shore’ claims. This is one of those subjects that could go on and on, but we’ll try to keep it short and sweet and to the point.
MSD was developed and born in El Paso 40 years ago. We have grown to encompass over 150,000 square feet of space to design, test, manufacture, and support our components. We have engine dynos, chassis dynos, CNC equipment, an EDM machine to cut molds, wave solder machines, surface mount pick and place equipment, and more tools and capabilities to aid us in MANUFACTURING the best ignition components available. We are comprised of just under 300 employees – with the average seniority of 12 years! No other manufacturer can even come close to that kind of commitment from its employees.
Every 7-Series, 8-Series, Pro Mag and most 6-Series Ignitions are designed, built, tested, and supported in the USA. We say ‘most’ on our 6-Series because there are two models that do incorporate a half populated PCB from overseas. In El Paso, we populate the rest of the raw and power components, assemble it, test, burn it in and package it.
Yes, some coils, such as the Blaster 2, are made overseas. One reason is there are no oil filled canister style coil manufacturers in the United States. All MSD coils are made to our specifications and thoroughly tested. Also, the coils for the Pro Mag 12s and 44s, the HVC line of coils and our multiple spark LS coils are all made in the United States.
One area that we offer caution, especially when purchasing used or through the internet, is with Distributors. MSD designed the Pro-Billet distributor and now you are seeing complete copies of our distributors coming from overseas. Even name-brand competitors are selling distributors that are copied from the original MSD design – some even with our part numbers! The distributor issue has become a predicament for MSD as we still get the tech calls, the upset customers, and even some returns of these off-shore duplicate distributors.
We could go on with other products in our line such as the 8.5mm Super Conductor, APS Starters, Crank Triggers (all made in the USA), but want to keep it short. It is important to mention our budget based line, Street Fire. This is line offers several distributors, easily identified with cast housings, as a budget based brand. The distributors are produced in China, however it took over a year to get a product that we were confident in. We put them under a different brand to clearly set the two designs apart. For the record, there is also a Street Fire CD ignition and spark plug wires as well – both made in the USA.
Face it, anything having to do with electronics is a tough business to be in with hundreds of raw material components, and it’s nearly impossible to build a product out of 100% USA components. You can be assured that if you do have an MSD coil that is made in China or in the United States, we will stand by its performance and provide you with the same support as any other MSD products.
We’ll see you at the races -
Russell Stephens
President
MSD Ignition
El Paso, TX
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Well, as you said, that proclamation is seven years old, so who knows. However, it also brings up the possibility that someone is producing counterfeit ignition modules. Maybe Doug got a couple? It would be good to contact MSD about this and see what they say. They seem to have had a good attitude towards fixing out-of-warranty boxes, so maybe he can send his failed parts in and see what they do.
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Well, as you said, that proclamation is seven years old, so who knows. However, it also brings up the possibility that someone is producing counterfeit ignition modules. Maybe Doug got a couple? It would be good to contact MSD about this and see what they say. They seem to have had a good attitude towards fixing out-of-warranty boxes, so maybe he can send his failed parts in and see what they do.
i heard from a reliable source that the msd boxes are counterfeited so beware where you buy yours at.
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I watched that video a few times.... something is funky there. I did the same test with mine and it worked. I'd be curious to hear one of the MSD tech guys explain that one. Makes me wonder about that wire running to your box though. Have you checked the continuity of it? Are the plugs on each end in good shape? I'm sure MSD has tens of thousands of those little plugs in service, but they sure look cheesy to me. Like a bad connection waiting to happen.
I agree that it's weird, and it might be hard to believe if it weren't for the video. All the connections are checked, double checked and even replaced last year, including the box. But I think you're right, I need to speak with MSD and see if they have an answer for me about it. I have a feeling that they're just going to say I have a bad connection or some other issue with my wiring. But I assure you, my wiring is 100% solid with good connections.
A lot of the Procomp stuff isn't even usable from the start, so not comparable. The amount of MSD stuff out there is staggering, and like most things, we hear about the issues more than the non-issues, but it does bare watching if a trend is starting.
Kevin, I agree that there are TONS of MSD products out there working fine and with no issues. That's why I have to believe, at least for now, that this is just a fluke.
The last time this happened, it was heat related, which is why it took me so long to track it down. Every time the car cooled down for a while, it started fine. I could drive it for miles, then suddenly I could feel a miss. Then, total shut-down. I'd drag the car home, which gave it time to cool off, then it would start and run fine. Repeat and repeat again, until it finally gave up for good one day in the parking lot at work.
I've also considered the fact that the last 2 times it's happened, it was while the car was parked at work...and that maybe I just need to avoid work ;D
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Its a sign...retire
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This just for looks but the one I'm using on my 427 Stroker.
It's the one on the right. No worries about module failures with these things.
Just not too sure about cars driving next to me and interference in their electronics.
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Did you check continuity on the old pickup? I'm betting the heat is just getting to the cheap plastic body, expanding and breaking a wire. Nothing much more to them.
Had a friend loose a pickup when unloading his race car. Ran fine at home, got out of trailer, Nope. Jumped the white wire and sparked. I asked if he had an extra pickup? Nope. He ran to Summit(hour away), told him to get TWO!!!
Thus all the reason I still leave the points in the black car. With having to move the blower to get the cap off, I don't want to deal with it. Besides cheapo condenser dying on me, the points last a decent time and likely not leave me stranded on the side of the road(I hope).
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Well, as you said, that proclamation is seven years old, so who knows. However, it also brings up the possibility that someone is producing counterfeit ignition modules. Maybe Doug got a couple? It would be good to contact MSD about this and see what they say. They seem to have had a good attitude towards fixing out-of-warranty boxes, so maybe he can send his failed parts in and see what they do.
Also, that was before MSD was purchased by Holley. Buy outs require money and the people backing the buy out expect a return to pay down the debt. I can tell you from experience, how that gets done can be a huge source of contention inside a company that has a history of doing things a certain way, and now has suits in the conference room that just flew in to tell them "here are your cost projections and here's where you need to be, get there." Unsaid but understood is the part about we have people that can get the numbers there if you can't.
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Did you check continuity on the old pickup? I'm betting the heat is just getting to the cheap plastic body, expanding and breaking a wire. Nothing much more to them.
Thus all the reason I still leave the points in the black car. With having to move the blower to get the cap off, I don't want to deal with it. Besides cheapo condenser dying on me, the points last a decent time and likely not leave me stranded on the side of the road(I hope).
Larry, the previous one that intermittently kept failing, kept fooling me that way. It always checked fine, but that was after the car had sat and cooled for a while. On it's final failure, after I trailered it home, it checked open...BINGO! I haven't checked this one yet, but I will, and suspect it may check ok, but I know it's bad from it starting immediately after dropping the spare distributor in. Not only will I have a spare distributor with me from now on, I'll have another spare pick-up to throw in if needed. It's a little sad I need to think that way. I've actually considered making up a points distributor just for driving and cruising and using the MSD just for track use. It's easy to swap them out, and I can mark them both with proper timing settings for easy drop-in. If it happens again.....
Also, that was before MSD was purchased by Holley. Buy outs require money and the people backing the buy out expect a return to pay down the debt. I can tell you from experience, how that gets done can be a huge source of contention inside a company that has a history of doing things a certain way, and now has suits in the conference room that just flew in to tell them "here are your cost projections and here's where you need to be, get there." Unsaid but understood is the part about we have people that can get the numbers there if you can't.
Bingo, Chris. In a nutshell, nothing good comes from buy-outs, despite the promises.