MSD Ready to Run Help

[plovett]

MSD was top of the line 25 - 30 years ago.  Dang.

paulie

[BruceS]

Doug, to clarify you're using a RTR and MSD box and the failures you've had have been the pickup in the RTR?  Not the box?

I have a new RTR with vacuum advance and a 6A box.  I was thinking of buying a spare pickup to carry along if I get a sudden failure.  Good idea? 

[Falcon67]

I have several MSD distributors and a couple of pickups in some home brew setups.  No issues.  However, in both door cars I use Mallory #685 boxes and have had zero issues in the last...18 years?  The dragster runs a MSD 7AL-3 so not a street/strip type ignition.

[Yellow Truck]

Doug, to clarify you're using a RTR and MSD box and the failures you've had have been the pickup in the RTR?  Not the box?

I have a new RTR with vacuum advance and a 6A box.  I was thinking of buying a spare pickup to carry along if I get a sudden failure.  Good idea?

Seriously, consider buying a 6-pack. I'm not kidding that all I could get was about 20 minutes of running time, once. The other two failures happened is under 10 minutes.

If you can, return the distributor for a refund and get a Duraspark - Faron Rhoads in PA sells a good one. Doesn't look as posh but it hasn't failed either.

[cjshaker]

Doug, to clarify you're using a RTR and MSD box and the failures you've had have been the pickup in the RTR?  Not the box?

I have a new RTR with vacuum advance and a 6A box.  I was thinking of buying a spare pickup to carry along if I get a sudden failure.  Good idea?

I use the billet distributor with a 6AL box, so probably not a valid comparison or relevant comment on my part. My bad.

I've never had a box failure, ever, and I've been using a couple of them for almost 25 years. Not so much when it came to their pick-ups. I've done everything in the book, including isolating all wires directly to battery and using isolated switches, so that nothing external could affect them. I don't get why I have the failures I do, but my faith in their pick-ups has dropped off the scale.

[cammerfe]

Back when I was working on cars most days, and doing hotrod stuff, I accumulated a mass of MSD boxes (most of them MSD 6s) that took up all one end of one of my workbenches. I always carried with me the little kit that enabled a switch back to a 'normal' ignition---and had to use it a number of times.

MSD was very good about sending me another one. But one day the light came on---I became aware that NASCAR guys had always a spare wired in and ready to go and that it only took a flip-of-a-switch to make the change---and decided to go to another brand.

KS

[amdscooter]

Posted my experience with the 8595 some time back when I reassembled my 390. Could not get it to drop in.. was really tight. Original dizzy would drop right back in. Examined the 8595 and was pretty sure it was shipped with the incorrect gear. Called MSD.. they did reply promptly. Guy I got to speak with treated me like I did not know diddly-doo. Ended up saying it was probably due to core shift... not our issue. Got off the phone and ordered a stock replacement gear from MSD. It arrived a few days later.. I installed it and the dizzy dropped right in. Been running it w/o issue for just shy of 7 years now.

My2c