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Hold 2bb's hand with ignition basics for the 23rd time

I’ve heard of potential pickup issues on those, this reminds me to get a spare for the boat
 
Its more technical so the HEI is easier to diagnose, you dont have one laying around ?

I must have at least 1 extra HEI.

The idea also is most APS's don't have parts for MSD stuff but do for factory distributors

Ever walk into an O'Reilly's? They always have more msd stuff than any factory parts. They're on every damn corner, and worst case they can get it for you in a day or two.

HEI is great, but not for everything. Not everything is a SBC.
 
2BB

the hei would get the truck back to your house.


I have heard that the hei doesnt do well over like 6k or so

Ive never had that issue as I jhave only used them on small blocks (fords and chevys)
 
I ordered a new pickup from summit yesterday. I tried amazon prime but apparently its not legal in California (seriously).
 
Well 4 months later i drug the truck out of the canyon/hole it was broke down in, cleaned it up, and changed the magnetic pickup...... and it wont start. Shoved a gas drenched rag into the lp intake just to be sure, and nothing.
 
it generating a signal? put a multimeter on the plug leads and see if it pulses when spun
 
Well 4 months later i drug the truck out of the canyon/hole it was broke down in, cleaned it up, and changed the magnetic pickup...... and it wont start. Shoved a gas drenched rag into the lp intake just to be sure, and nothing.

Did you check for spark after the pickup install? That distributor has to be timed right after you finger fawked it. If no spark, I'd guess your 6a box is screwed.
 
You've still got a cap, rotor, coil, a 6a box, and a wiring harness to check out


Don't get me lying about how to wire a msd box, the only vehicles I've owned with them, came with them...

But I'd pull a wiring diagram for one, and make sure you've got your inputs
 
Did you check for spark after the pickup install? That distributor has to be timed right after you finger fawked it. If no spark, I'd guess your 6a box is screwed.
No i didnt check for spark after... just ASSumed. There is no adjustment on the pickup, so what would need to be timed? I just popped the cap off and changed it.
 
No i didnt check for spark after... just ASSumed. There is no adjustment on the pickup, so what would need to be timed? I just popped the cap off and changed it.
If you didn't pull the distributor out, it should be fine. I would check for spark next, no spark it's probably the 6a (they don't like water or hard shock).
 
You said a while ago that if you jumped the pick up wires on the MSD did you check that again?

Basic MSD troubleshooting.

 
MSD ignition is great right up until it fails. My money is on the box being dead.

I run stock or a generic GM HEI module mounted to a heatsink for a reason. Cheap reliability.
 
You've still got a cap, rotor, coil, a 6a box, and a wiring harness to check out


Don't get me lying about how to wire a msd box, the only vehicles I've owned with them, came with them...

But I'd pull a wiring diagram for one, and make sure you've got your inputs
You said a while ago that if you jumped the pick up wires on the MSD did you check that again?

Basic MSD troubleshooting.




Ok, just jumped the pickups again and it still sends power down the coil wire to the distributor. I also confirmed everything was rotating the way it should and the crank gear isnt slipping or something stupid.

Next i pluged a new spark plug into one of the wires and tried everything possible to verify spark including holding it while grounded and cranking and there is no spark at all.

Then i verified the light on the msd box was blinking during cranking which its supposed to with every signal from the pickup.... so that seems to be working.

I cant comprehend how but i cant come up with anything other then it being the cap/rotor.
 
Ok, just jumped the pickups again and it still sends power down the coil wire to the distributor. I also confirmed everything was rotating the way it should and the crank gear isnt slipping or something stupid.

Next i pluged a new spark plug into one of the wires and tried everything possible to verify spark including holding it while grounded and cranking and there is no spark at all.

Then i verified the light on the msd box was blinking during cranking which its supposed to with every signal from the pickup.... so that seems to be working.

I cant comprehend how but i cant come up with anything other then it being the cap/rotor.
It's getting signal from the pickup to the msd but the mad isn't firing. Trust me, those piles of shit die randomly and with zero warning. Fuck msd.
 
Ok, just jumped the pickups again and it still sends power down the coil wire to the distributor. I also confirmed everything was rotating the way it should and the crank gear isnt slipping or something stupid.

Next i pluged a new spark plug into one of the wires and tried everything possible to verify spark including holding it while grounded and cranking and there is no spark at all.

Then i verified the light on the msd box was blinking during cranking which its supposed to with every signal from the pickup.... so that seems to be working.

I cant comprehend how but i cant come up with anything other then it being the cap/rotor.

What about the coil?
 
What about the coil?
Im getting power/spark from the coil down the wire to the cap. Ive verified this by shorting out the pickup which in turn is telling me that the box is reating to the signal and telling everything to work.


Fackit i just ordered a new box, cap, and rotor. Should probably get a coil to to throw in the parts box when the day comes that i need it.

I bought this msd box almost exactly 19 years ago and have ran it on 4 different vehicles. I remember getting it on sale for $99. Today its replacement cost $284
 
Step one with an MSD 6A: Throw it in the trash.


Put a stock style ignition module (Ford duraspark or GM HEI module).

eenshot_1_481a4e16d499315b83a1065cd1f77afba29bf2c4.png
 
It looks like a new cap and rotor. I hit it with some sand paper for the hell of it but it didnt help. There is less then 100 miles on the complete distributor assembly
I was wondering if the electrode in the middle of the cap was missing or if the one in the middle of the rotor was out of place.
 
I was wondering if the electrode in the middle of the cap was missing or if the one in the middle of the rotor was out of place.

Little round ball thingy in the top of the cap that looked a little dirty but had a shiny spot and the metal flappy dongle on the rotor looked good. I bent it up slightly to hopefully make better contact.
 
The little inverted triangle is suppose to represent ground even though its upside down.

And as you can see the same black wire also goes to the mounting bolt/screw of the ignition module.


99% of the time you see the ground symbol on a schematic it will look like this.
20211123_160939.jpg




schematic - Google Search ground symbol&client=ms-android-samsung-gn-rev1&fir=lOcLva-VYEFRjM%252Cw4-D5MiZoEspuM%252C_%253BAZ6FNhpd49Z8IM%252CikM4PRFRDfKv3M%252C_%253BDJzIGPR4QT9wwM%252C8WuVB9b_kPgjaM%252C_%253BubovuHW5eO6aVM%252Cw4-D5MiZoEspuM%252C_%253BPrL6lPozNv8J6M%252C06HvqFLX7LaDaM%252C_%253BRTUD-6yWRgutUM%252C1alkGsMMLi5dkM%252C_%253BOoFaasYtZFrDnM%252C06HvqFLX7LaDaM%252C_%253BIbECnhEO8wzALM%252CR7-2jaHgfNQtBM%252C_%253BWrVQYNqJLST8eM%252C7o5WfUdgaRuXiM%252C_%253BJmT8TJ7YdDkxyM%252C0xWrySO3hdXfvM%252C_%253BabthZG9H3TG7qM%252C8WuVB9b_kPgjaM%252C_%253B-Kjsp7x9mxoyaM%252Ctiv3ufcAeBPPgM%252C_%253BS-sr9Fri_JfHaM%252CGAZvpWHVXaJK1M%252C_%253BszsYiwA7DOKmaM%252C0VKXJrj7xVs61M%252C_%253B86WFT7mAE_zdlM%252CllD1SNjw04hpYM%252C_%253B-JQKVX0MeFr2lM%252CbTfkU2PQquVBUM%252C_%253BvgQEnVhpstRRJM%252C-Pvj39rpmRlZ1M%252C_%253BhktgxRNipTdR2M%252Cw4-D5MiZoEspuM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kQZd-wOtOBfjpTuY-29ljmvUZsONA&ved=2ahUKEwj9qf3b2K_0AhVfDjQIHRtODJwQv7IFegQIARAF&biw=360&bih=716&dpr=3




Step one with an MSD 6A: Throw it in the trash.


Put a stock style ignition module (Ford duraspark or GM HEI module).

eenshot_1_481a4e16d499315b83a1065cd1f77afba29bf2c4.png
 
tap a ground wire on the negative side of the coil with the ign on
do you got sparks out the coil wire?
 
Do you have another ignition box? I stopped using msd 6(x)boxes due to have so many fucking problems with them.
 
tap a ground wire on the negative side of the coil with the ign on
do you got sparks out the coil wire?
I don't know that I would do that with a msd box.

There should be a white wire off the box you can tap on ground to get the coil to fire.

Coincidentally, make sure that white wire isn't grounded or shorting.
 
If the MSD is sending a spark to the coil, you have an issues with the coil wire / distributor cap / Rotor.
 
MSD stand for "My Spark Disappeared"

I'd run anything but MSD shit.

If you decide to run that Mallory....check some references, I believe they require a ballast resistor to drop voltage while running, just like points....I haven't used one in years but I seem to recall that being important.
 
Ok so new msd box and coil did not fix the problem so i plugged the old shit back in. Still waiting on a new cap/rotor. I did however plug my little iluminating spark plug tester into the coil wire and cranked it over verifying the pickup in the distributer and everything upstream of the cap is functioning.


So.... cap, rotor, or..... something slipped/spun and it is no longer signaling for spark while the rotor is pointing at the dodad on the cap?
 
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