Electrical hiccup

[67440chrg]

I have a 67 charger with a 440. factory 318 car. It has a MSD 6 box probably from the 90s. I have had the car for 7 or so years. I put a new MSD distributor in a few years ago. Everything ignition wise has worked good until about a couple weeks ago. About 2 weeks ago My Tach (auto meeter) stoped working for a couple miles and then was ok so I ignored it. Last week it died I could tell it was loosing fire no sputtering just running then nothing. I checked for loose connections got in it and it started and ran fine with no more trouble. I figure I may have wiggled the right connection and got lucky. I plan on starting it tonight and checking all connections while its running see if I can make it die to see what might be it. I guess My question is how long does a MSD box last and if it quits will it be all at once or give you warning? I can do most of my own mechanical work except electrical. It still has a chrome ignition box and the MSD system both plus a little box to redirect the signal to the tach.

 

[Pops1967GTX]

I remember it seems like some people have no trouble getting the factory tach to work & others have big problems....Disconnect the tach & see if that improves the ignition problem...


http://www.msdperformance.com/msdhelp/

 

[440roadrunner]

I have no idea how well sealed / waterproof the MSD stuff is. Could be condensation? I have one of the old early MSD that plugged in in place of Mopar ECU. They were NOT sealed, nor weatherproof.

"How long?" No reason an MSD should not last the life of the car, no different than any other electronics. Some experience random failures, sometimes failures driven by bad connections, surges, etc.

I would "wigglle the hell" out of the distributor connector, and check the internals of the dist. for rust, moisture, strike damage, etc.

 

[bigmanjbmopar]

Did you have to replace your alternator recently?

 

[67440chrg]

I don't care for it much but it had a GM alternator when I got it and still does. I replaced it last year My amp gauge reads fine and the old timer check of removing a battery cable while running and using voltage was fine. My distributor is like new inside. If I knew someone with electronics experience I would like to go back to a MOPAR alternator and figure out why it still has a factory and MSD box hooked up. It all has worked for years wired this way so I will leave well enough alone. Thank You for the good advice. I will check all connections and if it dies again later try unhooking the tach. Some times I think going all old tech is a lot simpler for someone like me. I used to do ok back in the day.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

I don't get how you had a 6al & the mopar box???????????????

 

[440roadrunner]

Did you have to replace your alternator recently?

This is a VERY GOOD point. A bad alternator IE one with one or more bad diodes, can introduce a lot of ripple (AC component) on the DC wiring. Can cause all sorts of havoc

 

[67440chrg]

I don't understand either. The car still runs when I unplug the chrome box so it is running on the MSD box. This car has been a challenge for someone with only good common since. I removed a BG 280 GPH fuel pump and fuel cell that was wired to its own ballast resistor a few years ago.

- - - Updated - - -

The newer alternator has some miles on it and charges fine but I will keep it in mind. Thanks

 

[67440chrg]

Ok I started it last night and by wiggling things found the connection on one side of the Ballast resistor made it stall . I put a new end on it and its fixed. A 3 beer expense. I have kind of figured out the 2 box issue. all the connections for the old dist and alt are still there but bundled out of the way like whoever switched it over left provisions to go back to stock.

 

[440roadrunner]

I don't get how you had a 6al & the mopar box???????????????

I don't understand either. The car still runs when I unplug the chrome box so it is running on the MSD box.

This scenerio IS possible, that is, triggering the MSD from the output of a stock system. That is not what's going on here, as you proved to yourself.

If you look through the MSD diagrams, they show this on HEI and Pertronix.

On Chrysler, "what you would do" (why one would want to is questionable) you would disconnect the old system at the coil and leave everything else in place. The old coil + wire goes to the MSD "small red" and then the old coil NEG wire would trigger the MSD WHITE wire which is the "points" trigger.

Again, no idea why "you would want to" LOL

 

[morseamatic]

i usually strip all the wireing off and save it for plug ends or as a template and do a total car rewire.... ron francis is a place to start....