MSD 6AL Trouble

[Sweet5ltr]

No sir, that distributor will work fine.

I would recommend a weatherproof / locking 2-pin terminal connector, heat shrink, & heat shrink butt connectors.
https://www.amazon.com/MUYI-Waterpr...1542382240&sr=1-7&keywords=terminal+connector
https://www.amazon.com/270-pcs-Adhe...F8&qid=1542382621&sr=1-1&keywords=heat+shrink
https://www.amazon.com/Nilight-200P...qid=1542382567&sr=1-1&keywords=butt+connector

Green wire from MSD harness -> black wire from that distributor harness.
Violet wire from MSD harness -> orange wire from that distributor harness.

Green MSD harness wire -> Black 2-pin connector wire = Black 2-pin connector wire <- Black distributor harness wire.

Violet MSD harness wire -> Red 2-pin connector wire = Red 2-pin connector wire <- Orange distributor harness wire.

 

[Bicylindrico]

I had an issue when I switched out my vacuum adv canister that after 2 days my engine would not start with no spark. Too much gap at the reluctor wheel in the distributor. Was fine for literally about an hour of engine running then nothing on the next restart.

I did confirm the coil made spark by touching the switching side of the coil to ground with a spark plug on the coil wire. Helped me find where the issue was.

 

[Hankohop]

Yeah ive been thinking about that being a possibility. I just have to muster up the courage to face the cold. Car should be headed to a garage for me to continue working on it in the next week or so too.

 

[Hankohop]

blue and brown wire at ballast MUST be connected together. One is power in start, the other in run key positions.

Alright, so now that the holiday season is over I'm back to this. I decided to try going through the key rather than a toggle switch for my ignition. Under the dash I found a few shorts which seemed to make things work a bit better.
I have the blue and brown wire feeding the small red wire to the coil.
The blue wire, which was my ignition 1 wire had fried up and I went and replaced the whole thing. This gave me some spark but it was incredibly weak. So with the key on, I probed the wires and found that the Brown, the ignition 2, wire gets no power even with the key in the on position.
So, my question is should there be power to this wire when the key is on?
I'm also wondering if my swap to a one wire alternator is causing me problems in this area.

 

[Hankohop]

Also to clarify there is power to the blue wire!

 

[Hankohop]

The short was real bad too. Im wondering if i didnt fry my ignition switch.

 

[POMONAMISSEL]

msd can fix your unit is needed on the cheap for me .

 

[Hankohop]

Alright guys, I got it. I wound up running with the key instead of the toggle switch. I did a few things so it's hard to pinpoint what the real trouble was. The two major issues i think that contributed were wiring. Under the dash, my ignition 1 wire shorted really bad. I mean the whole wire needed to be replaced. Once that was replaced, I checked ignition 2 out and it was good. Both needed to be hooked to the msd small red wire for those who run into the same issue. Though, even when i did that I still only had random/week spark and I went back to the wiring. During a feverish search for issues, I found that the white wire off the MSD was damaged at some point and even though the top was taped off, it had some exposed wire. Though it was only a little bit, it was enough to stop me in my tracks completely. Now all is well and the car runs like a dream.
The MSD is a sensitive unit but I definitely recommend it. I havent driven the car so I can't give any input on driveability but throttle response, and idle quality are night and day.

 

[coloradodave]

Hankohop; Glad you got it running. Can I give you some unsolicited advice about wiring? It sounds like you had several 'problems' in your harness. I would advise putting in a new one to alleviate a potential fire down the road. I know a harness is not pretty, sexy or something that you can show off to your friends, but it may save your car from total destruction. When you're dealing with electricity there is only one way to handle it; the right way...

 

[Hankohop]

Yeah that is on the list. I just am back and forth with it because of the fact that I'm not sure which supplier to go through. I've tried checking out some local guys who have a handle on it buuuut they're all chevy guys so I've been sort of just plugging away with what I've got until I settle on a reputable supplier.

 

[coloradodave]

Yeah that is on the list. I just am back and forth with it because of the fact that I'm not sure which supplier to go through. I've tried checking out some local guys who have a handle on it buuuut they're all chevy guys so I've been sort of just plugging away with what I've got until I settle on a reputable supplier.

If you want an original type harness they are expensive. If you don't care about that, and are handy, I recommend this company: Hot Rod Wires (www.hotrodwires.com) in Garland, TX. Bill is a great guy and is more than willing to answer questions, even nights and weekends. Always buy more circuits than you think you'll need. I used this product in my Fury and am very happy with the outcome.

 

[Hankohop]

This whole thing started off life as an SE premium with a 318 and and automatic. By the time it even got in my dads hands it had a 383 and 4 speed stuffed in it and was painted orange. I'm more worried about keeping it alive and not burning to the ground haha. Only question I really have with the aftermarket kit's like this is how do they fit into the car? I'm guessing you ditch the bulkhead entirely and run the wiring through an alternative route right?

 

[coloradodave]

This whole thing started off life as an SE premium with a 318 and and automatic. By the time it even got in my dads hands it had a 383 and 4 speed stuffed in it and was painted orange. I'm more worried about keeping it alive and not burning to the ground haha. Only question I really have with the aftermarket kit's like this is how do they fit into the car? I'm guessing you ditch the bulkhead entirely and run the wiring through an alternative route right?

Exactly. I used the vacant bulkhead hole to run the front end and engine harness through by fabbing an aluminum plate with a grommet. Mounted the mini fuse box on the inside of the firewall.