Tried to start my 79 Vette after our short winter but no luck! It has a MSD A6 box and it was hooked up to a trickle charger the whole time. It was stored in a heated garage and when I parked it it was under its own power. Today I pumped the gas pedal a few times and cranked and cranked.... The moter turns over but it seams like there is no spark, any suggestions?

 

Have you checked for a spark and checked for fuel?

 

Fuel no problem, I am not sure about the spark I removed a spark plug boot at the distributor and I didn't get a spark jump to the screw driver as I was cranking te engine

 

TtT

 

This is from my MSD manual.

CHECKING FOR SPARK
If triggering the ignition with the White wire:
1. Make sure the ignition switch is in the "Off" position.
2. Remove the coil wire from the distributor cap and set the terminal approximately 1/2" from ground.
3. Disconnect the MSD White wire from the distributor's points or ignition amplifier.
4. Turn the ignition to the On position. Do not crank the engine.
5. Tap the White wire to ground several times. Each time you pull the wire from ground, a spark should jump from the coil wire to ground. If spark is present, the ignition is working properly. If there is no spark skip to step 6 below:


If triggering with the Magnetic Pickup:
1. Make sure the ignition switch is in the "Off" position.
2. Remove the coil wire from the distributor cap
and set the terminal approximately 1/2" from ground.
3. Disconnect the MSD magnetic pickup wires from the distributor.
4. Turn the ignition to the On position. Do not crank the engine.
5. With a small jumper wire, short the MSD's Green and Violet magnetic pickup wires together. Each time you break this short, a spark should jump from the coil wire to ground. If spark is present, the ignition is working properly. If there is no spark skip to step 6 below:


6. If there is no spark:
A. Inspect all of the wiring.
B. Substitute another coil and repeat the test. If there is now spark, the coil is at fault.
C. If there is still no spark, check to make sure there is 12 volts on the small Red wire from the MSD when the key is in the On position. If 12 volts is not present, find another switched 12 volt source and repeat the test. D. If, after following the test procedures and inspecting all of the wiring, there is still no spark, the MSD Ignition is in need of repair. See the Warranty and Service section for information.

 

Thank you C6 sounds like great start, this is first time in 15 years that it didn't start after hibernation.

 

So I checked as you said and the problem was MDS box was dead, this is the third cd box that I installed and that failed????? I he'd 2 Mallory hy-fire and now the MSD 6al I don't think that I will be re-installing these any more.

 

Well, that sucks. I've heard both sides of the story about MSD boxes. Some always fail and some are used for years without any problems. Mine is years old and it's still working fine. Even after repeated jump starts, which you're not supposed to do. If mine does ever fail though, I think I'd put in a good HEI distributor.