i have the 6a box i havent mounted on my car due to winter and bein lazy i was just curius of all the people who have one is it really worth it can you tell it does anything or should i just stick with the regular ignition and save the hassel


[Modified by miker61588, 8:22 PM 2/1/2002]

 

I have an MSD and it did nothing for me except give me a buzzing sound as I listen to the radio.

Vic

 

Ive had mine for a year. Mine made a big difference in smoothing out the idle, quicker starts and allowed the engine to wind quicker, but i do have a wet flow manifold.They typically dont help as much on a dry flow such as a tpi. If you do install it, goto the junkyard and cut the wiring off a old hei distributor, that way you can make a plug n play harness. In case it ever frizzes out you can just unplug it and plug the stock wiring back in.

They are also highly recommended if your using some kind of power adder, such as n20 or a blower. Helps the spark from getting blown out.


[Modified by nsimmons, 7:30 PM 2/1/2002]


[Modified by nsimmons, 7:30 PM 2/1/2002]

 

I can relate to the wintertime laziness. :sleep:
Imput my 6A on last year, and I think it made a difference.
I'm getting better mileage, according to the instant
mileage reading on the dash.
What I've noticed most about it is that you notice it more
when you take it off. Mine was on our ASTRO van. When we
traded the van, I kept the 6A and put it on my old truck.
Then I put it on the Vette. Each time I took it off, I noticed
a BIG loss of performance.
On the van, it gave a wider powerband when getting on the
interstate. Same with the truck. They were both 6cyl's.
By the way, in all cases, I added a higher output coil as well.
On the Vette, it's harder to tell because I don't drive it every day.
Mine doesn't make any noise, but then I bought the MSD
harness to make it a plug-in job.Maybe that's why.


[Modified by corvette_bob, 11:01 PM 2/1/2002]

 

i dont get how better spark would give horse power a spark is a spark right?
seems to me that the 6a box is a waste of money


[Modified by miker61588, 11:56 PM 2/2/2002]

 

I could write a page full on this but will try to keep it short and sweet. With the msd you shoud be able to open the gap on your plugs up to about .060. This "longer" spark will help initiate the flame front quicker. The quicker the burn the more complete combustion will be. This will increase ecomomy and power to some extent. There is alot more to it than this, but that is the basics. Also MSD stands for multiple spark discharge. It is just what the name implies. Again this is the short version.

 

another note about the msd..what it does is fire multiple sparks at low rpm, to ensure all the mixture is ignited. after 3000 rpm there isnt time for multiple sparks, so 1 long spark is created. Whether multiple sparks or a single spark, they last for 20 degrees or crank shaft rotation. They also allow you maintain full power at higher rpms, where as the hei starts to die after 4800 or so

 

hei starts to die at 4800? i didnt get to try my car out that long to hit 4800 cause i just blew my tranny week ago. the sc is a new set up for me so i dont know what the motor is gonna do

 

Yeah the stock modules get flaky usually around 4800-5500 The voltage drops off, and if your gap is too large it can have trouble jumping. This can be fixed by replacing the module with an after market one, or using the msd..especially with your blower, i'd recommend it. More so with n2O. Cylinder pressure will be alot higher and the spark can use all the help it can get. Besides it takes 10 minutes to install if you buy or make a harness.

 

I'm going to install the digital 6 rather than the 6a, mainly for it's other features, such as dual rev limiter, etc, etc. It's proper rev limiter is MUCH safer than the factory setup. The factory limiter just drops fuel which causes you to run lean, this is VERY dangerous in a power adder situation. The MSD rev limiter just drops the spark. Which granted will dump unburned fuel out of your exhaust, which can be bad on your cats if you have them, but who drives around on the rev limiter all day anyway?

Now the 6A doesn't have a rev limiter, so this is where everybody else's argument comes into play. For the most power you want to set your plug gap as large as you can and it still igniite. The factory spec on my Cutlass was 60, but was a VERY low compression, 8.3:1. As you increase compression you have to lower your gap for it to still fire. The MSD increases the power, thus allowing you to open the gap back up. The same occurs in a power adder situation.

As far as getting radio interference? Well that's where good plug wires and otherwise good wiring comes into play. As far as plug wires it only makes sense to go with the MSD 8.5 mm Super Conductor plug wires. They are completely true in their advertising, they do only have 50 ohms of resistance per foot, compared to the 1000 or more of other plugs. They are also shielded so as to not produce interference. What does all this mean? Less resistance means less of the spark energy is wasted in the form of heat in the plug wires, again allowing you to run a larger gap because there will be more energy making it to the plugs. BTW, an MSD box will DESTORY cheap plug wires in no time. You get what you pay for there, so don't be silly about it.

So do you need one or not? Well, what do you do with your car? Do you race it a lot or do you just drive around town? Are you normally aspirated or do you have a power adder? What's your compression ratio? Do you like the idea of a better rev limiter?

In the case of the digital 6 it has a bunch of cool features. It has a dual stage rev-limiter, so with the flip of a switch I could have a staging rev limiter for more consitent launches, plus the top end rev limiter would be MUCH safer and smoother. It has also has a below 800 RPM timing retard, to ease starting. As well as a timing retard for nitrous if needed. IMHO it's worth the money, although not a top priority give my current non power adder setup.

 

I had a 6AL laying around so I decided to install it. It did nothing for my idle nor did I notice an improvement in ET or MPH. It did cause some problems on my car. When it was installed I couldn't unplug the EST connecter without my car dying. I bought the harness that makes the install plug and play and I know it was installed right....maybe it was bad....I dunno, but it didn't work for me.

 

yours must have been bad. i have no problem setting my timing. The msd's have been known to just die for no reason though.