MSD Blaster2 Coil failed while driving

[decooney]

Just two weeks ago I was on the phone with the MSD tech line researching a problem with a buddies car I built for him. During that conversation I asked the tech if MSD Blaster Coils fail or degrade often. He said they rarely fail, and when they go its either good or bad and no in between.

This past weekend I took my own car out for a quick test before doing a group dinner run. I had not run the car in 3 weeks. I just started it up, and only had it running for about 5 minutes in the garage before takeoff. When I was ready for takeoff it seemed to be running just a little more rough than usual. At first, I thought it was just a bit cold but it was a 90 degree day. I drove about 1/2 mile, down a hill and back up another hill and the engine just flamed out, INSTANTLY. When trying to restart, there was no firing, just dead. Checked the coil, and no spark - done.

Troubleshooting, I did a bunch of other checks and could not find anything... so I put an ohm meter to the -/+ coil to check continuity, nothing. Running out of ideas, we ran over to a local parts store and got another Blaster coil. I checked the new/old coils. The new MSD coil had continuity, minimal resistance. Wohooo. Put the new coil back in, and wham - started right up. Not only did it start up quickly, it ran noticeably cleaner, my constant idle speed went up about 200rpms too. This is the first time I've had a coil go bad. I do suspect heat did it in as I like to keep my coil near the motor for looks on an FE, but more aware of what can happen now if mounted close.

Don't believe the Techs at MSD, the coils do go bad and be prepared to keep a spare in your trunk along with a pickup coil for the distributor, I've seen two of those go bad as well if the cap is not vented properly. So lets see, now its probable to keep an extra coil and pickup in the trunk... ugh, NOT!

Anyone else have an MSD Blaster coil go bad in less than 15,000 miles of use - e.g. engineered to fail after a certain amount of use, just like light bulbs? Starting to wonder...after reading similar threads.

[bobcowan]

That's happened to me before. It ran rough, but did run. Replaced the coil and instant smoothness. I carry a spare.

[blykins]

It happens....

It happened to me with a Mallory coil and a '73 Corvette. It let me get about 5 miles away from home before it pooped the bed.

It's not a function of MSD or Mallory's quality control, I think it's just statistics in action. With such a large quantity of parts in circulation, there are bound to be issues.

[Rick Parker]

I am a fan of the original potted coil that they marketed under the name of High Vibration. I do not think it is the same coil now, although the name remains. These things (coils, in general) do fail very rarely. Generally you do not get much notice. They are after all just many thousand wrappings of a single wire around a core. If and when that single fine wire fractures completely you stop in your tracks, if it cracks and cannot carry the necessary current you may experience rough running due to erratic secondary voltage before complete failure. Regardless, a coil failure is a very rare occurance.

Attached is the same original coil rebranded, take your pick. Notice no ring on the case, no metal can.

Engine Works Epoxy Hi-Vibration 60,000 Ignition Coil | eBay


ACCEL SuperStock Ignition Coil 8140HV High Vibration | eBay

[charles roybal]

MSD composit dizzy gears fail also.

[Rick Parker]

When these gears were first announced in Circle Track magazine and before Comp Cams was ever openly involved I called the plastics manufacuturer listed in the article and spoke with one of the engineers who had devised the actual formula for the polymer. This has been 10-15 years ago. At that time he stated in no uncertain terms that at the time testing had shown it was only intended to carry the load for a distributor in a Dry Sump engine IE: One that did NOT drive the oil pump. The project was focused at the Winston Cup engines as they were expeimenting with different core materials in an effort to get away from cast camshafts. At the time he said they thought Comp Cams was going to be the retailer for the product and that they were still "Working" on a formula or how to make it live with the load of a heavy oil pump for general usage. This was at a time when cam and distributor gears were being eaten up by dissimilar metals. It was thought to be a solution, but I've never been convinced.

[Tom Wells]

Duane,

Been there, done that. Felt like I just turned off the key.

My coil was/is mounted on the intake manifold where this failure is more common. My Blaster 2 lasted about 20K miles, then died.

I got one of these to replace it: High Vibration Blaster Coil - 8222

and so far (only about 8K miles), so good.

If the coil is mounted to the inner fender or some other cooler, less vibration-prone place, it usually lasts much longer.

Tom

[DougD]

Duane
Is your coil mounted vertically or horizontally?
All but the high vibration model are supposed to be mounted vertically.
Just a thought.
Doug

[Ron61]

I had that happen with my coil once and I have it mounted away from the engine and heat. I think that any coil can fail once in a while. A friend was having trouble with his as his car would suddenly just stop as if you had shut it off and then it would start and run ok for a while. When we got back to his garage he had it running and I happened to be looking toward where he had his coil mounted and saw a flash and the car stopped. In this case the coil was arching from the high voltage terminal to the cover of the coil. We called the tech support and they told us that particular coil had that problem and to throw it away as they would get a new one right to him. He never had a problem after that. But he had a different brand of coil.

Ron

[decooney]

Good to know what others have experienced, as such:

- They can fail, uncommon, but it does happen.

- Its not always "good or bad" situation as MSD says. Can be in a degraded state for a bit before it fails

- Location and mounting is another factor (mine is vertical)

- Look for coils made to to sustain "vibration".

- Carry a spare if you can...

Thanks!

[decooney]

I found this on the MSD ignition forum, by MSD - quote:

"Unfortunately, we will, on occassion have failures. Remeber these are electronic parts and as with anything electronic such as a TV or computer things will fail. We take great strides to test each and every coil for proper operation before we package and ship out."

MSD coil failure part#8224 2 out of 3 - MSD Ignition Tech Support Forums

[FIA Mike]

Duane,

MSD makes 2 types of coils: oil filled and epoxy filled. My ERA FIA Cobra had an oil filled coil and it failed after about 2-3 years. Did some research and replaced it with an epoxy filled coil (#8222 high virabtion) 8 years later it is still running fine. My suggestion is to buy an epoxy filled coil.

Just my 2 cents worth, FIA Mike

[decooney]

Originally Posted by FIA Mike

Duane,

MSD makes 2 types of coils: oil filled and epoxy filled. My ERA FIA Cobra had an oil filled coil and it failed after about 2-3 years. Did some research and replaced it with an epoxy filled coil (#8222 high virabtion) 8 years later it is still running fine. My suggestion is to buy an epoxy filled coil.

Just my 2 cents worth, FIA Mike

Hey Mike, funny you mention that. I'm currently resolving an electrical issue on an old '75 Yamaha XS650 restore project and the same thing came up, to "replace the oil fill with epoxy type". Will look into it more. Thanks.

[saltshaker]

How do you test a coil to see if it's putting out what it should be?
Jon

[lovehamr]

Originally Posted by saltshaker

How do you test a coil to see if it's putting out what it should be?
Jon

Unplug the coil wire at the dist, touch the lead to your tongue and then have someone crank the engine a couple of times.






um, don't really do that. Unless you want the person cranking the engine to get a good laugh that is.

[saltshaker]

You have a sense of humor...but don't have a clue how it's done either!
Jon

[Blas]

You can do a simple resistance test on a coil to determine if it is in good working order. Consult the MSD website for the baseline numbers you need to verify on your coil type. Visually inspect for any oil leaks or swelling on the coil body. Remember to always give a "hot" coil and the ignition system due respect..unless you like being a sparkplug...