Is my MSD 6AL bad?

[Roger Bray]

Hi,
I've been having some trouble getting my car started so today I rechecked the spark.
My Optima was showing 12.8v at the beginning of the test.
I had a plug connect to a wire grounded on the manifold so I could see if I got spark. It did spark however it was yellow instead of blue. The engine almost caught a few times. After a few more tries I no longer saw any spark at all.
I put my volt meter back on the battery and it read 12.57v.

I wondering if the MSD is bad or maybe the coil. Could it be the battery?

Any help would be appreciated.

[FWB]

Originally Posted by Roger Bray

Hi,
I've been having some trouble getting my car started so today I rechecked the spark.
My Optima was showing 12.8v at the beginning of the test.
I had a plug connect to a wire grounded on the manifold so I could see if I got spark. It did spark however it was yellow instead of blue. The engine almost caught a few times. After a few more tries I no longer saw any spark at all.
I put my volt meter back on the battery and it read 12.57v.

I wondering if the MSD is bad or maybe the coil. Could it be the battery?

Any help would be appreciated.

what distributor is it?

[Tim Brewer]

If your car turns over, your battery is good.

[jhv48]

Any spark to the individual spark plugs?

[Roger Bray]

Hey,
Thanks for the reply.
It's came with the crate motor from Ford Motorsports.
I guess it's a duraspark.
There is no moisture in the cap.

The last time I drove the car it ran fine until I pulled into the driveway.
Then the engine slowly died.
While driving my volt gauge on the dash was reading around 13v as I recall.

[Roger Bray]

Hey jim,
At first I was getting spark to the plug I had out on the manifold.
That was when the battery was at 12.8v. After cranking several times I no longer got spark and the voltage had dropped to 12.57v

[FWB]

a recent crate motor? well i would check the rest of the ignition before i would throw the msd box under the bus....its hard to tell if there is spark by just laying the plug on the manifold....the ground may or may not be good,post some pics of under the hood and we can see what setup it has.

[Roger Bray]

I agree ... not going to toss out a $250.00 part unless I have to.
The motor is 10yrs old and has 4500 miles on it.
I've check all the grounds and connections ... that does not mean that I couldn't have missed something.

Pics to follow soon

[Dwight]

batteries can show 12 volts but have a dead cell. Your local parts store can test them.

go to the MSD web page and it will test you how to test your box.

In the pass we have found the coil bad, or the box, or the pick up in the MSD distributor.
One time the alternator was bad and it killed the pick up. When we replaced the pick up it killed the box. Then we got the alternator rebuild and replace the box.
MSD will rebuild you box for $80 or less, plus shipping. We had one tested as good will no charge. One time they charged about $50. Something different everytime.

Dwight

[Scufty]

Its your magnetic pick up.. I would put money on it. Buy a new one (cheap) install ready to go

[Roger Bray]

Hey Dwight thanks for the info.
I took the battery into be tested yesterday and it checked out fine.

I just shot a video of my system.
I repeated the spark test. The battery was at 12.6v when I began and I got spark.
Shortly after I no longer got any spark and the voltage had dropped to 12.54v.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc6lWkI3_f0

thanks for all of your help,
Roger

[FWB]

saw the video....yep its duraspark.....also saw other videos.

seems the distributor was giving you issues before,

my gut tells me the box is fine, i would be looking more at the wires and the distributor i think.....are the wires and plugs 10 years old? i know it only has 4500 on it.......how is the box connected to the distributor? i mean are the connections solid....

with all the fiddling around with the distributor...did you inadvertently move the timing?

[FWB]

MSD install says to hook ground directly to battery....i would try that first......then feed power to the msd from the battery...if still no start then do below..


testing procedure...

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 several times. 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.
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 are 12 volts on the small Red wire from the MSD when the key is in the On position. If 12 volts are 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.

[Roger Bray]

Thanks for the great information.
Pugs are new. Wires are 10yrs old.
Connection to the dist are soldered and covered with shrink tubing. I can double check .. they could be bad.

thanks again,
Roger

[Roger Bray]

It was the coil.
Went to Autozone and bought a new MSD coil and it fired right up.
Thank you everyone!

[FWB]

good deal.....enjoy