hey this might be a silly question but i was reading on another forum.. someone asked what a good upgrade would be on a small budget, and someone said an msg ignition...

what are the benefits of having one of these untis, what exactly do they do, and are they expensive?

thanks guys

 

they can be pricey unless you find a good deal..i just got done talking to steve about his setup b./c i need to take care of mine.. youll need to run HD wires.. like 8.5MM.. and a upgraded coil witch isnt expensive... the 6A box is where the money is at.. between 150 used or 200+brand new.

what itll do is it adjusts the spark pulse .. instead of just having one "long" spark coming off the end of the spark plug,,, you get 3 short seperate bursts... witch helps in more of a complete combustion. some say it helps is MPG.. most say it doesnt.. some say it helps with HP..most say it doesnt... the 2 biggest pluses.. A: the motor starts REALLY easy.. really quick crank and fires right up.. and B: throttle response.... helps with the reving of the motor.

down side (witch i learned from steve) is that it pretty much decreases the life span of plugs cap rotors and wires by 3 fold... b/c theoretically the plugs cap rotor wires are being banged 3 times per ignition cycle or "explosion cycle" of the engine on each cylinder... im doing my MSD slowley.. im doing the wires and coil now b/c my wires are shot and are starting to arc... ( can hear it in the radio) and then eventually ill get the box and install it.. witch is a good way to do it so it doesnt break the bank... the only thing is .. is that if i wait too long ill need to be replacing the wires and coil along with it b/c of normal wear and tare and maintence.

hope this helps

 

right on man
thanks

 

I tried my first MSD in 1976 on one of the first 4x4 Subaru wagons imported into the USA.
Since then I have helped others install them on more than 7 vehicles.

Nearly every time the MSD helps the idle smoothness but created radio interference.
Performance wise I never found any evidence in three times with a stopwatch afterwards that it improved acceleration, or improved MPG.

On Rams the MSD seems to wear out the distributor cap and rotor about 4 times faster than normal and I have seen posts where at least two owners ruined the ignition trigger circuit in their PCM computers. Be careful.

The US Patent rights on the 'multi-strike' MSD ignition expired years ago.
Anyone is free to make or use the idea.
No automaker - Honda, Toyota, BMW or DaimlerChrysler use an MSD like ignition.
It is worth thinking about that fact....

If you have some extra money to spend on ignitions,
try some of the $6-12 Irridium alloy tipped sparkplugs from NGK or Denso
and buy one of the $125 sets of ignition wires from Magnecor. Both will last a very long time and pay for themselves in the long run.

If you absolutely have to buy a different ignition,
consider the 'Second Strike' from Pertronix
which leaves your 'long duration induction' factory ignition in place,
but adds an adjustable 2nd spark that continues to function at high rpm,
unlike the MSD.

If you absolutely have to buy a MSD,
spend the extra money for the Digital 6 or Digital 7 with the 'Individual Cylinder Timing' which is alone probably good for a 5-15 horsepower gain. It allows you to treat your ignition like 8 individual engines.

 

In fairness to the other side of the argument,
here is an old post I had saved on a MSD vs MPG test on an old Magnum engine.
------

Kyle Kozubal
Date: Wed Jul 12 2000 - 15:12:35 EDT

This was a short and sweet test, just to see if I saw any MPG affects
with/without the MSD 6-Offroad Ignition. When I installed the ignition, I
also used the 8873 Universal Wiring Harness, so I can easily plug/unplug the
MSD Ignition within seconds. Driving conditions were very similar for both
tests.

Test Mule Specs: 1993 Dodge Dakota Sport Regular Cab 4x4 V6; 3.55 LSD;
125,500 miles. Tires are the stock sized LT235-75R15s.

Side Note #1: I do not run my tank down past the 1/4 marker on the gas
gauge, just for cooling and lubrication purposes for the fuel pump assembly.
Gasoline used was purchased at Meijer's, using 87 octane.

Side Note #2: I installed a new Borg Warner Select Brass Distributor Cap,
Borg Warner Select Rotor, and a new set of Autolite Copper plugs the same
day this test started. For both fillups, I used my regular amount of Amsoil
P.I., which is 2 ounces per fillup. Plenty of dielectric grease was used on
the coil, spark plugs, and distributor cap terminals.

Side Note #3: For additional reference, I am also running Amsoil 75W90 in
both differentials, Amsoil ATF in the transfer case, Castrol 10W30 in the
engine(with no 'additives'), Amsoil 2Stage Hi-Flo Air Filter, QuickD TB,
Dual Cold Air Ducts, MSD 8.5MM Super Conductors, Accel Super Coil,
Flowmaster 3Chamber 50 Series Delta Flow Muffer, Redline Water
Wetter............all of these may/may not affect the MPG readings.

Side Note #4: Some factors which may reduce MPG on my truck, some being
aerodynamic issues, some having weight issues, or both: Firestik II Antenna
with SS Quick Disconnect, Rhino Liner(double coated), Grill\Brush Guard
coated with LineX, Custom-Made Aluminum Radiator Guard/PreRunner
Front Plate, Hella 500 6" Round Driving Lights, Hella XL Low Beams, Contico
Tool Box (Extremely Full Of Recovery Gear/Tools), Reese Class IV Hitch,
Transfer Case Skid Plate, Tailgate up always, Open bed(no tonneau
cover).............all of these may/may not affect the MPG readings.

-Now onto the numbers:
First Tank: MSD 6-Offroad Ignition unhooked, running the truck off of the
'stock ignition.' Spark Plugs gapped to .040(Stock is .035).
*237.15 miles
*Put 15.855 gallons in
*14.957 MPG

Second Tank: MSD 6-Offroad Ignition hooked up. Spark Plugs regapped to .050.
*255.65 miles
*Put 14.873 gallons in
*17.188 MPG

>From where I stand, it appears the MSD Ignition, along with the larger spark
plug gap, does help out gas mileage. An gas mileage improvement of 2.231 is
good enough for me.
Kyle..............Real Dakotas Are Built, Not Bought
http://www.bastaards.org/Kyle.htm