streetknight2

iTrader: (10)

That makes # 3 for me. UGH!!!

I may switch to Holley EFI or Microsquirt and use them for the ignition and keep carb. More expensive, but hopefully more reliable

Any other options?

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (25)

I seriously think if 3 on the same car, you might have a electrical issue man. The only failure I've seen was a bad ground burn one up. I have been running them for 5-6 years, daily driven and hard. Even got water in the oldest one and it still has my mustang running as hard as it can. I've run 6010 and 6012s. Just crazy man.

dogsballs

join the me in the dizzy brigade

streetknight2

iTrader: (10)

I've had one actually just quit while car was running and actually smelled burned on the Mustang. The latest just quit cranking the car, it was not showing cranking RPM and wouldn't fire. So, 2 on the Mustang. Either way, it could have left me bad if I didn't keep a spare (which I bought after first failure) in the trailer.

The other was on the Trans Am which also smelled burned.

WE TODD DID

iTrader: (2)

Do you have good battery voltage to the box? I've seen low voltage wipe out boxes like nobody's business.

LS1-450

iTrader: (33)

+3, It's gotta be an electrical issue in the car. Silly question, but, do you have good strong grounds to chassis from battery & then to engine? Same for the MSD box. Is the ground source good?

If MSD is grounded to a point that has a weak ground, then...

streetknight2

iTrader: (10)

Battery is in hatch with a 00 cable to cage/sub frame.
00 cable from + battery to ford solenoid. Power from solenoid to power ARC relay board and switch panel. Msd is switched on from board. Engine is grounded to sub frame and msd is grounded to engine block

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (25)

Run a ground from the block or transmission to the neg side of the battery. I absolutely do not approve of how you say you have your ground

streetknight2

iTrader: (10)

What gauge wire would you run from battery to block?

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (25)

I use 0 gauge.

Horsepwraddict

iTrader: (12)

x2...kind of

it used to be alright and a lot of guys did this but with todays electronics in cars its not always sufficient.

my battery is still under the hood but I welded a stud to the frame. My battery ground cable goes straight to the stud and the cable to my engine block comes off the same stud. A body ground from the back of the block to the firewall and my MSD shares that same bolt. I have been doing it this way for a long time and I feel it works very well.

forcd ind

iTrader: (7)

def sounds like something on the car
however, this sounds kind of cool, as I was going to go carb first, then switch over to FI (I already had the carb style intake for injectors)
use a carb on the intake, use fuel rails and injectors with the HP, then let the injectors make up the correction in fuel (boosted appl.), use the learning feature, and have the datalog feature
I was looking at ex avail parts I had, but from scratch I would just go injection if buying all that, but much more exp. than MSD/carb
I do think MSD needs to look at their design of the box

streetknight2

iTrader: (10)

The battery ground goes directly to the roll cage. I have a ground stud welded to the cage under the dash that all my other electronics is grounded to. Could I run a ground strap from that stud to the block and put the MSD on the same stud?

Or do I Run a whole 0 gauge cable from - battery to the engine block and hook MSD to that?

I hate to run another 0 gauge cable since they're heavy and I'm already 140# over weight for my class, but whatever needs to be done

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (25)

I ran mine to the tail shaft of the Trans because I didn't want to go to the block. It is good enough since it is bolted to the engine. And I run a strap off each side of the engine to each frame rail. And then a ground from the neg side of the batt to the chassis as well.

redline2k

iTrader: (9)

How about this?

http://www.fuelairspark.com/fas/stan...m-ls1-ls6html/

TTur1996

I called MSD and was told that there is only one way to properly ground your MSD system. You have to run a dedicated Ground straight from the battery to one of the heads. At that point connect a jumper wire, and the ground from the box. Then run the jumper to the other head. As for power they said to run a dedicated power not associated with the wiring harness. You can get interference from other things in the electrical system. You can ground everything else off the chassis. They told me the block was not an acceptable place to ground the box. It needs to be as close to the spark plugs as possible and not take any chances of having to travel through head gaskets or thread locker/sealant on the head bolts. Hope that helps.

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (25)

Sounds right to me. I always ground mine to the intake and the intake is bolted to the head with plenty of metal to metal contact and my grounds always go to the head from the battery. My mustang is the exception, the ground goes to the Trans. But I have no issues with it.

LS1-450

iTrader: (33)

Or just use a voltage meter to measure that the ground @ the MSD is as strong @ the box as it is @ the battery.

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (25)

I don't worry about it, I know I have enough grounds that it doesn't matter. Lol

Pop N Wood

iTrader: (1)

I have the battery negative bolted to the block and a smaller 10 gauge wire from the battery negative to a bolt on the firewall. I grounded the MSD harness to the same firewall ground. No other grounds, been working for 8 years now.

I did test the set up for continuity. The block to heads were good but surprisingly LS valve covers show no continuity to the rest of the motor.

Running the same gauge wire to the engine for both the positive and negative is always a good idea. 0 gauge is overkill but since it is there. Glad my datsun is already tail heavy, nice having a small battery right next to the motor.

The battery works like a capacitor to smooth voltage surges. If you have a lot of resistance between it and the rest of the electrical system than it wont be as effective. Hooking the MSD power right to the alternator output can be bad. This could cause voltage fluctuations depending on how the rest of the system is wired.