Msd 6014, losing power to coils after startup
09-10-2017, 12:52 PM
#1
Teching In
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Msd 6014, losing power to coils after startup So I figured out the problem with the cam sensor and got to where I can get the engine to start. But now it is starting, running a few seconds then dying. Has plenty of fuel pressure. Just acts like you kill it.
Read about VATs but i am not using the factory ECM. I have the box wired up like diagram with a 30 amp relay with a keyed 12v and a fused battery connection. Grounds are good, I think.. Any help would be appreciated.
Read about VATs but i am not using the factory ECM. I have the box wired up like diagram with a 30 amp relay with a keyed 12v and a fused battery connection. Grounds are good, I think.. Any help would be appreciated.
Last edited by NtxS10Ls; 09-10-2017 at 01:32 PM.
09-11-2017, 09:12 AM
#2
First things first. Ground the MSD box directly to the battery and see what happens. Also, how do you know you are losing power to the coils? Also, fuel pressure is great and all, but what is the carb doing? For example, if your idle mixture screws are closed the car won't run
09-11-2017, 05:22 PM
#3
Teching In
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
After a few seconds it just falls in its face and dies. Haven't checked idle screws, haven't got to mess with the carb yet due to motor not running. I jumped motor ground where my coils are at to same side of frame the battery is grounded in rear.
Gotta wait ant till tomorrow to try anything else out. Broke bendix on starter when it kicked back on backfire. Box was changed to ls2 setting.....
Gotta wait ant till tomorrow to try anything else out. Broke bendix on starter when it kicked back on backfire. Box was changed to ls2 setting.....
09-11-2017, 07:12 PM
#4
Hooking an inductive timing light to one of the coil wires will tell you if you are losing spark. Pulling the air cleaner and watching the accel squirters while you pump the throttle will tell you if you are running out of fuel.
The ls2 setting just changes the signal sent to the coils. Probably doesn't affect much.
You have a 6014 box which data logs input voltage. That will tell you without question if you have a voltage problem. But since it is starting stop screwing with grounds and start looking somewhere else. Dying under load or full RPM is something else, but petering out at idle probably isn't voltage. If you just can't let it go than check the voltage reading in the data logs.
The ls2 setting just changes the signal sent to the coils. Probably doesn't affect much.
You have a 6014 box which data logs input voltage. That will tell you without question if you have a voltage problem. But since it is starting stop screwing with grounds and start looking somewhere else. Dying under load or full RPM is something else, but petering out at idle probably isn't voltage. If you just can't let it go than check the voltage reading in the data logs.
09-12-2017, 07:15 AM
#5
Teching In
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We had it at 4K rpm and it would just die. I was watching the data screen an would see a voltage drop. Not a complete loss of voltage but a drop. I am still new to the ls swap world and it's all a learning experience!!
06-17-2018, 03:06 AM
#7
Try putting a test light on the power wire feeding the relay to see if it goes out at the time of shutdown. If it does could be a bad ignition switch with a intermittent problem. If it doesn't go out then put the test light on the wire feeding the box off the relay. If it goes out there it could be a bad relay. I always bring a dedicated ground straight to the back of one head with a jumper to the other head. Ground the box at the spot where the dedicated ground hooks to the first head. Main power wire from the box should go straight to the battery. All Per MSD. Otherwise I Would say you may have a bad box. I'm not a fan of relays. Seen too many problems with them. More connections in the line, more chances for a problem. All our stuff is hooked directly to 20amp switches with lights and 20amp fuses. The lights are an easy visual to tell you there is power on the load side. The fuel pump, water pump, and each fan only draw ten amps each, the Brake and Shifter only 15amps each. No need for relays. The box draws even less. The only things we have relays on are nitrous related because of high amperage draw or because they are electronically activated.
Last edited by TTur1996; 06-17-2018 at 03:20 AM.
Trending Topics
06-14-2019, 09:46 PM
#8
Teching In
I know that the MSD box instructions tell you to wire the positive wire directly to the battery but If you run the power wire from the MSD box directly to the battery doesn’t that mean the box will stay on all the time? How is the box supposed to shut off when you turn the ignition switch off?
06-14-2019, 10:19 PM
#9
TECH Senior Member
Is there another wire that hooks to SWITCHED power to activate/shut off the box? Like a relay?
06-16-2019, 06:05 AM
#10
The box just has a single power lead to be connected to "switched 12v". Seems to me you need to tie the power into both the purple wire off the starter (for cranking power) and the ignition wire ( for running power). Replace the cloth wire out of the firewall with a 12 gauge stranded wire is one way. I guess another option is to use a switch for on/off which is simpler. Any other methods?
