Results 1 to 4 of 4

Thread: Mysterious spark disappearance (MSD) not working

  1. #1

    Mysterious spark disappearance (MSD) not working

    My '73 is suffering from mysterious spark disappearance. Car always ran great but seem to have died over winter despite being on a trickle charger. Wiped out the odessey 925 battery also. Have another 12V battery hooked up for now but the car will not start (starter turns over fine) as the MSD box does not generate a spark. I have checked all wiring and it seems to be okay. To be sure I hooked up the wire coming from the ignition switch directly to the 12V battery. When rubbing it against the battery terminal the box makes a sound (not when just touching) and appears to generate a spark when starting the engine but only intermittently when rubbing and not continuously. Electrics are not my forte. It looks like I have an issue with the MSD unit itself, anybody out there have any pointers before I take the plunge and spend the $500 on a new one?

    TIA,

    JK
    P.S. have also tried a new coil, did not make a difference
    Last edited by 718RSK; 05-31-2020 at 09:53 AM.

  2. #2
    Senior Member BURN-BROS's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Camarillo, Ca.
    Posts
    153
    I would verify voltage at the box and check all connections.


    If you have the old analog MSD box, Having low battery voltage will increase the Amperage draw and potentially damage the box.
    Aaron Burnham
    Burnham Performance
    1071 Avenida Acaso ste D.
    Camarillo, Ca. 93012
    805-240-6931

    _________________________

  3. #3
    Member #226 R Gruppe Life Member #147
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Portland, Oregon
    Posts
    2,343
    I would always suspect the ignition trigger first. Points, Pertronix etc. G

  4. #4
    Thanks for the pointers. I have bypassed the ignition trigger per MSD testing instructions and still no spark. Have a fresh battery on order and will see if that makes change. So far all signs are that I am having a problem with the box.

    @Aaron, going to call you soon to talk Solex

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Message Board Disclaimer and Terms of Use
This is a public forum. Messages posted here can be viewed by the public. The Early 911S Registry is not responsible for messages posted in its online forums, and any message will express the views of the author and not the Early 911S Registry. Use of online forums shall constitute the agreement of the user not to post anything of religious or political content, false and defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, or otherwise to violate the law and the further agreement of the user to be solely responsible for and hold the Early 911S Registry harmless in the event of any claim based on their message. Any viewer who finds a message objectionable should contact us immediately by email. The Early 911S Registry has the ability to remove objectionable messages and we will make every effort to do so, within a reasonable time frame, if we determine that removal is necessary.