I'm doing a small build up and the idea was tossed around about upgrading the ignition. Has anyone done this to their rig and how far did you take it? I know MSD makes an off-road setup so we are curious how well it works. we also tossed around the idea of just upgrading the coil. Let me know what you guys think and thanks for the input!

I think MSD's mostly hyped. I've not seen many dyno tests that show their ignitions doing any of the claimed HP gains in anything but the most extreme (read: tens of thousands $$$ into racing motors) builds. As long as MDS's been around, there should be dyno sheets all over the place saying, "Look at the super-cool gains I got!". IMHO, the only reason to go to aftermarket fuel & spark management is if you need to program the fuel maping. The only reason to do that is if you go with something radical... like forced induction. And, there's better / cheaper alternatives to MSD at that point.

I did the MSD and did not notice any big power gains. I did notice better mileage though.

How about just upgrading the coil? Doesnt look to hard to do.

 I've had a 6a box and a blaster coil on for about 5 years now.  No power gains but it does lug down better for crawling.  The engine will lug down to where you can hear each cly fire..

I had a conversation with Kerry Wittig (some of the long timers here will remember him. He designed the RingR and other products for adapting Toy parts onto the Kicks.) shortly after he put a Jacobs multi spark ignition, he was raving about the difference it made in his truck. I purchased a used single spark Jacob ignition for lil Suzy and found it increased performance noticeably. The trick is to open up the gap on the plugs to take advantage of the increased performance of the higher voltage coil. This produces a stronger spark and potentially better ignition burn. The multi spark continues to relight the mixture during the ignition stroke. In theory this helps achieve full combustion. I have been told that the multi spark works best under low RPM high torque conditions.

i use the msd2 blaster coil.
seems a good(and hotter) replacement for stock.
no resistor in the coil circuit on my '89 kick, so it was a bolt in.

I had a conversation with Kerry Wittig (some of the long timers here will remember him. He designed the RingR and other products for adapting Toy parts onto the Kicks.) shortly after he put a Jacobs multi spark ignition, he was raving about the difference it made in his truck. I purchased a used single spark Jacob ignition for lil Suzy and found it increased performance noticeably. The trick is to open up the gap on the plugs to take advantage of the increased performance of the higher voltage coil. This produces a stronger spark and potentially better ignition burn. The multi spark continues to relight the mixture during the ignition stroke. In theory this helps achieve full combustion. I have been told that the multi spark works best under low RPM high torque conditions.

My '85 Corvette (w/ automatic) had a Jacobs box installed when I got it used.  As far as I *knew*, nothing else except the exhaust was changed from stock.  But, the original owner was a mechanic with an IndyLights team, so, who knows.  Plus, as far as I could figure, the thing was making around 300hp.  When I didn't have mufflers on it, it popped off 5.2 second 0-60 runs (after slooowly squeezing the throttle down to prevent wheelspin), and it would beat my sister's Camaro SS, which was rated around 320 hp, until somewhere around 110 mph, when the ram-air Camaro would begin to walk away.

I just kinda figured the damned thing was just some sort of anti-lemon, and that the Jacobs box worked.  Later, I did more research on the Jacobs Engineering box and couldn't find anything to scientifically substantiate the claims and, moreover, found a bunch of folks calling it hocus pocus.

But it sure as hell didn't slow that Corvette down any.

I've had a 6a box and a blaster coil on for about 5 years now.  No power gains but it does lug down better for crawling.  The engine will lug down to where you can hear each cly fire..

Lil Suzy used to do that too, before I got the 5.83 gears. On a steep hill climb the engine would lug down to about 3 or 4 hundred rpm. You could hear each cyl fire as she dragged herself up the hill. It sounded like a tractor. I never made the connection but I first experienced it shortly after I installed the Jacobs.

MSD is all about low end power gains, making your engine work more effectively while bogged down.
From what I have read, to get the full effect of MSD you have to do the whole thing.

Awesome write up on MSD ignition.
Good info and how to install on 1.3 carb/FI, 1.6 8V/16v
http://pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=721133

Amilla

I have not run a complete MSD in my sami...  However, I have run them in my Mustangs before.  I have not had good luck with their products.  I have put a total of three A6l's in my car before finally swap in a Crane Cam ignition.  The MSD kept leafing me stranded.

That being said.  I do have an MSD coil on my sami now and I'm happy with it.  I agree with copperzuk that you can really lug the motor a lot lower than you can with the stock coil.  I noticed that it fires up really well want the carb starts to flood as well.

It may not be the fact that it's and MSD as more likely that it's a NEWER coil than the 22 year old stock unit that it replaces.  I have my plugs gapped out to about 55 thous. as it sits now.

Tim

Just yesterday I was going to start a thread about MSD ignition boxes and here it is 

I have MSD Off-Road Bllaster Coil + MSD 8.5mm Superconductor Wire Set (and 0.8 ohm ballast resstor), it all ends with Denso Iridium Power IW16 plugs. First of all I've noticed that my idle rpms rose up from 900 to 1200-1250 rpm and idle became smoother after I turn it down to normal 900. Acceleration improved a bit and better mileage too.

Therefore I placed a carb instead of former single port EFI, I've started to experience some problems with my "EFI ignition brains". There's not enough of dynamical range of retard/advance in stock ignition brains, I can tune it to good low rpm response or good high rpm response by twisting distributor, but can't make it work properly on either high and low rpms. That's why I thought about MSD CD ignition box.

But now, when I read about MSD CD ignitions on some forums, I'm starting to doubt whether installation of it could fix my problem. I need new "ignition brains" to do proper timing advance/retard I guess, not just a signal transformer.

Please, correct me if I'm wrong.

when I read about MSD CD ignitions on some forums, I'm starting to doubt whether installation of it could fix my problem. I need new "ignition brains" to do proper timing advance/retard I guess, not just a signal transformer.
Please, correct me if I'm wrong.

If you want to change the timing then you will need to remap the ECU or use an interceptor or change to an aftermarket system. Which ECU do you have?

Rhinoman

I don't know what ECU I got, Japanese 1.3L 1995, single port EFI Samurai engine.

Maybe I should change my distributor? Cause I'm afraid that my ECU won't accept any knew mapping and even if so there's not much left from those vacuum stuff which supposed to give some more signals on ECU. Is there any compatible distributor from MSD, Mallory, etc.? Or what aftermarket system shuold I look at?

Thanks!

The 1.6L engine on my 4-door kick doesn't come with a coil.  I think the coil is integrated to the distributor.  Is there such a thing?  My former 4-door kick (totalled in a crash)  had the 1.6L engine with a coil.  Anybody has an idea on how to install an aftermarket coil in my present setup?