I need some opinoins here guys, I am at a loss???

I installed a MSD 6A and a MSD coil, along with the MSD GM harness. I have had trouble ever since. First of all I can hear a loud clicking noise inside th ecar, I first mistook it for valvetrain noise. But I now realize it is comnig from the passenger side of the dashboard, which is where I have the MSD mounted in the engine bay. I am also experiencing a voltage drop, the voltage gauge drops down to the redline, as if the alternator has given out, and the stock tach is spiking up and down like crazy. And last but not least the car is idling very high.

Other than all that the car runs fine, pulls hard and has no issues. I shoud mention how I have it all installed I guess. The MSD 6A is on the firewall where the A/C box used to be. I have the postive run to the starting motor and the negative run to a location on the firewall where other grounds are run. It is a stock location on the passenger side of the distributor. The coil is mounted on the "new" heater box that I installed. But it is very close to the valve cover because of the length of the wires.

Should I run the MSD the way the instructions call for, the postive to the postive battery, and the ground to the negative battery? Should I mount the coil somewhere else because it may be getting to hot next to the valve cover? Should I put another ground on the MSD? Another ground on the alternator or the battery?

I am lost, please help!!!

 

Your alternator is probably on its way out. The MSD box draws a solid ten amps and I have found that if the voltage on the car dips below 12.4 volts the MSD does not have enough power to fire the ign. properly.

I just traced my surging on idle to this problem and have ordered a new powermaster 140 amp alternator. My car was doing the same thing until after 5 hours of trouble shooting I figured out that the my old alternator could not keep up with the extra draw the MSD was creating on the electrial system for the car.

I will have my new alternator on Wednesday I will let you know how everything runs after the install.

 

many things can be wrong. Hardwire the ignition to a power source like a battery.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, anyone else? Has this happened to anyone before??

 

I put the new alternator on and it still does it. But the car definetly runs better with the new alternator. If I bpyass my MSD box the car runs fine. Now I am stumped.

 

It sounds like you have a bad MSD box.