MSD Total Loss Question

[fischer550]

Question #1: I have been having a MSD issue where it runs good for a minute and then drops a rear cylinder randomly and then gets back up and running again etc. I checked my air gap and noticed it was just a little bit higher than it should be. Could this cause occasional cylinder dropping or would It just not spark at all if the gap was too high?

Question #2: see attached picture, I have been able to correct the air gap by adding washers in between the pick up spacers (I do not have any of the stock spacers) OK to run or does it have to be the specific spacers?

 

[DylanS]

You’re fine to use whatever as a spacer.
Highly doubt your air gap was causing intermittent misfires especially if you were running fine prior to your issue.
Try changing the problem channel to the other spare channel.
You could also have a minor break in your pickup wires that typically happens where they entire the FW cover. Get a multi meter and set it to read for continuity and attach it to a pair of your pickup wires. Then go through each wire wiggling it and bending it around to see if you end up with a break in continuity. Just had a similar issue that was really sneaky to find.
Have also had broken wires at my coil packs. Same process to find the break. 9/10 times I’ve had intermittent misfires with my total loss it’s been a broken/damaged wire.

 

[fischer550]

You’re fine to use whatever as a spacer.
Highly doubt your air gap was causing intermittent misfires especially if you were running fine prior to your issue.
Try changing the problem channel to the other spare channel.
You could also have a minor break in your pickup wires that typically happens where they entire the FW cover. Get a multi meter and set it to read for continuity and attach it to a pair of your pickup wires. Then go through each wire wiggling it and bending it around to see if you end up with a break in continuity. Just had a similar issue that was really sneaky to find.
Have also had broken wires at my coil packs. Same process to find the break. 9/10 times I’ve had intermittent misfires with my total loss it’s been a broken/damaged

 

[fischer550]

Thanks for the info man, yeah, I’ve tried everything switching to the other channel, switching coils, I actually bought a brand new brain a couple years ago that I still haven’t installed just trying to solve the issue and just put new pick ups in if all else fails I’ll switch to the new brain

 

[TheBuzzard]

Check for a broken wire at the pickups. The 2 green wires. Lousy design right at the trigger . Where the 2 wires go into the trigger, the wire vibrates and breaks. Needs to be silicone reinforced right there every time. I've had multiple failures at that point. Also the brains take a $hit. MSD no longer checks boxes

 

[fischer550]

Just an update on this, I ended up using very small washers to get the air gap back within spec and I put 2 new pickups on the stator plate. Went for a ride and did not skip a beat!

 

[DylanS]

Just an update on this, I ended up using very small washers to get the air gap back within spec and I put 2 new pickups on the stator plate. Went for a ride and did not skip a beat!

If you’re bored sometime you should grind those old pickups down and see if they have a break in them, you can just Jb weld them back together and have a spare set