Chinese MSD Distributor Tips & Tricks + Budget ignition Demo

[APPLEGREENVW]

6ALN was one of the MSD boxes, you recommended. I know the blue coil is weak, but with the help of the box, it put out a bigger blue spark.

_________________
Parts for sale https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/search.php?username=APPLEGREENVW

02/76 Beetle sedan

[Lingwendil]

Spent a few hours working on the CDI wiring today, between the actual work, and running around to grab connectors and wire, as well as stopping to run errands in between.

Not mounted yet, but I drilled a hole and ran wiring for the box today. Since I'll also be running an amplifier/sub off of this wiring, I used 6AWG wire straight to the battery for both 12 volt and ground- and ran this straight to a 6 position barrier/terminal strip in order to have some secure tie down points. I dedicated two positions each to battery hot,, ignition hot, and ground.. Gave myself a small green and white wire for points trigger and tachometer connection, and a pair of Silicone jacketed wire for the coil, since it's high voltage rated just to be safe, since I had some already. I was able to run the bundle of wiring high up in the engine bay a few inches diagonal from the diagnostic port stamping, and ran it through a grommet very tightly. Up in this part of the engine bay it should be up out of any possible rain nicely.

The 7AL however, failed to provide any sort of spark whatsoever, both with a MSD blaster 2 canister coil, and the very old and worn Bosch blue I have. I reverted back to the original wiring I have with the Ford TFI module, and it fired up as soon as I touched the key.

Looks like I need to bench test it and find out if the box somehow died since I picked it up from J Paul. Its been in storage sent he sent it to me, and I just now got around to trying it out.
_________________
73 super beetle thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649622 Back on the Road!

Modify your Kadrons for SVDA http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8115884#8115884

Cast iron VJU4BR8 SVDA reference thread- https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

Need replacement filters for original Kadron aircleaners? WIX #42087 is a perfect fit, as is Napa Gold #2087!

[jpaull]

Something is up. It wont go bad just sitting around. Thats the 7AL that I had running every coil imaginable in all those videos, even IVKings 2 amp coil it was firing nicely. Those 7A's are really stout and can take anything (except wiring wrong). Check your wiring carefully, and your points cleanliness if your using points as your trigger. Also, unplug your tach wire for now. And connect the ground stud thats not connected in your picture. Technically it will work without it, but its good to connect. In the video below, when i ran that box, i didnt have that ground connected and at the end of the video I provided the complimentry ground to the 7als needs lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxUztF6DmyM&t=5s

[Lingwendil]

I have an extra battery and a few distributors to bench test it, I'll lash something together later this week. I triple-double checked the wiring and still nothing, so it's gotta be something simple. I'll connect that ground lug too.

On the bright side, I have a nice little power distribution block there to easily play with, so pulling it out was super easy and quick.
_________________
73 super beetle thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649622 Back on the Road!

Modify your Kadrons for SVDA http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8115884#8115884

Cast iron VJU4BR8 SVDA reference thread- https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

Need replacement filters for original Kadron aircleaners? WIX #42087 is a perfect fit, as is Napa Gold #2087!

[Nando_b63]

Jeff Will the 7AL 2-plus (7222) work on the street strip with the
Msd 8251 coil?
Initially was going with msd 8207 blaster SS.
Thanks

[APPLEGREENVW]

[Nando_b63]

[Nando_b63]

[jpaull]

Thank you Applegreen for posting that. I have not been able to get a min to post. Thats a extremely handy guide. The 8251 is a good choice with a 7al2 plus. The blaster ss would not be good, its like setting a rev limiter to early on a engine with a ton of rpm potential. If you have a mild combo and want to use the blaster ss, a 6al is all you need. The 7al2 and 8251 willl have 3 times the output of the Blaster SS/6al combo. If you are lucky enuff to already have the 7al2 plus, exploit its potential yo💪

[Nando_b63]

^^^^^
Jpaul doing a 2387 with 10:0:1 compression street/strip.
Well that is the plan👀

[KEGZ]

[boostretard]

Upgraded my ignition recently and wow, what a welcome difference. It’s a stock 1600 with 1.25’s, light head/port work, stainless valves, matched intakes, and an A1 stainless sidewinder. The kads were modded for throttle vacuum and matched to the SVDA by AJ at low bugget, so I wanted to keep that. The car ran better before moving to the coast and its cold air.

It stunk bad and loaded up at red lights (like so many VW’s from my youth also running dual single barrel carbs and blue coils). The usual trick is to run the heater, but this wasn’t completely effective and was getting old.

The first stage was the CDI box (FST-6000-6400) and coil (FST-730-0192) thru the existing conduits: Bosch (resistor) wires, rotor, and existing (non-resistor) ngk plugs. Trigger was existing compufire (white CDI harness wire; the compufire is solely a trigger and not carrying primary current). It was a noticeable difference. Pretty much what you’d expect.

The next stage added new plugs, wires, and resistorless rotor. No hard data but we all know how well alleviated-sore-spots stand out, and the pictures of the plugs below speak for themselves.)

Gains in power and efficiency across a widened power band. Most noticeable from stops and at top speed on the freeway. Less stink and zero loading up. Rev limiter at 4600 (and the engine will actually pull up to that now).

CDI/Coil: $390.00
Wires: $10 (they just doubled the price to $19)
Plugs: $67 on eBay
So $467 taxed and shipped

The wires are 50ohm/foot Fast branded FireWire FAST 255-0041.
The cap is pertronix and the rotor has the metal tab across the top.

The plugs are the Brisk L10ZS (non resistor)

Here’s a pic of the (no CDI) blue coil’s output on low resistance wires and non resistor plug (lights dimmed to help see it):

Here’s a Brisk plug with the (no CDI) Flamethrower 3ohm canister coil:

Here’s a pic of Brisk with the CDI setup, and slightly less powerful coil (Crane LX-92 @ 510ma vs Fast E93 @610ma)

In person these plugs with that CDI box were actually hard to look at directly. I wondered about arc flash (didn’t happen).
The pics were not retouched in any way, just cropped for upload.

[Paul.H]

You must have some serious fuelling problems to need an arc welder type ignition to improve running

[madmike]

,,if ya run huge deck ya gotta fire it somehow I like it
_________________
'Black Ice'Drag Buggy 'Turbo'
Rail Buggy 1915 turbo
76 Drag/Street bug 2180cc 'Turbo' 11:85 @113 mph"If I go any faster I'll burn up the Hamster" ,gets 28 mpg. also 10/09/22 11.90 @115 mph
"If I'm ever on Life Support,UNPLUG Me, Then Plug me back In see if that Works"

[boostretard]

[Janne71]

What about red Bosch coil then? Low resistance

[Lingwendil]

do those FAST brand wires have the connectors for the HEI/MSD type distributor caps, or just the Bosch style socket types?
_________________
73 super beetle thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=649622 Back on the Road!

Modify your Kadrons for SVDA http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8115884#8115884

Cast iron VJU4BR8 SVDA reference thread- https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

Need replacement filters for original Kadron aircleaners? WIX #42087 is a perfect fit, as is Napa Gold #2087!

[boostretard]

As this (not my) video’s footage will show, lighting gasoline vapors is not a binary effort/outcome. Also the graphics are sweet.

https://youtu.be/MS1paulCESk

[Alstrup]

There are one or two that could benefit from watching that video.

I am not disputing that the boostguy has a jetting issue or even a lesser optimal engine combo. But eventhough the blue Bosch screamer kits have been the shiat for many many years, it is still about the worst set up you can have compared to what else is an option today. And you dont have to break the bank, just combine with a little thought instead of what´s on sale.
This thread has a boat load of good information. It has though gone in the direction of bigger is better, which is not a lie. But at some point it comes with a cost. I do not know where the "limit" is, but when the spark amperage gets too high it begins to wear pretty hard on the plugs.
My own very rudimental testing on the subject shows that if you are around 100 Mj at the distributor - minus the loss through the system, it looks like plug life is not affected much (if you use good plugs) At 135 Mj there is a typical reduction of plug life with about 3500 miles, and as amperage increases further the plug life reduces, - naturally. This is with regular copper core plugs. If you use Platinum plugs I would suspect a different result.
_________________
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=435993

[Paul.H]