4

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

ROUTING WIRES

The MSD wires should be routed away from direct heat sources such as exhaust manifolds and

headers and any sharp edges. The trigger wires should be routed separate from the other wires

and spark plug wires. It is best if they are routed along a ground plane such as the block or firewall

which creates an electrical shield. The magnetic pickup wires should always be routed separately

and should be twisted together to help reduce extraneous interference (the harness supplied is

already twisted).

The chart shows the polarity of other common magnetic pickups. If using a different magnetic pickup,

use the MSD 2-Pin connector, available as PN 8824, for a direct plug-in installation.

WARNING: The MSD-8-Series Ignitions are capacitive

discharge ignitions. High voltage is present

at the coil primary terminals. Do not touch

the coil or connect test equipment to the

terminals.

PRESTART CHECK LIST

•TheonlywiresconnectedtothecoilterminalsaretheMSD

Orange to coil positive and Black to coil negative.

•ThesmallRedwireoftheMSDisconnectedtoaswitched

12 volt source.

•TheMSDpowerleadsareconnecteddirectlytothebatterypositiveandnegativeterminals.

•Thebatteryisconnectedandfullychargedifnotusinganalternator.

•Theengineisequippedwithatleastonegroundstraptothechassis.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Every MSD Ignition undergoes numerous quality control checks including a four hour burn-in test.

If you experience a problem with your MSD, our research has shown that the majority of problems

are due to improper installation or poor connections.

The Troubleshooting section has several checks and tests you can perform to ensure proper

installation and operation of the MSD. If you have any questions concerning your MSD, call our

Customer Support Department at (915) 855-7123, 7 - 6 mountain time.

MISSES AND INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS

Experience at the races has shown that if your engine is experiencing a miss or hesitation at higher

rpm, it is usually not directly ignition related. Most probable causes include a coil or plug wire

failure, arcing from the cap or boot plug to ground or spark ionization inside the cap. Several items

to inspect are:

•Alwaysinspecttheplugwiresatthecapandattheplugforatightconnectionandvisually

inspect for cuts, abrasions or burns.

•InspectthePrimaryCoilWireconnections.BecausetheMSDisaCapacitiveDischarge

ignition and it receives a direct 12 volt source from the battery, there will not be any

voltage at the Coil Positive (+) terminal even with the key turned On. During cranking

or while the engine is running, very high voltage will be present and no test equipment

should be connected.

•Makesurethatthebatteryisfullychargedandtheconnectionsarecleanandtight.Ifyou

are not running an alternator this is an imperative check. If the battery voltage falls below

10 volts during a race, the MSD output voltage will drop.

Common Mag Pickup Wires

Distributor

Colors

Mag+

Mag-

MSD

Org/Blk

Vio/Blk

MSD Crank Trigger

Org/Blk

Vio/Blk

Ford

Orange

Purple

Org/Blk

Vio/Blk

Red

Black

Chrysler

Org/Wht

Black

Mallory

Org/Blk

Vio/Blk

Figure 4 Common Mag Pickup Wires.