Anybody using msd in old formula , wiring
12-08-2015, 10:46 PM
#22
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Please. First of all he says "I'll bet that's where some of your top-end running problems are coming into play". Where and when was that ever mentioned. And the MSD being problematic. Seriously, many, many thousands have been sold and their defect rate is probably better than most. Parts break.......auto parts, coffee makers, whatever. Truthfully, I put the MSD system on my present boat because the thunderbolt distributor and V6 module were acting up. I'm not bad mouthing the Mercury part.
As for MSD... don't even get me started. So much trouble with my drag car stuff. I wouldn't want that kind of unreliability in a boat setup.
12-08-2015, 10:49 PM
#23
12-09-2015, 03:32 AM
#24
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I was dead in the water once with a 6m. Just smoked itself for no apparent reason coming up on plane. It was in an '89 242. The tach never did read right even though there was a tach adapter. I'm pretty sure it was correct at idle and wot but the middle was tempermental. After the blue box cooked itself I installed a 6al and pre wired a chevy hei unit just in case it happened again.
12-09-2015, 07:50 AM
#27
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Sounds like a battle brewing with no winner. There is no question there are MSD haters. I'm not sure how to defend the company or why I even care about defending them other than to say what I said earlier. They sell thousands of units and have been in business for as long as I can remember...........probably 40+ years. They are the biggest in this segment which actually can work against them. Let's say for example a company sells 1000 units and gets 100 back supposedly defective. That's 10%. A smaller company sells 100 and gets back 10. Still 10%. I am going to guess the odds are a lot greater the internet will hear from that group of 100 saying what a piece of crap they just bought. Actually use the same example of 10%. The group with 100 defects has 10 people complain, 10% and the group with 10 defects has 1 complain, 10%. Which sounds worse or more convincing 10 complaints or 1??????????
Last edited by benjen; 12-09-2015 at 08:09 AM. Reason: make the point a bit more clear
12-09-2015, 08:31 AM
#28
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I'm not an MSD hater. But I do believe that their quality has gone by the wayside over the last ten years. Do they still work well? Yes, when they work. I still use their products on my car, but I don't rely on that car to get me back and forth from anywhere (I do drive it limitedly on the street). Do I want those parts in my boat? Heck no! I like being able to get back to shore. I don't trust their products enough to safely get me back to the dock. Corrosion and moisture are big issues with MSD (a Google search will show plenty of hits on this). Quality was a huge thing for MSD and it was rare to hear of anyone having problems with their parts. Not so the case these days.
On the Cig that we run, we do in fact use MSD 6M boxes in conjunction with the TB-IV ignition (and a V6 module... MSD is used to help with idle with the blowers), but those boxes are well over 15 years old. The point is that back then their quality was better. I cannot say that about the new stuff.
One more thing to add... The Digital 6AL that's on my car now has worked very well. I've had no issues with that box (it's unfortunate that it's not available for marine).
On the Cig that we run, we do in fact use MSD 6M boxes in conjunction with the TB-IV ignition (and a V6 module... MSD is used to help with idle with the blowers), but those boxes are well over 15 years old. The point is that back then their quality was better. I cannot say that about the new stuff.
One more thing to add... The Digital 6AL that's on my car now has worked very well. I've had no issues with that box (it's unfortunate that it's not available for marine).
Last edited by TomZ; 12-09-2015 at 09:19 AM. Reason: Clarity x2
12-09-2015, 09:01 AM
#29
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I'm not an MSD hater. But I do believe that their quality has gone by the wayside over the last ten years. Do they still work well? Yes. I still use their products on my car, but I don't rely on that car to get me back and forth from anywhere (I do drive it limitedly on the street). Do I want those parts in my boat? Heck no! I like being able to get back to shore. I don't trust their products enough to safely get me back to the dock. Corrosion and moisture are big issues with MSD (a Google search will show plenty of hits on this). Quality was a huge thing for MSD and it was rare to hear of anyone having problems with their parts. Not so the case these days.
On the Cig that we run, we do in fact use MSD 6M boxes in conjunction with the TB-IV ignition (and a V6 module... MSD is used to help with idle with the blowers), but those boxes are well over 15 years old. The point is that back then their quality was better. I cannot say that about the new stuff.
One more thing to add... The Digital 6AL that's on my car now has worked very well. I've had no issues with that box (it's unfortunate that it's not available for marine).
On the Cig that we run, we do in fact use MSD 6M boxes in conjunction with the TB-IV ignition (and a V6 module... MSD is used to help with idle with the blowers), but those boxes are well over 15 years old. The point is that back then their quality was better. I cannot say that about the new stuff.
One more thing to add... The Digital 6AL that's on my car now has worked very well. I've had no issues with that box (it's unfortunate that it's not available for marine).
