DIY: MSD Ignition System Install

Disclaimer: The following is provided as a GUIDE ONLY, and neither myself nor Ozhonda take any responsibility for the outcomes of someone else doing the following. You follow these steps at your own risk!

Any additional/relevant information gained from this thread has been added to the first 2 posts.So all the info you need is in the first 2 posts.No need to look through the thread for any additional information.

MSD Ignition Website!

Aim:

To Install the aftermarket ignition system/MSD Ignition system.This DIY is universal and applies to any and all cars.I am installing the system on my d16y4 Automatic.

Many of you know I have had this system in my car for a couple of years.It recently was causing misfire (settle down all you MSD haters :) ) BUT that was because of a sub par install due to lack of knowledge in this area on my behalf :D So I ripped it out,fixed up the wires and installed it and did a DIY while I was at it :thumbsup:

The MSD system,gives 'Multiple Sparks',so instead of 1 or 2 sparks every rotation of the crankshaft,you get 6 or 7 sparks,when it is above 4000 rpm it gives 1 BIG spark.

Different cars,different engine setups,different results.

I have had the system hooked up and I have had the stock system hooked a few times each and I can tell you on my d16y4 automatic it made my car run smoother.It revs smoother and just feels better with the system hooked up.I think being an automatic it makes a difference.On BIG setup's it would definitely be a good mod,promoting good combustion.On these setup's I would imagine a gain in performance,there maybe on mine but without a dyno,you would never know BUT certainly my car is more enjoyable to drive,smoothly revving out each gear,there's more response in my auto with it too.The note the exhaust makes is far better,it's deeper and fuller,purring even.Tops!

Required:

* MSD Ignition box (You will have to check what one is the correct one for your car.
* External coil.
* MSD distributor cap OR modify your stock cap with as I have done.
* 47,000µ capacitor optional

* 20A Fuse
* 2 metres of Red and black wire + connectors
* Some knowledge in the electrics helps.If you aren't too confident having a go yourself,I would ask a friend to help.

I used:

* MSD-6AL box Link

The blurb on the MSD-6AL box is worth quoting:

"MSD 6AL, PN 6420 The 6AL shares the same proven circuitry of the 6A with the addition of a built-in adjustable rev limiter. The combination of powerful sparks with the safety of a Soft Touch Rev Control is what makes the 6AL the most popular ignition control in the world. MSD first developed the Soft Touch rev control to prevent over rev damage to your motor in the event of a missed shift or driveline failure. The rpm limit is adjustable in 100 rpm increments with MSD’s plug-in modules. When the engine reaches your selected limit, the Soft Touch circuitry begins dropping the spark to various cylinders. On the next cycle, these plugs are fired again to prevent fuel from loading up in the cylinder. The result is a smooth and accurate limiting action without backfires or roughness. The Soft Touch Rev Control also opens the door for you to add rpm accessories such as a Two Step Rev Control. A Two Step allows you to set two rpm limits, one for a holeshot rpm and another for over rev protection. The 6AL is supplied with rubber shock mounts and modules for 3,000, 6,000, 7,000 and 8,000 rpm."

* Crane cams LX-91 external coil.'dsp 26' has conducted tests and concluded this coil is superior to other coils like MSD blaster coils
* 47,000µ capacitor
* Modified my stock distributor cap

Firstly,an overview of the system,all hooked up:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...0_0724-3-1.jpg

And installed:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0893-1.jpg

Steps:

If your gonna spend sometime breaking ya back leaning in the engine bay,put it on jacks!

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0748-1.jpg

Firstly,on the side of your MSD 6AL box there's a small black plug that's screwed in place.You'll have to remove that plug and cut the two wires that are looped together,the blue and red.These are used for the box to recognize your engines size in cyl numbers.With those two red and blue wires connected,the box thinks that you have a 8 cyl,cutting just the red wire makes it think you have a 6 cyl and finally the blue and red being cut makes it recognize just 4 cyl's.

We need to mount the MSD.Find a suitable spot,not easy but it fits suprising well,right here!:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0745-1.jpg

The rubber mounts:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0800-1.jpg

From underneath,make sure you use lock nuts or double up on the nuts to lock them:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0797-1.jpg

I wedged a piece of rubber in here,locks it in real good:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0798-1.jpg

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0799-1.jpg

Next,mount the capacitor.The capacitor protects the MSD box from any surges or spikes in electrical current:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...0_0746-1-1.jpg

Then the 20 Amp fuse.This protects the MSD box from blowing up! $15 from Jaycar.Just cut the wire and join to both ends:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...2/100_0880.jpg

Then mount the coil somewhere,here is good:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0747-1.jpg

From behind,as you can see,2 bolts was enough.I cabled tied the other side,it's strong as.

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0792-1.jpg

Modifying the stock distributor cap.If MSD does not have a distributor cap for your application,then you will have to modify your stock one.

Here is the full DIY - Modifying the stock distributor cover to accept an external coil

MSD sell a 'MSD power tower' Here's what they look like:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...8805_large.jpg

I bought one and had to modify it to suit my dizzy but you can see in the pics,you don't need to buy it and can make it up ya self,just as good,better,from these 3 parts:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0739-1.jpg

It's just the tip of a sparkplug:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0740-1.jpg

You will need to find the appropriate thin drill bit for the job.Then you need to drill a hole straight through the cap and screw the screw through there,like so:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0737-1.jpg

Put the other bits on:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0734-1.jpg

Use some gasket sealant or silicone to seal it up/insulate it,or you'll get zapped,like I did :)

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...2/100_0878.jpg

Inside aswell:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0731-1.jpg

You will need to file a section out so that the 2 wires can run through there:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0743-1.jpg

John had a better idea -

"I used a razor to cut some rubber away from the seal where the main loom enters the dizzy. Only remove enough rubber to allow the MSD wires not to get crushed by the cap."

Here's the distributor.Wires from the MSD connects to the ICM (under the cover) and the stock coil removed:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0766-1.jpg

And here it is again,all installed:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0893-1.jpg

Make sure you Reset the ECU after any modification.

Sponge bob says,Job well Done!

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...2/100_0883.jpg

Extra Comments:

Running the MSD system will allow you to advance the timing 2 or 3 degrees.

So you can play around with advancing the timing to see if it yields any results or just set it at stock/factory setting.

Adjusting Ignition Timing

Now there is a lot bad stuff out there on the MSD system and I believe the reason lies in:

* Sub par install causing many problems like misfires,cutting out and many other random electrical problems all caused by a sub par install.

* Ignition parts wearing and causing problems,examples are:

- Rotor wearing and not producing a good spark.This can cause the timing to go out because of rotor pitting/burning Link
- Plugs wearing making the gap too big and causing misfire
- A modified distributor cap if not done correctly will cause problems

I think this happens and the MSD gets blamed a lot.I know in the industry MSD are known as MS where's the spark D but my system has been going strong for a while now.The thing is to keep an eye on the parts and keep the crap off them so they spark well!

So routinely I do the following:

Remove plugs,clean the spark plug holes,sparkplugs and set the gap:

The handy tool :D

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0761-1.jpg

Put 2 or 3 tissues on the end and swirl em' around:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0757-1.jpg

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0758-1.jpg

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0760-1.jpg

NGK Iridium's all the way! 60,000km and going strong!!

EDIT: On one of my NGK's,it was allowing oil up into the sparkplug cylinder because the crush washer was completely flattened after taking them in and out a few times.This was causing misfire.It only happened on one plug and I took them all out and in a few times...just know this may occur cause I have had misfire problems on and off for a while and now I finally know what was causing it.

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0762-1.jpg

atm it's a 1.6mm gap.I have ran it smoothly at 1.9mm before,misfired at 2mm:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0763-1.jpg

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0764-1.jpg

Give the edge of the rotor a light sand with fine sand paper to take the carbon deposits off and expose the metal edge:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0808-1.jpg

Clean the carbon deposits off the points on the inside of dizzy with a flat head screwdriver and fine sandpaper:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...100_0811-1.jpg

Now,the only other part in the system is the leads.I was running MSD leads,they worked great,I changed too OEM leads for something to do,works great too.You could upgrade to Vision triple core leads and a Solid Vision rotor (off ebay).These items won't give you any performance but rather recover performance lost from the parts degrading if you have any.
My stock rotor is fine and for the leads you will need to check if the impedance is gaining in them to see if they are holding up alright.Both leads I have used have been fine.

More???

Other components in the Air/Fuel/Ignition System and what to do to ensure Maximum benefit from the MSD system:

- Good Cold air feed.

- Walbro 255lph fuel pump,not a must but better to get that 10 yr old pump out of there!

- Insulate fuel lines to keep the fuel cool,proven power gains 2-3 kws.

- Change that old fuel filter and get ya fuel tank drained and cleaned.

- Stick to BP 98 octane fuel.

- Get those old injectors cleaned.For $40 an injector,you can have the flow rate and spray pattern calibrated.For example an injector may read flow rate -2 and spray pattern - 3.After calibration,they will read flow rate -5 and spray pattern - 5.

- Fuel Pressure regulator,Only needed on bigger setup's.I have one but after trying different settings,I have decided to stay at stock pressure 36 psi.I have tried upto 44 psi and it seems to run best at stock pressure.Without a dyno it's difficult to know if there's an optimal pressure.

Thanks to dsp26 for sharing your aftermarket ignition stories so I could learn.Thanks John (ECU-MAN) for the ICM that I blew.Thanks to CRXer for your knowledge mate.And finally thanks to the guys at Bundall auto marine electrical for hooking up a device to the terminals on the ICM,so we could determine which one was positive and negative.

It ended up Black being positive and green negative...No wonder I blew the ICM,good one Honda :)

nice diy
u notice the difference?

just wondering does the box replace the ignition

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by VTec1987

nice diy
u notice the difference?

---

Thank U.

Yes,as stated above (I added a bit):

"I have had the system hooked up and I have had the stock system hooked a few times each and I can tell you on my d16y4 automatic it made my car run smoother.It revs smoother and just feels better with the system hooked up.I think being an automatic it makes a difference.On BIG setup's it would definately be a good mod,promoting good combustion.On these setup's I would imagine a gain in performance,there maybe on mine but without a dyno,you would never know BUT certainly my car is more enjoyable to drive,smoothly revving out each gear,there's more response in my auto with it too.The note the exhaust makes is far better,it's deeper and fuller,purring even.Tops!"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Limbo

just wondering does the box replace the ignition

---

Usually the coil is connected directly to the ICM.On the MSD setup,the MSD sits between the coil and the ICM,giving muliple sparks signals to the ICM.

bugger was hoping to bypass my icm

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Limbo

bugger was hoping to bypass my icm

---

its possible limbo to make up a cheap fake ICM to sit between ecu & MSD with about half dozen cheap components like a few resistors & a few transistors,guess about $10-$20.

BEEZA!!!

u forgot one very important thing for the safety of your car.....

wheres the fuse???

dont like the cap setup either,see if u can insulate that power post a bit better,otherwise misfire here we come again.

rep points when i see a pic of fuse installed.....

btw...told u it was the black wire lol

It makes sense but it never mentioned a fuse in any MSD install directions...You would put it between the MSD and battery yeah?

The power tower is 'alive',it zapped me,do you know if on MSD caps if the tower is alive? I think it isn't...

I know I know about the black but I already blew 2 ICM's.. :)

chop fuse into bat positive supply to MSD as close to battery post as practicable.

wherever there is wiring that is not up to the rating of what the supply can dish out u should fuse it,otherwise all the wiring in that circuit becomes the fuse wire.
if something goes wrong,causing overcurrent,the wiring could fail & who knows where that might be & how much current/arcing/heat/flames.... it will produce till its fails entirely.
u get the picture?
fuse is cheap insurance.

i assume u werent silly enough to touch the post while the motor was running beez?
leave that kind of thing to ronny,hes immune to it now lol,i think he actually gets a hit off it.
if it zapped u after motor off,its a capacitive system & was prob still holding charge just enough to wake u up a bit.
insulate that post or it will leak after a decent amount of dirt/moisture/etc builds up around that area.

Jase dude still need help with my one.

I'm thinking of doing the CDI afterwards also

Cheers CRX'er will do.Will the capacitor not prevent those things,obviously a capacitor is not a fuse?

Yup! I touched it while the car was running,damn ya know about it,a mild electric shock!

So I should insulate it where the post meets the cap?

pm limbo,beez'l crack a shit if we mess up his thread lol

breeza, when i manage to finish mine i'll post some pics to make it up to ya

No no,please keep it going!!

This is what its all about,it's all related.

What else we gonna talk about :)

capacitor will just sit there laughing at the chaos erupting around it,u need a cheap easily replaceable fuse(once u fixed fault of course) to interupt said chaos before it gets out of hand.
battery is capable of supplying a few hundred amps for reasonably sustained cranking of the motor,its capable of supplying a lot more than that for a shorttime fault condition.
drop a spanner across the terminals & see the result lol.

oem coils supply thousands of volts beez,dont know what the msd works at,but u really shouldnt touch anything to do with a modern day working ignition system.
even leads & the cap,dont touch till motor off,there could be leak anywhere waiting to catch u out.
luckily its just big voltage & not really enough sustained current to get u most times,but consider it only takes like 30mA to start messing with your heart,be careful.

yes insulate that post where it meets the cap,uve tested how well it leaks now for yourself lol,u dont want leaking while trying to run a motor,not good for performance

Cheers,can I just use gasket sealant?

What rating should the fuse be? I'm thinking to use an amp fuse,the one you always use on car systems.

i dont know what the insulation resistance is on gasket goo,ring the manufacturer lol,but it obviously needs to be rated higher than whatever voltage the coil can supply.

fuse needs to be high enough to supply the ignition system & low enough to protect the wiring.
again,i dont know what the msd is rated at,my guess...in the order of 10-20A or so,check the instructions.
again,i dont know what gauge wiring with what insulation your using,my guess.....looks about 30A wire.
my guess=20A fuse
just go down to jaycar or similar & u can get a 30A fuse holder & fuse for a few dollars.

What would you use to insulate it cause I wanna do it right.I was thinking this morning about when I got zapped.I was touching the bottom of the tower,where it meets the cap.

On the MSD caps this shouldn't happen right? but if you touch the top,the spark plug tip,that will zap you right?

Cheers CRX'er,I will add the fuse and insulation then add it to the DIY!

This is the blurb on the MSD-6AL box.I'm trying to understand the "Two Step Rev Control".The 2nd step is a rev limiter and the 1st step is a 'Holeshot rpm'.What's that?


"MSD 6AL, PN 6420 The 6AL shares the same proven circuitry of the 6A with the addition of a built-in adjustable rev limiter. The combination of powerful sparks with the safety of a Soft Touch Rev Control is what makes the 6AL the most popular ignition control in the world. MSD first developed the Soft Touch rev control to prevent overrev damage to your motor in the event of a missed shift or driveline failure. The rpm limit is adjustable in 100 rpm increments with MSD’s plug-in modules. When the engine reaches your selected limit, the Soft Touch circuitry begins dropping the spark to various cylinders. On the next cycle, these plugs are fired again to prevent fuel from loading up in the cylinder. The result is a smooth and accurate limiting action without backfires or roughness. The Soft Touch Rev Control also opens the door for you to add rpm accessories such as a Two Step Rev Control. A Two Step allows you to set two rpm limits, one for a holeshot rpm and another for overrev protection. The 6AL is supplied with rubber shock mounts and modules for 3,000, 6,000, 7,000 and 8,000 rpm."

And this is taken from another MSD install thread:

"MSD is quite a company that far surpases their competition in the world of ignition systems. Proof of this can be seen in the MSD 6AL that you just installed. MSD offeres RPM Plug Kits for those wanting a bit more tuneability for their setup. I'd recomend, on a 3G, starting with the 6000 RPM plug once you hit the dyno for a tune session just so you can see where your power curve is. Once you find this out, lower/raise your RPM plug to that RPM and try again. Keep in mind that it's still not the best idea in the world to go over Redline on the Tachometer, but that's what these plugs are for. MSD offers a good wide range of these selector modules ranging anywhere from 3000 on up to and probably past 9000 RPM plugs in 100 RPM incrumentsm. These kits can be found online with Summit and other MSD suppliers."

Lots of question mate... :)

What do U think about this,have you done it?

"The best way to set timing IMO is to use a vaccum gauge on a vaccum line going to the intake manifold.Adjust the timing by turning the distributor untill you reach maximum vaccum and tighten it back down."

I'm thinking about buying a vacumn guage and timing light and setting it via this meathod.I have always been wary my timing isn't positioned at it's best position and it's suffering for it.My mechanic told me it's fine but you know backyard mechanics...god love his Italian soul! But this looks like a great meathod for solving that problem.

Oh btw my mate was reading the thread last night and when ya little ****roach appeared on the screen he was trying to blow and shoo it off the screen,he was concentrating on reading but every now and then have a go at it,this went on for 1 long minute until he was like 'Ohhhhh' and I was like 'AAHAHAHAHAAAAA' - Funniest thing eva!!!!

electricity is always willing to take the easiest way out beez,in other words it takes the path of least resistance.
in the case of the resistance of your body compared to the resistance of the air gap across a spark plug tip,u guessed it,your body has least resistance,so electricity will favour the path thru your body when u present it the option over the spark gap.
if u touch anywhere down line of the coil,u will receive the bulk of the current flow to ground. u also risk frying the coil from overcurrent if the leaks get substantial,ie lower resistance.

"hole-shot" is just another term for launch control.
if u get an additional msd control module to talk to the 6AL,u will be able to set a spark induced rev limit to have a set launch rev limit before u dump the clutch,not exactly useful on a standard auto tranny beez.
the second step of the 2-step is just an overall spark induced motor rev limit,your motor already has a fuel induced one.so unless u want a lower overall rev limit,then also no use to u,unless u change the fuel limit with aftermarket ecu.
some people prefer the popping & banging of a rough spark limiter.

lol,i did the same thing when someone else on another forum had the bug in their sig,it gets a lot of people,especially when around my place there are actual bugs that size that land on my screen & do the same shit.

u need to match the mechanical timing with the timing your ecu expects to see.
u already have a timing mark on your crank pulley(assuming it is stock & correct) to match up this timing.
are u using proper procedure to set the timing,ie engine warm/all elec accessories off/short SCS connector/set timing with light?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CRXer

electricity is always willing to take the easiest way out beez,in other words it takes the path of least resistance.
in the case of the resistance of your body compared to the resistance of the air gap across a spark plug tip,u guessed it,your body has least resistance,so electricity will favour the path thru your body when u present it the option over the spark gap.
if u touch anywhere down line of the coil,u will receive the bulk of the current flow to ground. u also risk frying the coil from overcurrent if the leaks get substantial,ie lower resistance.

"hole-shot" is just another term for launch control.
if u get an additional msd control module to talk to the 6AL,u will be able to set a spark induced rev limit to have a set launch rev limit before u dump the clutch,not exactly useful on a standard auto tranny beez.
the second step of the 2-step is just an overall spark induced motor rev limit,your motor already has a fuel induced one.so unless u want a lower overall rev limit,then also no use to u,unless u change the fuel limit with aftermarket ecu.
some people prefer the popping & banging of a rough spark limiter.

---

Gotcha! Thank U!

A had a feeling it meant launch control.

Understood :thumbsup:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CRXer

lol,i did the same thing when someone else on another forum had the bug in their sig,it gets a lot of people,especially when around my place there are actual bugs that size that land on my screen & do the same shit.

u need to match the mechanical timing with the timing your ecu expects to see.
u already have a timing mark on your crank pulley(assuming it is stock & correct) to match up this timing.
are u using proper procedure to set the timing,ie engine warm/all elec accessories off/short SCS connector/set timing with light?

---

Ahahaha :wave:

Yes,all except shorting the SCS connector,is that necessary?

copy/paste cos i hate typing lol

yes,it is a good idea,as the ecu could be making random timing compensations to allow for temperature/elec load/etc.
if its doing this & u set your mechanical timing to stock value than they might not match when u are done.
ecu will be spitting out 28* timing to the motor & motor might be sparking the cylinders at 33* timing for example,because your dizzy is out of adjustment.

jumping/shorting scs,removes any compensations the ecu might be making & holds its timing at stock value(lot of hondas are 16* BTDC stock timing,the wack Y4 i dont know what it is).
if u then go & set your dizzy to match the 16* mark on the crank pulley with a timing light,then u can be sure that both ecu & motor agree on what timing is happening.

Forsure forsure!

Just 1 last thing Sir! :) and THANK U again!!

What do U think about this,have you done it?

"The best way to set timing IMO is to use a vaccum gauge on a vaccum line going to the intake manifold.Adjust the timing by turning the distributor untill you reach maximum vaccum and tighten it back down."

I'm thinking about buying a vacumn guage and timing light and setting it via this meathod.I have always been wary my timing isn't positioned at it's best position and it's suffering for it.My mechanic told me it's fine but you know backyard mechanics...god love his Italian soul! But this looks like a great meathod for solving that problem.

never seen the vac gauge method,i suspect its more useful on carbi powered cars however,u have electronics to handle setting your timing correctly,much easier

But how do you know where the best spot is? It would just be guess work wouldn't it,you would just be setting it to stock settings plus an advancement of 2 degrees say,but how would you know that is the best spot?

With the vacumn guage,it sounds like you could get it accurate this way.

do u really think honda employed much guess work when they were forking out the millions in cash to get your motor ready for production & spit out the best balance of economy/emissions/power/reliabilty it is capable of?

hence the mark on your crank pulley & the sensors in the dizzy base feeding this timing value to the ecu so it can run the motor at optimium & agreeable timing.

best timing is to know what the actual timing is & be able to fiddle it from that known base.so best to get the motor & ecu agreeing on whats going on first.

if u want to fiddle advance for power,then u really need to get on a proper dyno,as the butt dyno will not give much if any indication on gradual increases in acceleration rates,butt dyno only detects big torque shifts,which fiddling a coupla degrees of ignition advance aint gonna produce.

also,living in australia,mostly at sea level & honda induction & exhaust systems being fairly efficient already from the factory,i doubt the vac gauge will be much use to u in finding any better timing values,due to any boltons u have made to the motor.
maybe if your boltons have lost u a substantial amout of power,than maybe u could regain some with the vac gauge method.
but this is all getting way above my feeble mind.
lets stick to the elec things lol.

unless u do actually live alone on a high mountain top somewhere beez,which i do suspect sometimes?

That has got to be the smallest 47,000F capacitor in existence. Perhaps you mean 47mF or maybe even 4.7mF? :D

lol,i didnt notice that,prob just couldnt find the "µ" symbol on his kb,here u can borrow mine beez.

geez once u finally got that 47,000F charged up u could leave your battery at home for the next week & just run the car off that lol,or am i forgetting how much your car would weigh carting it around....

Fuse and insulation added! :D

Thanks so much CRXer (added ya to Thank you's!),sorry about all the posts yesterday...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CRXer

do u really think honda employed much guess work when they were forking out the millions in cash to get your motor ready for production & spit out the best balance of economy/emissions/power/reliabilty it is capable of?

---

But that's assuming stock timing is the best position...cause now I'm runnin' I/H/E MSD system and I believe stock timing (12 degrees BTDC for the y4) is not the best spot now.

I need a meathod to find the best timing without a dyno.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CRXer

unless u do actually live alone on a high mountain top somewhere beez,which i do suspect sometimes?

---

Almost!

There's a mountain above me :D Can ya see Da Batmobile? :honda:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...2/100_0543.jpg

And your mind is a great mind! :thumbsup:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by string

That has got to be the smallest 47,000F capacitor in existence. Perhaps you mean 47mF or maybe even 4.7mF? :D

---

Thanks String,I will check and update :thumbsup:

more importantly wheres the crop beez.....i know its there somewhere....send me a sample

thats one fancy fuse u got there,extra marks for that,but deduct marks cos fuse is protect the wiring not the msd.
good to see some sort of insulation of the post,if shit starts happening,look there first.

gotta be careful with pq's beez,cant just go dishing them out at will
when u get to the pearly gates,they actually ask u what your pq score was on OH,to determine your lifes worth....

HAha,your a funny man! :)

But what do you mean by 'fuse is protect the wiring not the msd.'

Why? Dammit!


hehe Somewhere Jase,somewhere!

Very nice write up, rep for u

Thanks Lyle!

Jase,is it because the capacitor is holding charge?

wha? who? huh?

assume u mean why is fuse to protect wiring,is it because of capacitor?

a fuses primary role is to limit fault currents from getting out of hand,by automatically disconnecting the supply in the event of an overcurrent condition,such as a short circuit.
fault currents rise real high, real quick should u be able to sustain them(ie something doesnt just blow apart during the event anyway) & shit gets real hot/ real quick also.

secondly its role is to allow us to use much smaller conductors(wires) on supply systems that can supply much greater currents than the wire can handle,since we have discovered that a simple fuse will very reliably control any nasty overcurrent conditions that might occur.
imagine how much your car would weigh if u were carting around enough insulated copper wiring to handle whatever the battery could dishout?

once uve determined what current the device u are trying to run is going to demand from the supply,then u will have to select a wire that has this determined current carrying capacity due to its insulation properties.

a wires current carrying capacity is determined by its insulations ability to not breakdown or deform due to the heat generated by said amount of current running thru the wire under sustained operating conditions.

then, since u desire to keep the weight of your car to a minimum & not spend a fortune on copper,the wire u will have selected will be most likely a lot smaller than what the supply is capable of,so u need to limit the amount of current available to the circuit,by simple use of a fuse.

with fuse in place,your wiring is now protected from being stripped of its insulation by overheating & causing a more dangerous short circuit condition to ground.

the fuse will inadvertantly limit overcurrents thru your device,such as msd,but most devices these days are reqd to have there own built-in protection & if the device was the cause of the overcurrent condition in the circuit to begin with,then it will prob be toast anyway,bin it & buy a new one.
but at least the rest of your car is not on fire from melted insulation hey beez?

capacitor has nowhere near the potential of the battery to sustain large fault currents,just put them side by side & have a look,that should give u half an idea of the stored charge in each.

Sorry about the confusion mate,I understand now!

The fuse is to protect the wiring not the MSD.I will update the thread.

Great Info as usual mate,Cheers!!