MSD Coil swap

[Safety Guy]

That's my question as well: how much would an aftermarket coil help an FI model, and which coil would probably be the best choice? My guess would be one that ups the voltage a bit without costing too much. In other words, a "basic coil upgrade."

Karl

[eurotiva]

Coils really do nothing unless you go to a msd ignition box msd=multiple spark discharge.......It fires off more than 1 spark per...

[hofficergrover]

won't hurt it basicly jsut like euro said we i have one on a 94 egt turbo and works jsut fine.

[skeeters_keeper]

hmm... greg, i've gotta disagree a little...

a higher voltage coil with some quality wires will allow you to run a larger plug gap. I have my plugs gapped at nearly .050... with a msd blaster II and some accel 9mm wires.

As far s the rpm vs speed, it is not going to change. If your tach reading changed for the same gear/speed then somethings wrong with your tach/wiring/etc. If you have a digital tach (most decent multi-meters have a tach feature) check it against that.

[Safety Guy]

So Nate, an MSD Blaster II with the Magnacor 8.5mm competition wires (I got an unused set), and slightly larger gapped plugs should give a couple extra hp, or at least some extra torque?

Karl

[skeeters_keeper]

Thats the theory... Butt dyno didn't notice any improvements for me, but hey, I wasn't expecting miracles, and every little bit helps. I would suggest trying .045" or so gap, I'm running a little more than that but think it may be too much. Not sure how to tell exactly whats is right except thru trial and error... anyone know of some sort of equation (that takes into account say, wire resistance, coil voltage, plug resistance, etc) in order to find exactly the appropriate gap?

pushing the timing up to 14* or so, though, makes an amazing difference!

And don't forget to index the plugs while your at it.

[i218127]

I used an after market coil on an old Escort. At 45 thousand volts, the spark would jump a 8 inch gap to get to the plug (and did). The Escort didn't go any faster, but milage increased due to more complete burning. And, it reved throughout the RPM range with vigor. It would pull around corners without quickly downshifting.

The problem with the Fuel Injected coil is its form. It looks different than the old Carburetor model. The wires that connect it are different. And, it uses an external module to control the spark. If the MSD II, or ACCEL, can be adapted to the FI system, I'm all for it. Just how do you do it? Which wires go where? How and where do you mount it? My guess is that several members have done this before. I'd just like to know the straight scoop. With greater mileage, higher reliability and slightly better performance, it's a winner!

"Drive On...ARMY"

[skeeters_keeper]

Myself and several others are using the MSD with FI fesivas. Stefan has some good pics of his up here:

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11294&highlight=msd+coil

just cut the two factory wires, put on ring terminals to fit the msd, and thats about it.

[TominMO]

^ Exactly what I did.

[Safety Guy]

Thanks Nate!

Karl

[eurotiva]

OK guys....I'm not saying anything because I'm different and my car requires a different mindset to tune....I run my plugs @ .020 because if not the extra air coming in will "blow" the spark out....turbo guys know what I'm saying.....And my stock coil goes just as fast as these aftermarket ones....If I was to use one it would be a liquid filled accel. my .02c

[skeeters_keeper]

Your right, greg, a forced induction motor does have different requirements. I would wager that you would be able to get away with a larger gap with a more powerful coil, but your still going to have to run a smaller gap than someone with n/a because to keep from getting spark blowout.

That doesn't mean you won't benefit from a more powerful coil and larger plug gap. You may not even be able to notice a difference in times, but your engine should be running more efficiently just the same... but this is mostly just from research and reading I've done, I don't have tons of experience here obviously