No trailing, where to get tach signal?
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From: Huntsville AL
No trailing, where to get tach signal?
So here is some background info:
Car is an 82 GS. I will not be running trailing. I have a 80 electric dizzy (no ignitors) triggering a MSD 6T box, and using 2nd gen leading coils.
So I have swapped the dizzy around and I am now getting to the wiring. I removed the trailing wiring from the dizzy as well as the electromagnetic field generator thing.
So, as the trailing signals the tach, what will I use now? The MSD box comes with a Tach output, a male spade terminal. I am not sure if I will be using that or jury rigging something for the leading? I have heard that some cars will need a tach adapter box, I am awaiting on an answer from MSD to see if I will need one or not.
Car is an 82 GS. I will not be running trailing. I have a 80 electric dizzy (no ignitors) triggering a MSD 6T box, and using 2nd gen leading coils.
So I have swapped the dizzy around and I am now getting to the wiring. I removed the trailing wiring from the dizzy as well as the electromagnetic field generator thing.
So, as the trailing signals the tach, what will I use now? The MSD box comes with a Tach output, a male spade terminal. I am not sure if I will be using that or jury rigging something for the leading? I have heard that some cars will need a tach adapter box, I am awaiting on an answer from MSD to see if I will need one or not.
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Joined: Nov 2006
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From: Huntsville AL

What is in red is what I will be snipping off for now. Come winter, car will get stripped down and rewired.
If I remove everything in the circled harness (minus the alternator wire) will all be ok?
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From: Huntsville AL
I didn't see any cables outside of the white wire (ignition control), pos and neg for box/coil, and signal wire.
The MSD output is just a spade connection.
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Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2006
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From: Huntsville AL
Ok guys, last question. I have it all wired up and ready to go. Now, the tach signal is the YG wire, do I put the spade connector on the ignitor side of the wire or the coil side of the wire?
I snipped the heads off the ignitor boots and was left with a YG and a YB. Tach signal is YG, but there is one YG at the ignitor boot, and another YG at the coil - terminal. I am pretty sure these are 2 seperate wires and not one.
I am leaning more on cutting the head off the YG wire that attaches to the - side of the trailing coil and putting a female spade on it, connecting it to the MSD. Correct?
I snipped the heads off the ignitor boots and was left with a YG and a YB. Tach signal is YG, but there is one YG at the ignitor boot, and another YG at the coil - terminal. I am pretty sure these are 2 seperate wires and not one.
I am leaning more on cutting the head off the YG wire that attaches to the - side of the trailing coil and putting a female spade on it, connecting it to the MSD. Correct?
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Joined: Nov 2006
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From: Huntsville AL
Got everything done today, just waiting on the battery to charge up.


I will be removing the coils and all wiring from that side tomorrow and begin to rewire everything.


I will be removing the coils and all wiring from that side tomorrow and begin to rewire everything.
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Joined: Nov 2006
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From: Huntsville AL
Here are just some of the wires I have removed so far. I didn't get time to mess with the old coils and their wiring today. But she does fire up with no problem! It took 2 tries but I can't complain, she has sat for 3 weeks.
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Joined: Nov 2006
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From: Huntsville AL
Stu: Did you reset your timing after the install of the new dizzy? I notice that the adjustment bolt is fully advanced in the slot. You might be off a tooth if you did in fact adjust it.
Also, if you read some of Jeff20B's posts, you will see that you need to flip the red and green wires around on the SA dizzy compared to the FB dizzy to get the timing right.
FB:
green pickup to purple MSD
red pickup to green MSD
SA:
green pickup to green MSD
red pickup to purple MSD
Try that if you haven't and see what you come up with.
Also, if you read some of Jeff20B's posts, you will see that you need to flip the red and green wires around on the SA dizzy compared to the FB dizzy to get the timing right.
FB:
green pickup to purple MSD
red pickup to green MSD
SA:
green pickup to green MSD
red pickup to purple MSD
Try that if you haven't and see what you come up with.
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2006
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From: Huntsville AL
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 8,482
Likes: 31
From: Huntsville AL
Stu: Did you reset your timing after the install of the new dizzy? I notice that the adjustment bolt is fully advanced in the slot. You might be off a tooth if you did in fact adjust it.
Also, if you read some of Jeff20B's posts, you will see that you need to flip the red and green wires around on the SA dizzy compared to the FB dizzy to get the timing right.
FB:
green pickup to purple MSD
red pickup to green MSD
SA:
green pickup to green MSD
red pickup to purple MSD
Try that if you haven't and see what you come up with.
Also, if you read some of Jeff20B's posts, you will see that you need to flip the red and green wires around on the SA dizzy compared to the FB dizzy to get the timing right.
FB:
green pickup to purple MSD
red pickup to green MSD
SA:
green pickup to green MSD
red pickup to purple MSD
Try that if you haven't and see what you come up with.
As for the green/red wires, I just clipped the wires that was going to the 82 dizzy and soldered on some spade connects and connected them. It fired right up.
EDIT: Also, another thing I noticed, the 80 Dizzy has more advancement/retardation movement than the later electronic dizzys. Probably a quarter inch more movement on each side. I don't have a timing light (it broke after 40 years) but I made sure it was bolted down in the same spot.
What I am saying is that you need to flip the wires around on the pickups. The timing won't be off a huge amount, but enough to mess with things. What MSD wire do you have going to what wire?
For the dizzy, it rotates at half engine speed. So, at TDC, the arrow can either be pointing towards the driver or towards the front of the car. Toss a timing light on there when you get a chance and fine tune it. I bet you are off a bit.
For the dizzy, it rotates at half engine speed. So, at TDC, the arrow can either be pointing towards the driver or towards the front of the car. Toss a timing light on there when you get a chance and fine tune it. I bet you are off a bit.
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2006
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From: Huntsville AL
What I am saying is that you need to flip the wires around on the pickups. The timing won't be off a huge amount, but enough to mess with things. What MSD wire do you have going to what wire?
For the dizzy, it rotates at half engine speed. So, at TDC, the arrow can either be pointing towards the driver or towards the front of the car. Toss a timing light on there when you get a chance and fine tune it. I bet you are off a bit.
For the dizzy, it rotates at half engine speed. So, at TDC, the arrow can either be pointing towards the driver or towards the front of the car. Toss a timing light on there when you get a chance and fine tune it. I bet you are off a bit.
The wires running trough the cap and button do not effect timing. The cap and rotor are simply deciding which plug gets spark at what time.
When you convert to direct fire/waisted spark you are no longer switching between plugs getting fired, you are firing them both. Waisting the spark to the rotor that is not in position at that time.
I am going to do some more paying with triggers once I get a carb that is running correctly on the rx3 mule.
-billy
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2006
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From: Huntsville AL




