Msd digital distributor

[astikhossw]

Just went thur the catalog and notice they make a digital distributor with adjustment inside the distributor anyone used this type before good are bad.They or saying drop it in hook 3 wires and adjust timing with something inside the distributor and it has about 9 other things that can be adjusted inside the distributor.

[FireSale]

Part number please.

Dale

[astikhossw]

Looks like in the summit book msd 8394 Chevy,msd 8503 ford,msd 8504 Chrysler it even has a rotary dial for rev limiter to 10000 rpm

[FireSale]

I don't have one, but it looks like they took the advance circuitry out of a digital control box and put it in the distributor cap. Click wheels in an engine mounted distributor cap might be problematic in a rough idle engine. A box would be easier to service and repair.

Dale

[SSDiv6]

I believe in keeping the ignition system as simple as possible.

Adding so much electronics inside the distributor itself will make troubleshooting more difficult. Also, the distributor itself, its exposed to a lot of heat and harmonics from the engine. This increases the prospects of a failure.

[Dave Muller]

I think the concerns mentioned here make sense, but I have been using one of these for quite a while on my bracket car, and it's worked out great for me. I do wish it had a rev limiter that's easier to set precisely though.

I wound up using the lock-out timing; something like 15 degrees cranking, then locked in at 40 after it starts.

[Bill Edgeworth]

FYI
I made the mistake once of buying a MSD HEI module, sounds like the same one mentioned here. I tried to use it with a MSD soft touch rev control for staging. It was a complete disaster. Turns out the module had some form of TCD in it and if you used it with the rev control it went berserk. I don’t know if there is more than one HEI module that they make but the one I bought had this “feature”. I ended up putting a Pertronix module in instead but finally got smart and went to an MSD pro billet with nothing other than a pickup in it and a separate ignition box.

[6mmgunship]

The Dist your talking about is basically a HEI module that has 7.5 amps output with the coil being remotely located. The module does not have the TCD circuit in it. I have some customers that bought this unit with the intent of running it stand alone. But found that with their motor program they needed to add a MSD 6al, MSD 6632 box etc to get what would extract the best effort out of the motor. It does allow you to pick different ramping curves for your timing.

Hope this helps.......

Pat Collins