Ignition issues. Holley sniper and msd

[@Ejecto_jeff]

Saw it was your msd box. I also have an iroc with a terminator and dual sync but have timing through the box. Having similar problems so might have to look into this now. Thanks for uploading, the comments gave me new food for thought

[@IROCZman15]

Best of luck I was pulling my hair out for a few days diagnosing things

[@eagle5720]

I currently having this same is and found my phasable rotor cap burn too

[@murdockusmvmc8051]

have you checked if the balancer has slipped or shifted..? failed? in any way?

[@122razer]

some one said bellow crank balancer slipped causing time mark change effecting distributor timing wrong.

[@edwardgoff6340]

I suspect the distributor gear or camshaft gear has worn . I have seen this before

[@IROCZman15]

No, I had thought this but there is no way it would have happened on a brand new 1,200 mile professionally built engine. I wrote what the exact problem/solution for this ended up being in the reply to the other guys comment below. Msd 6 box went haywire basically retarding timing all crazy.

[@frostycools1315]

power pickup has came lose , look under the rotor cup , does the pickup move any ? ill bet it does and it should nottttttttt

[@IROCZman15]

@@frostycools1315 close! This pickup failure happened to me last fall actually just before a dyno session The issue during this video was indeed inside the MSD box. Sent it back to them And they verified that the box was bad

[@IROCZman15]

I actually filmed a video of my disassembly of the bad distributor, and put it out here on KZbin . I can’t link it here, but it’s on my channel if you search for my videos from September/october 2023

[@frostycools1315]

@@IROCZman15 im on my 4th one on two years hyper spark is garbage , not even two years two summer seasons im in Canada we got a very short season to drive our rods

[@IROCZman15]

@@frostycools1315 ughhhh. Thats really crappy. 4 units within 2 years is absurd. I was able to get a free replacement through Holley but if we didn’t catch the issue that day on the dump, we could have melted down the engine! All because they couldn’t glue the pickup in place .Chinese junk

[@frostycools1315]

@@IROCZman15 junk is right , made by MSD for Holley , my dealer said " no prob we have 21 in stock its a huge turn over for us ,,,,,,"

[@decorativeironplus4644]

even tho your post was posted 4 years ago i would like to know what you did to resolve it ? . from the way i see it according to holly you need to turn the distributor if its not in time to be sure its in sink with the readings the ecu is showing im not sure about how your setting timing through the holes in the dist cap but i feel that reading timing at the crank would be more accurate

[@IROCZman15]

@@decorativeironplus4644 Yes, so it turned out that even though I would adjust timing at the distributor and check TDC at the number one piston and do all the other normal processes for setting timing. It all boiled down to faulty internals inside the MSD digital six box I sent it back to MSD and they examined it and said it was a bad box. They said they could repair it for a fee, but by that time I had made the decision to step away from the MSD box and go with a hyper spark system which included the ignition box, the coil, and the distributor. That was the fix.

[@jasonlemons7495]

Thank you........thought I was the only one with this issue. Atarting to loose my mind.

[@colinharwood1094]

Have you by chance got the 2 pin plug from the dizzy the other way around.

[@IROCZman15]

no. it turned out to be a failing MSD digital6 box. I have several videos detailing this situation...feel free to click on those AND to read the comments. Also, this situation was about 2 years ago, and I remedied it within days.. it is not current at all.

[@johannesschroff4097]

Have you been able to track down If the Spark was alread incorrect between the CDI Box and the distributor? According to your CDI rebuild it must have given incorrect Spark to the Distributor? I am having Trouble with the hyperspark Distributor. Before the Distributor all seems fine (according to oscilloscope and light gun)

[@IROCZman15]

Yes I would’ve liked to put a permanent answer to this question but all I know is that the box began to act erratic and anytime I took it out of the equation I was able to have normal timing. So when I sent it back to MSD for a test and rebuild they said the box had some internal components that needed to be replaced. But while the box was out being repaired I ended up buying the hyperspark I really like the hyper spark set up. It gives me full control of my timing if I need it and once I got everything set up with the timing I’ve never had to go back and adjust it. I’m still keeping things on the safe side at 34° of timing all in at wide-open throttle but I would check that you said your reference angle and your inductive delay properly

[@johannesschroff4097]

Great that it works for you. I also installed an MSD Box and tried both: inductive and msd ignition. Unfortinately both Show Same Problem: Spark before hyperdpark Distributor is good, after Distributor is erratic. The more advanced the Timing, the more erratic it gets. Tried to compensate with different ref Angles than 57.5, didnt Help. Dizzy itself or ECU Timing Must be the cause. Will try top Run magnetic Pickup dizzy next.

[@jimmerrell9288]

Do you have wasted spark? It Will show twice the actual timing.

[@IROCZman15]

Nope, but if you read some of the other comments and my replies, you will see what the actual problem was . this was a few years ago. I’ve since fix the issue.

[@callofgeorge]

was just about to ask if you figured this out then saw the comment where you purchased a hyperspark setup. helping someone else troubleshoot a 351w that seems like it's super advanced. blowing flames out the TBI. told him its a good chance his cd box/coil is bad because we've gone over just about everything else.

[@IROCZman15]

could be, totally a possibility. In my case I ran through everything ignition related that I could test. Every test resulted in something being wrong with the box. I sent the box to MSD for testing and repair, and they confirmed the box had an internal issue. See if you can bypass the box and how it runs then

[@larrynichols9383]

please get a different timing light and try it again

[@IROCZman15]

Um no. Why would I do that ? I resolved this issue 8 months ago

[@murdockusmvmc8051]

oops, sorry... I now read your replies to Jarrett and Edward...I should've read those before commenting.

[@IROCZman15]

No worries. It’s all good

[@jarrettslee1]

Did you figure out the problem? What was your fix?

[@IROCZman15]

MSD 6520 Digital 6 Plus ignition box was probably the culprit. I pulled it out as well as the MSD 85551 distributor and blaster coil. Installed the holley hyperspark ignition system and the car ran flawless from the first second. Sent the CD box back to MSD who said there was some issues with it...they repaired/rebuilt it and gave it an 8 hour run-in test. I then sold the box. Also sold the distributor. So it was something bizarre with the MSD magnetic ignition system. it was NOT RFI or bad wiring, that is for sure, it was a component. I am crazy about my wiring and

[@stevegunderson2392]

Could there be a vacuum leak?

[@IROCZman15]

There could on another engine sure, but not the case here. I have very minimal vacuum lines anyways. Also this video is not current, I fixed the issue about two years ago

[@broncos33ag]

Hey Dave I have the same set up and I'm having issues also. Were you fouling plugs before you changed over to the hyperspark?

[@IROCZman15]

Yes. Definitely was killing plugs. It was not the fault of the sniper at all though; my MsD ignition box went haywire and retarded the timing 20 degrees. So instead of idling at 21 deg of timing advance, I was idling at 1 deg advance. And instead of 34 deg timing advance at wide open throttle, it was 14 def advance. Killed plugs indeed

[@broncos33ag]

Thanks for the reply Dave. One last question. When your car was idling did you hear any miss fire through the exhaust?

[@IROCZman15]

@@broncos33ag No problem. Well I wouldnt say that i could hear a definitive misfire, just in general the engine was running very poorly because the timing was so far retarded. basically all 8 cylinders were misfiring, and not just a single one. It is hard to hear in the video, but in person i could tell that ti was not right

[@troycopps930]

@@IROCZman15 HI Dave, I am dealing with a very foul running car. It happened in a instant. Car ran perfectly for 3 years after I installed the sniper. Now it won't run unless I bring the RPM up. Sent the unit back to Holley and they found nothing wrong with it. Have a Mallory ignition box that controls everything. Only use the sniper for the fuel side. I'm going to look at the ignition box now after reading about your issues. Thanks

[@IROCZman15]

@@troycopps930 yes. You can also try running everything in open loop mode too. Also, record some datalogs while Running and usually you can pinpoint issues by analyzing the datalog traces

[@DieselRamcharger]

there is no mystery. that braided line running past your distributor is das issue.

[@IROCZman15]

Nope. There is NO emi, no rfi, no issues in any of my data logs. I solved this issue. It had nothing at all so do with electrical interference. That is for sure. I replied on other comments about my solition(MSD box went bad internally) but I do appreciate your comment. I did think emi at first but data logs and the other symptoms clearly steered me away from that topic

[@DieselRamcharger]

@@IROCZman15 you never solved anything. you parts swapped and the problem didnt re-occur so you attributed it to what you wanted.

[@IROCZman15]

@@DieselRamcharger hey. Idiot! I sent the MSD box back to MSD who tested it and verified that the internal circuit board had failed. How is this making assumptions and attributing my fix to a parts swap? You are telling me that my failed MSD box was NOT the cause of my issue?!?!? You really want to make that claim, via the Internet ?!?! Let’s go ! I eagerly await your reply….

[@DieselRamcharger]

@@IROCZman15 Let me make this more clear. You have aluminum connectors on copper wire and you think your wiring skills are "excellent"? LMAO. Umm......ok? You lack even the most BASIC automotive knowledge.

[@IROCZman15]

@@DieselRamcharger I work at a company that wires, builds, and installs equipment into police cars. I wire cars daily. Stay on topic pal, if you still think my issue (from a year ago) was wiring related, than you are a fool. It was the internal failure of a component. A year ago. MSD repaired it and I have the repair invoice to prove it. I lack basic automotive knowledge?!? Now you are acting like a child. I’d be embarrassed if I were you