INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

3

MOUNTING

The MSD can be mounted in most positions, except directly upside down (if upside down, moisture

or water cannot escape). It can be mounted in the engine compartment as long as it is away from

direct engine heat sources. It is not recommended to mount the unit in an enclosed area such as

the glovebox.

When you find a suitable location to mount the unit, make sure the wires of the ignition reach their

connections. Hold the Ignition in place and mark the location of the mounting holes. Use a 3/16" drill

bit and drill the holes for the supplied vibration mounts. Install the vibration mounts, then mount the

Ignition.

WIRING

GENERAL WIRING INFORMATION

Wire Length: All of the wires of the MSD Ignition may be shortened as long as quality connectors

are used or soldered in place. To lengthen the wires, use one size bigger gauge wire (12 gauge for

the power leads and 16 gauge for the other wires) with the proper connections. All connections must

be soldered and sealed.

Grounds: A poor ground connection can cause many frustrating problems. When a wire is specified

to go to ground, it should be connected to the battery negative terminal, engine block or chassis.

There should always be a ground strap between the engine and the chassis. Always securely connect

the ground wire to a clean, paint free metal surface.

Ballast Resistor: If your vehicle has a ballast resistor in line with the coil wiring, it is recommended

to bypass it.

ROUTING WIRES

The MSD wires should be routed away from direct heat sources such as exhaust manifolds and

headers and any sharp edges. The trigger wires should be routed separate from the other wires

and spark plug wires. It is best if they are routed along a ground plane such as the block or firewall

which creates an electrical shield. The magnetic pickup wires should always be routed separately

and should be twisted together to help reduce extraneous interference.

The chart shows the polarity of other common

magnetic pickups. If using a different magnetic

pickup, use the MSD 2-Pin connector, available

as PN 8824, for a direct plug-in installation.

Figure 1 Common Mag Pickup Wires.

Common Mag Pickup Wires

Distributor

Colors

Mag+

Mag-

MSD

Org/Blk

Vio/Blk

MSD Crank Trigger

Violet

Green

Ford

Orange

Violet

Org/Blk

Vio/Blk

Red

Black

Chrysler

Org/Wht

Black

Mallory

Org/Blk

Vio/Blk