MSD Failure

[frankym]

Spoke with MSD today, they didn't really provide much in the way of suggestions except to say that I should send the boxes back. After pleading with him, I was able to get the tech guy to tell me that I might be getting voltage spikes and I should purchase the MSD 8830 capacitor which is supposed to handle up to 26000 volt spikes. Still doesn't seem like the solution since the control box has surge protection inside the box. My electrical system is providing a constant 13.8 volt charge, I have a new Die Hard 900 CCA battery, solid ground from box to block, power from box to starter solenoid.

There is a ballast resistor still hooked into the electrical system, I think the cooling fan is hooked to it. My mechanic said that the ballast resitor cannot be shorting the box, in fact MSD instructions say that the ballast resistor in the system is ok. MSD said that their turnaround is between 10-15 days but he would try to reduce it to 1 week. Very troubling to have to wait this long for an incomplete solution. I strongly believe that the box will be better when it comes back, as I have a strong suspicion that this string of boxes was just put together poorly, remember the first box that the mechanic got from MSD wouldn't even start the car from the get go, so in the mean time, I am gathering as much support as possible.

Somebody claimed that the box will work without the rev limt prongs inserted. I am pretty sure that it won't run at all. In fact when I installed the 2nd box, I cranked and cranked and thought I was never going to figure out the problem and then I remembered that I didn't put the chip in, started after 3 turns.

SOmebody else told a story about how this same thing happened to them and they learned that it was the rev limit that was screwed up when MSD inspected the box.

genuinely appreciate the help from ALL of you.