MSD Streetfire No Start

10 year old Streetfire #5520 ignition module with no start condition.

During CRANK: the LED light does not light up
Engine OFF/Key in the RUN position: the LED will glow a light red

RUN voltage at the MSD connection is 12+ volts
CRANK voltage at the MSD connection is 10.9/11.1v (9v min.)
So the module has voltage at both RUN and CRANK

Big RED battery voltage is 12v
Both coil wires tight on coil
Coil Wire to dist cap is tight on both ends
Dist wire (rubber connector) to MSD box is tight
Big neg wire is straight to the battery

Any suggestions?

Thanks

can't you test the box by shorting the two trigger wires (that come from yr dist) to the msd box. that LED light should light up each time you short it right?

CHECKING FOR SPARK

If triggering with the Magnetic Pickup:
1. Make sure the ignition switch is in the "Off" position.
2. Remove the coil wire from the distributor cap and set the terminal
approximately 1/2" from ground.
3. Disconnect the magnetic pickup wires from the distributor.
4. Turn the ignition to the On position. Do not crank the engine.
5. With a small jumper wire, short the magnetic pickup Green and Violet
wires together several times. Each time you break this short, a spark
should jump from the coil wire to ground (the LED should also blink). If
spark is present, the ignition is working properly. If there is no spark skip
to step 6.
6. If there is no spark:
A. Inspect all of the wiring.
B. Substitute another coil and repeat the test. If there is now spark, the coil is at fault.
C. If there is still no spark, check to make sure there is 12 volts on the small Red wire from the Street Fire Ignition
when the key is in the On position. If 12 volts is not present, find another switched 12 volt source and repeat
the test.
D. If, after following the test procedures and inspecting all of the wiring, there is still no spark, the Street Fire
Ignition is in need of repair. See the Warranty and Service section for information.

Thank you Krautrock.
I may have time to go thru that list tonight

Had a MSD 6AL box do the same thing and it was the battery. Read 12 volts just wouldn't fire. Just hook up a battery charger and see if it'll start. It fooled me and was as simple as a new battery.

Second 70:
I have a new battery installed and my minimum voltage at crank is 10.9/11.0. The minimum for the Streetfire is 9v.
Thank you!

Krautrock:
Thanks for the instructions as they showed my box is still good after 10 years!! Huge spark out the coil wire when the dist wire/msd connection is jumped and the LED lit up too

Now I am going to replace the distributor pickup and see what happens. But I have had to replace this pickup every 3-4 years or so in the past. They don't last long on my stuff.

Thank you!

Glad to hear your box is good, I have one on my truck and I didn't want to see that one went bad haha!!

Exactly...I have one in the Dart and one in the Duster...Probably be one in the Satellite too if I redo everything under the hood...

Update:

I purchased a new magnetic pickup and checked the resistance of this new one against the existing one in the distributor. I found the new one at .319 and the old one at .322. So I pulled the distributor and found the gap to be huge! I was able to drop an .020" feeler in between the pickup and the relucter with no problem. I didn't try and get an actual measurement but my guess was that it was probably .025" or more. I am surprised that it ran at all. The existing pickup had a lot of wear on the pickup (that sticks out beyond the coil) versus the new one out of the box.

I replaced the pickup and set the gap to .008 (non magnetic feeler) and I will get back on it tonight to see if this was the issue.

Thanks again!

a gap that large will cause issues for sure.

It fired right up 👍

Quote

The existing pickup had a lot of wear on the pickup (that sticks out beyond the coil) versus the new one out of the box.

Glad you got it fixed. My concern would be how did that wear occur? Might want to check your distributor shaft side play or vacuum advance plate slop if you're running one.

""My concern would be how did that wear occur?""

Mine too! Nothing was loose (magnetic pickup, plate, or the relucter) So that one has me wondering.

If you have vacuum advance, did you apply vacuum and observe the pickup clearance throughout the range of movement? Sometime that will cause the clearance to go away.

This is an old FBO distributor that had the vacuum plate welded up.
Thanks

With that information the only other possibility would be your distributor shaft side play (worn bushings), a bent shaft or out of round reluctor. I would check them and if OK