MSD & disconnect original?

[Moparbaker]

I just got a MSD Street Fire box & when looking at the diagram that came with it it says "leave connected" about the original wires to the original ignition module, why's that?
I bought the MSD box to work with my MSD coil & would be happy to remove the old box. I still run original distributor.
This is what I got from MSD:

But earlier I found this on the MSD site:

So the question is ifI really have to keep the old ignition box???
Anyone else who did this change?

 

[motorpirate]

You know that says "leave disconnected" right??

 

[Moparbaker]

HAhahahaahhhh... Man did I missread that!
Wonder if this post could be deleted..?

 

[Wyrmrider]

still a good heads up

 

[rustycowll69]

yeah, it says "leave disconnected", but I would be leary of just letting it "hang loose". Maybe, I'd wrap it up with electrical tape, or wrap it with heat shrink, if not remove the connection all together.

 

[Moparbaker]

I wanna have as few things as possible since it's crowdy enough as it is in the enginebay so I'll remove everything I don't need. & now we can let this stay for schooling about "how not to read a diagram/plan"... ;)

 

[Wyrmrider]

you can look right at stuff like that and not see it
you see what you want to see
join the club

 

[Moparbaker]

Ah, fer sure... Anyway, it's connected now & runs like a dream!
(Took a while thou cuz I wanted it clean.)

 

[Moparbaker]

One thing that pussles me is why there's one fat red wire going directly to positive on battery & one fat black wire going directly to negative on battery that ofcourse makes a spark when ever I take off or on a main cable connection, while there already are a wire that feeds the box from the ignition key... & isn't the box in need of ground? Cuz I've grounded it good.

 

[rumblefish360]

The negative side should be removed last and installed first.

 

[Moparbaker]

"Removed last & installed first" when & compared to what? Should I install a separate switch on the begative wire?

 

[67Dart273]

One thing that pussles me is why there's one fat red wire going directly to positive on battery & one fat black wire going directly to negative on battery that ofcourse makes a spark when ever I take off or on a main cable connection, while there already are a wire that feeds the box from the ignition key... & isn't the box in need of ground? Cuz I've grounded it good.

Because the main power for the MSD is fed via the "fat" red and black. Using a box / ground for a negative return is a BAD idea and in the case of OEM Mopar regulators and ECU boxes, "it causes lot's of trouble."

On a side note the "leave disconnected" white...........you can feed it in somewhere to a toggle switch to ground.........and create a simple anti--theft switch.

 

[rumblefish360]

Battery cables... take off the negotiate first, put the. Shot I’ve back on first. On the MSD, your creating a breaking point which is the signal to give a spark.

 

[Moparbaker]

Ok, so by grounding the white with a switch I'll have an extra ignition switch... For sure a good idea.
& if the box housing aint grounded, as in not screwed straight to steel, there will be no current running through the box when the ignition key is off? Even thou there's both pos. & neg. wires direct connected?

 

[rumblefish360]

Wow! You have no electrical back round do you?

Ok, so by grounding the white with a switch I'll have an extra ignition switch... For sure a good idea.
& if the box housing aint grounded, as in not screwed straight to steel, there will be no current running through the box when the ignition key is off? Even thou there's both pos. & neg. wires direct connected?

By grounding the white wire, your creating a kill switch.

The box grounding is for the OEM ignition box only. Not the MSD.

When the key is off, no current should be no n or flowing through any ignition box. And yes, even though there hooked to the battery.

This is all in the instructions!
Re read them!
This is 101 stuff. First step.

 

[Moparbaker]

Ok, so if I read you proper then the box should not be grounded..? Thanx, gonna try.

 

[Moparbaker]

Disconnected the old ground wire but there's still a spark when I connect or disconnect the (negative) treminal on the battery... Gonna try to make a kill switch on the white one to see if that's gonna take care of it.