crashfirepm53
Registered Member
What is the difference?I just want to get some extra spark maybe improve combustion and the starting a bit. Anyone use either of these?Worth the price?
CK5
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MSD 6A VS. MSD coil
- Thread starter crashfirepm53
- Start date
Hossbaby50
3/4 ton status
First thing to get would be a good set of plugs and wires. MSD Super Conductor 8.5's, Taylors, etc. Then get get one or both of the parts you mentioned.
Is this for your 91 Burb? If so don't get the MSD box. It can help a carb motor alot but won't help and FI motor as much because the FI is more effiecient then a carb.
A good coil wouldn't hurt anything either. Is it worth the money? Maybe. If you have the money and want it get it. If you don't really want it then forget it.
Spend the money on a set of GOOD wires. Another problem with the MSD boxes and FI is they can cause the computer to read false codes and switch the SES light on when there is really no problem. A friend of mine talked me out if putting the MSD on my truck when I installed TPI fuel injection because he said it can cause a "ghost in the machine". He said he had it happen several times.
If you do still want to get a box get the 6AL box so you get the built in rev limiter. Well worth the little extra money. If you get the box you might as well get the coil too. It helps some.
Harley
Is this for your 91 Burb? If so don't get the MSD box. It can help a carb motor alot but won't help and FI motor as much because the FI is more effiecient then a carb.
A good coil wouldn't hurt anything either. Is it worth the money? Maybe. If you have the money and want it get it. If you don't really want it then forget it.
Spend the money on a set of GOOD wires. Another problem with the MSD boxes and FI is they can cause the computer to read false codes and switch the SES light on when there is really no problem. A friend of mine talked me out if putting the MSD on my truck when I installed TPI fuel injection because he said it can cause a "ghost in the machine". He said he had it happen several times.
If you do still want to get a box get the 6AL box so you get the built in rev limiter. Well worth the little extra money. If you get the box you might as well get the coil too. It helps some.
Harley
crashfirepm53
Registered Member
Speaking of TPI.How difficult is the swap? I have access to a complete 89 motor with harness and box/module at a very nice price.How difficult and how long with 2 people?What is the "real" difference. I can email you if that would be better.
Hossbaby50
3/4 ton status
It really isn't that hard of a swap. You have the heads (post 87) to bolt the manifold too. You also have the correct fuel tank sender setup to bolt a TPI fuel pump into. That should make life pretty easy.
The gains over a carb is ALOT. The gains over TBI won't be as much. It should run a little better for sure. I have been told it is about a 10-20% pickup in the power area for TBI to TPI.
Are you going to swap the whole motor or just the injection? Is the 89 motor a 305 or 350? If it is a 305 you will need new injectors. The 89 motor should also be a MAP motor like your TBI is so the cam in your current motor should be pretty close for a TPI MAP (I would think).
The actual manifold should bolt right to your current motor. You will have to address the fuel system by adding in a TPI pump in your gas tank. You will also need place a high PSI fuel filter inline somewhere. All rubber lines on the sending side of the fuel rail will need to be high PSI rated FI line. It is expensive $5 a foot but you shouldn't need that much. You can use your current return line as your return. You will probably need to find some Saginaw to AN fittings for the fuel rails on the TPI and then run some lines in the engine bay to hookup to the TPI rail.
I have heard you can convert a TBI wiring harness to work with a TPI system but I don't know how or if that is true. I honestly would just spend the money and buy an aftermarket harness for the injection system. I used a Painless wiring harness. It works very well and I really like it. I highly recommend it.
My TPI system was actually installed in a friend of mines 87 K5 before I bought it and he swapped TBI to TPI. He said there was a decent all around pickup. He used the Painless setup instead of messing with the factory TBI wiring or the factory TPI harness from a Firebird. I have the harness form the Firebird and it is a REALLY scary thing to try and figure out if you don't like wiring like me.
You might contact Mike (87GMCJimmy) on here. He is the gentleman I bought my system from and he could tell you better firsthand info about the gains.
Harley
The gains over a carb is ALOT. The gains over TBI won't be as much. It should run a little better for sure. I have been told it is about a 10-20% pickup in the power area for TBI to TPI.
Are you going to swap the whole motor or just the injection? Is the 89 motor a 305 or 350? If it is a 305 you will need new injectors. The 89 motor should also be a MAP motor like your TBI is so the cam in your current motor should be pretty close for a TPI MAP (I would think).
The actual manifold should bolt right to your current motor. You will have to address the fuel system by adding in a TPI pump in your gas tank. You will also need place a high PSI fuel filter inline somewhere. All rubber lines on the sending side of the fuel rail will need to be high PSI rated FI line. It is expensive $5 a foot but you shouldn't need that much. You can use your current return line as your return. You will probably need to find some Saginaw to AN fittings for the fuel rails on the TPI and then run some lines in the engine bay to hookup to the TPI rail.
I have heard you can convert a TBI wiring harness to work with a TPI system but I don't know how or if that is true. I honestly would just spend the money and buy an aftermarket harness for the injection system. I used a Painless wiring harness. It works very well and I really like it. I highly recommend it.
My TPI system was actually installed in a friend of mines 87 K5 before I bought it and he swapped TBI to TPI. He said there was a decent all around pickup. He used the Painless setup instead of messing with the factory TBI wiring or the factory TPI harness from a Firebird. I have the harness form the Firebird and it is a REALLY scary thing to try and figure out if you don't like wiring like me.
You might contact Mike (87GMCJimmy) on here. He is the gentleman I bought my system from and he could tell you better firsthand info about the gains.
Harley
crashfirepm53
Registered Member
Thanks.I was going to just drop in the whole motor.Way more horsepower( I think about 250) over stock and my burb has 180,000 on her but she still runs strong.I've seen the painless wiring and that is the way to go.They can make a wiring for you to splice into yours but i'm like you with wiring.As far as the sensors, any problem with the hook up and what was the install time?
84_Chevy_K10
Banned
I have an MSD 6AL simply for the rev limiter, and I'm not really convinced it does anything to increase performance.
Hossbaby50
3/4 ton status
The Painless harness made life a breeze. It all pluged in directly to all the GM sensors, injectors, relays, etc.
As far as my install time, it took me 2 months. I only had time to work on it after work some nights and sometimes I didn't work on it at all for a week or two. The hardest part was the fuel system splicing for me. I had to install an external pump 2 filters and route some new lines. The wiring was a breeze. It took a couple hours tops.
If I had to do it all over it would be a couple days of good hard work on it. When I started my swap I didn't know enough about the system so I was trying to learn as I went which is the WRONG way to do it. If I would have done the learning part of it first it would have been easy. There is alot more experience people on here now that have alot of info I could have used when I started mine. Thats life though.
As long as you have good skills in the mechanics area and a decent head on your shoulders then it shouldn't be a terribly tough swap. The worst part for you will probably be dropping the motor and also dropping the gas tank to get to the fuel pump.
Harley
As far as my install time, it took me 2 months. I only had time to work on it after work some nights and sometimes I didn't work on it at all for a week or two. The hardest part was the fuel system splicing for me. I had to install an external pump 2 filters and route some new lines. The wiring was a breeze. It took a couple hours tops.
If I had to do it all over it would be a couple days of good hard work on it. When I started my swap I didn't know enough about the system so I was trying to learn as I went which is the WRONG way to do it. If I would have done the learning part of it first it would have been easy. There is alot more experience people on here now that have alot of info I could have used when I started mine. Thats life though.
As long as you have good skills in the mechanics area and a decent head on your shoulders then it shouldn't be a terribly tough swap. The worst part for you will probably be dropping the motor and also dropping the gas tank to get to the fuel pump.
Harley
