Ignition coil

[DEEGO]

Hi,
My 87 DX is running great. I recently completed a tune up on her, I was wondering... Whats the life expectancy of a ignition coil? I think the coil on my car is the original one from 87. Would it be better to buy a new one? What would be the best one I could get for a stock 87 DX. Thank you in advance!

[greentee76]

The coil isn't nesscarily a wear item, that's not to say that they don't go bad from time to time. There are instructions in the shop manual to test it with a ohmmeter.
If you are going to change it might as well go with a Blaster coil. I believe there is a howto write up on that around here somewhere.

[russiankid]

Mine was working fine but it was out of spec. So I just replace it with a stock replacement one.

[88ctlxi]

so say i bought a msd blaster 2 coil and i want to by a msd box to go with it what one should i get the one with or without the rev limiter if any one can answer this it would be great thanx guys

[turabaka]

so say i bought a msd blaster 2 coil and i want to by a msd box to go with it what one should i get the one with or without the rev limiter if any one can answer this it would be great thanx guys

I like the one with the rev limiter, but you really don't need it. The 6A and the 6AL box are almost identical. The only difference is that the 6AL has a rev limiter in it. It's really up to personal preference whether or not you want the rev limiter.

['A20A3']

2-step!!!!

[88ctlxi]

wit the 6 a box w/o rev limiter will i see a increase in high end torque or power and would it be worth it on an all stock motor or should i worry about headers exhaust cam grind etc. first the go to ignition up grades? see the thing is i am ordering 8mm wires a new cap rotor and plugs should i revamp the entire ignition system (plugs, cap, rotor, coil, box) or just do plugs, wires, cap, and rotor for personal preferences which coil is better the msd blaster 2 or accel ss? thanks

[labeledsk8r]

wit the 6 a box w/o rev limiter will i see a increase in high end torque or power and would it be worth it on an all stock motor or should i worry about headers exhaust cam grind etc. first the go to ignition up grades? see the thing is i am ordering 8mm wires a new cap rotor and plugs should i revamp the entire ignition system (plugs, cap, rotor, coil, box) or just do plugs, wires, cap, and rotor for personal preferences which coil is better the msd blaster 2 or accel ss? thanks

if your motor is stock your going to feel harldy anytihng from the 6a, just do a normal tuneup and slap a coil on and it should give you a better bang for your buck. and on coil.. i belive the accel is cheeper but only goes up to 42,000 volt the MSD blaster costs a bit more but i think its rated at 45,000 volts... but i could be way off on these numbers

[88ctlxi]

[QUOTE=labeledsk8r;938036]if your motor is stock your going to feel harldy anytihng from the 6a, just do a normal tuneup and slap a coil on and it should give you a better bang for your buck. and on coil.. i belive the accel is cheeper but only goes up to 42,000 volt the MSD blaster costs a bit more but i think its rated at 45,000 volts... but i could be way off on these numbers[/QUOTEjust so u know you were dead on the numbers the msd goes for 37.00 from summit and the accel ss goes for 33.00 i think ill go withe the blaster 2 but after cam regrind and exhaust would it be worth the money to put the box in?

[cygnus x-1]

just so u know you were dead on the numbers the msd goes for 37.00 from summit and the accel ss goes for 33.00 i think ill go withe the blaster 2 but after cam regrind and exhaust would it be worth the money to put the box in?

No. The stock ignition is just fine for any bolt on mod you can get. The biggest deficiency is that it's not tunable. But for that you need either an OBD1 conversion or standalone engine management; both of which are fairly involved to setup.

C|

[88ctlxi]

No. The stock ignition is just fine for any bolt on mod you can get. The biggest deficiency is that it's not tunable. But for that you need either an OBD1 conversion or standalone engine management; both of which are fairly involved to setup.

C|

sweet..... bump so i guess ill just do a tune up and a aftermarket coil then

[lostforawhile]

yea it's hard to beat these honda ignitions, a lot of the racers even run stock ignitions. I might look into the msd box eventually,just for the sake of the rev limiter. other thing is if you add a switch box for two different chips,you can switch it to low rpm when you leave the car, hard for anyone to drive your car off with a 1500 rpm chip in there. summit racing has a series of boxes out under their name now, i suspect they are really msd, but without the premium name price. they are identical to the MSD line in every way.

[turabaka]

There's also the msd street fire ignition box. They have it labeled as a budget box, but if you look at the stats it's nearly identical to the 6al box. Just less power draw, and it weighs less. The rev limiter is also adjusted with rotary dials instead of pills.

[88ctlxi]

yeah the msd street fire is actually pretty cheap it goes for 135.00 out of summit heres the specs

MSD 5520----
Product Features

* Spark energy: 95 mJ Per Spark
* Primary voltage: 435 Volts / Secondary voltage: 45,000 Volts
* Spark series duration: 20° Crankshaft Rotation
* RPM range: 15,000 RPM with 14.4 Volts
* Voltage required: 10-18 Volts, Negative Ground / ltage required: 10-18 Volts, Negative Ground Current draw: .7 Amp per 1,000 RPM

and heres the specs on the 6 a box (no rev limiter)


Product Features----


Ignition Box Output: Capacitive discharge
Circuitry: Analog
Rev Limiter: No
Timing Retard: None
Data Acquisition: No
CD Voltage Output to Coil: 460-480 V
Current Draw: 1 amp per 1,000 rpm
Spark Output (millijoules): 115 Millijoules
Minimum Operating Voltage: 12 V
Maximum Operating Voltage: 18 V



MSD 6200 its 171.00


both prices are out of summit racing and heres the summit box

Part Number: SUM-850600
Ignition Box Output: Capacitive discharge
Circuitry: Digital
Rev Limiter: Yes
Timing Retard: None
Data Acquisition: No
CD Voltage Output to Coil: 520 V
Current Draw: 0.6 amps per 1,000 rpm
Spark Output (millijoules): 135 Millijoules
Minimum Operating Voltage: 8 V
Maximum Operating Voltage: 16 V
Length (in): 8.000 in.
Height (in): 2.750 in.
Width (in): 3.500 in.
Ignition Box Color: Black
Coil Included: No

SUM-850600---152.95



and finally heres the msd 6 al


Part Number: MSD-6420
Ignition Box Output: Capacitive discharge
Circuitry: Analog
Rev Limiter: Yes
Timing Retard: None
Data Acquisition: No
CD Voltage Output to Coil: 460-480 V
Current Draw: 1 amp per 1,000 rpm
Spark Output (millijoules): 115 Millijoules
Minimum Operating Voltage: 10 V
Maximum Operating Voltage: 18 V
Length (in): 8.000 in.
Height (in): 2.250 in.
Width (in): 4.000 in.
Ignition Box Color: Red

MSD 6400 (6al)----204.00 out of summit




so in conclusion it looks to me that the summit box out performs the MSD 6al and its about 50 bucks cheaper

[lostforawhile]

yeah the msd street fire is actually pretty cheap it goes for 135.00 out of summit heres the specs

MSD 5520----
Product Features

* Spark energy: 95 mJ Per Spark
* Primary voltage: 435 Volts / Secondary voltage: 45,000 Volts
* Spark series duration: 20° Crankshaft Rotation
* RPM range: 15,000 RPM with 14.4 Volts
* Voltage required: 10-18 Volts, Negative Ground / ltage required: 10-18 Volts, Negative Ground Current draw: .7 Amp per 1,000 RPM

and heres the specs on the 6 a box (no rev limiter)


Product Features----


Ignition Box Output: Capacitive discharge
Circuitry: Analog
Rev Limiter: No
Timing Retard: None
Data Acquisition: No
CD Voltage Output to Coil: 460-480 V
Current Draw: 1 amp per 1,000 rpm
Spark Output (millijoules): 115 Millijoules
Minimum Operating Voltage: 12 V
Maximum Operating Voltage: 18 V



MSD 6200 its 171.00


both prices are out of summit racing and heres the summit box

Part Number: SUM-850600
Ignition Box Output: Capacitive discharge
Circuitry: Digital
Rev Limiter: Yes
Timing Retard: None
Data Acquisition: No
CD Voltage Output to Coil: 520 V
Current Draw: 0.6 amps per 1,000 rpm
Spark Output (millijoules): 135 Millijoules
Minimum Operating Voltage: 8 V
Maximum Operating Voltage: 16 V
Length (in): 8.000 in.
Height (in): 2.750 in.
Width (in): 3.500 in.
Ignition Box Color: Black
Coil Included: No

SUM-850600---152.95



and finally heres the msd 6 al


Part Number: MSD-6420
Ignition Box Output: Capacitive discharge
Circuitry: Analog
Rev Limiter: Yes
Timing Retard: None
Data Acquisition: No
CD Voltage Output to Coil: 460-480 V
Current Draw: 1 amp per 1,000 rpm
Spark Output (millijoules): 115 Millijoules
Minimum Operating Voltage: 10 V
Maximum Operating Voltage: 18 V
Length (in): 8.000 in.
Height (in): 2.250 in.
Width (in): 4.000 in.
Ignition Box Color: Red

MSD 6400 (6al)----204.00 out of summit




so in conclusion it looks to me that the summit box out performs the MSD 6al and its about 50 bucks cheaper

the other nice thing about the summit box is it will operate at a lower voltage,if your battery is going dead this will keep you on the road longer.

[Tdurr]

the other nice thing about the summit box is it will operate at a lower voltage,if your battery is going dead this will keep you on the road longer.

good info there... might pick it up oneday

[MessyHonda]

i never had a problem with my msd box even with a dead batt.....i have no ignitor mod and it seams to work fine

[LX-incredible]

Your stock coil will be sufficient for just about anything. They used the same or similar on the 86-89 V6 Legends.

[Rendon LX-i]

Same here but i have the Mallory 6al which is the same. fucker took a shit on me 3 years ago sent it in to get repair no problems of yet. but im gettinga 6a for free since it burned up also i get that one rebuild and sell my mallory

[2oodoor]

I need to get a rev limiter box, maybe a 6al-2 is it? I dont want to pop the motor since im using the automatic, the thorttle valve cable lets it downshift prettty easy using the weber. I would like at least 2 limits.
any recommedations? mallory hyfire?