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hei mod question???

27K views 93 replies 13 participants last post by  SCHEUERMAN2 
#1 ·
hey guys! i'm doing a hei mod cause i think the ignitor in my disty bit the big one, which probably have been the problem with the car from the get go. it would start but it would take a very long time to start. it would take my almost up to 20 cranks just for it to start. i tried to start it yesterday and all i got was two very slow cranks, a click and a wooosh. the spark plugs, spark plug wires, disty cap, rotor, even my fuel filter is new. the only thing that haven't been changed is the distributor.

well anyways, i have the diagram and instructions for the mod but i'm confused on something...when i install the hei do i install it looking at the wire connector form the back or the front? if its the front than my wires are completely different. looking from the front of the 6 pin connector instead of having a blue/orange pin 6 i have a black/red pin 6 and looking from the front of the 3 pin connector instead of having a black/pink pin 1 i have a yellow pin 1 and pin 2 is the black/pink instead of yellow green...i'm using the joe bialy hei diagram by the way any thought on this guys?
 
#2 ·
Moved to 2nd Gen forum. Should get more help here.

Wish I could personally help you, but I have never done the HEI mod, I just replaced with a new distributor.
 
#7 · (Edited)
lol! i should join huh! i'm still going throw with this though, if worse comes to worse than i'll just replace it. thanks I4...oh by the way, i apologize about the thread on the wing. i was under the influence!

Its from the front, i didnt even look at the colours of the wires :lol: it is a very easy mod

thanks, was just trying to make sure. i don't wanna have any mistakes. i'll be hooking up everything tomorrow, also the diagrams show that hei "c" connects to pin 2(the wire is yellow on my disty) which is ig- correct? well that yellow wire is for the tach signal. i know this because i went on the12volt.com to get a wiring diagram for my stock security system and it shows the yellow wire being the tach signal, i even have an aftermarket tach hooked to that wire so in my opinion the green wire would be the ig- correct me if i'm wrong!


if you type this in the search button this is where i got it from:

Re: $20 Ignitor Replacement/upgrade

it was reposted by ruubstr94ls

the link to the diagram i'm using is in this write up!
 
#6 ·
Its from the front, i didnt even look at the colours of the wires :lol: it is a very easy mod
 
#8 ·
#11 ·
because that strap is grounded to the ignitor in the disty and since your using a different ignitor, if you don't remove it it may still ground to the ignitor in the disty causing the car not to start properly or not start at all.
 
#12 · (Edited)
hey guys, thought i'd give you guys the update on whats going on!...the mod didn't work. it fires it just won't stay started, so its probably my distributor. i'm getting no codes from the cam sensor so it may be the coil. i have the jap distributor that came with the engine the only thing is i don't have the wire connector for it. i want to use it but i need the ze disty wiring diagram so i can determine which wire goes to which. and since i can't find the wire connector for which i thought i had...i think my brother throw it in the garbage when i specifically told him not to throw away any of the connectors...retard lol!...how else can i hook it up with a connector? or do you guys think that i should just replace it with a new a-spec one. i really don't wanna spend 300 bucks on a new disty but i will if i have to. the ze disty seems like a better alternative! what do you guys suggest?

oh and thanks to all that responded in regards to helping me...i really appreciate the help!
 
#13 ·
if you think it could be the coil use the cap of the j-spec dist and use a external coil
 
#14 · (Edited)
thats exactly what i was thinking. the problem with that is the cap for the j-spec disty was damaged badly and it doesn't fit the a-spec disty. neither will the a-spec disty fit the j-spec disty so this mod isn't going to work. what if i go all out msd ignition with external coil? hell if um gonna spend 300 dollars on a new disty, might as well spend it on something that counts rather than spending it on something that i really don't need
 
#15 ·
you need not disconnect the internal strap once you cut the Pin #6 BL/Orange wire which is the ECU pulse triggering the internal transistor that fires the coil... So it is redundant and bad for your disty if you cut that strap out you can never un-do that and go back to OEM. Solder joints inside there wont last i've experienced it.

Here is a clearer diagram which i take no credit for.



There are so many write ups on this topic it is not funny and it all depends on how you want to run things on your car.

Internal coil + HEI
Internal coil + HEI + MSD 6al or similar IG box
External coil + internal igniter (bad idea)
External coil + HEI
External coil + HEI + MSD 6al box
External coil + npn 3055 transistor + MSD 6al box
 
#16 ·
thanks for the diagram...i see why it won't start and what i did wrong, but uma just go external coil with msd and hei. less headaches. the wire that was suppose to connect to the w pin on the hei i didn't connect so thats why it wasn't working.....anyways..i'm just gonna upgrade the ignition while i can and not have to worry about internal coil and igniter anymore. does anyone know where i can get msd plug wires from? i don't think anyone sells them for our cars!
 
#17 ·
hey guys, i thought i'd re-post in here got no responses on my other post, my hei mod is working car runs good, drives perferct, i've checked the wiring numerous times but still can't figure out why my tack isn't working? i used the proper resistor, as far as i know or can remember( been a while since i did the mod) 1/2 1k ohm resistor is i'm not mistaken, tach at idle sits at 2500, under a regular load it creeps up to around 2800, but when i floor the thing it goes backwards and wraps back to zero?:confused: did i wreck my tach? this has had me confused for a long time, if anyone has any ideas or insight it would be much apprciated. thanks a lot. if not thanks anyways
 
#19 ·
How is your ignition wired up?
Which one of the following fits your setup?
Internal coil + HEI
Internal coil + HEI + MSD 6al or similar IG box
External coil + internal igniter (bad idea)
External coil + HEI
External coil + HEI + MSD 6al box
External coil + npn 3055 transistor + MSD 6al box
 
#18 ·
what MSD plug wires? the spark plug wire set?

External coil + HEI



HEI in a box



Wires stripped not cut.


Wires soldered


Wires taped up


Test setup prior to installing a msd blasterSS coil
 
#21 ·
All i can suggest is you to go over the wiring to make sure it was done correctly. My second set of diagrams matches your setup, and that is exactly what i run except with the MSD 6AL box as well. Don't forget that the probe wiring is different colors than the MX6, but the positions are the same pins.

My tach worked just fine until i installed a different alternator & also a pull up resistor to help smooth the Ignition signal. If i have fully loaded heat+defog etc my tach will bounce sometimes until i turn off defog. Also my subs will do the same if its super hard bass. But i feel my problem is uniquely related to my Alternator & my attempt to smooth the IG signal from the computer. Don't worry about my pull up resistor that is not on the diagram and totally not needed. I dont want anyone to get confused by that.
 
#22 ·
thanks a lot, i'll take another look at my wiring, must have missed something
 
#26 ·
I took a look at my wiring turns out i didn't have the 63 wire the 5 wire on the 6th pin tapped at all, i don't really think this should be the issue though, by the looks of it its pretty much just a ground?:confused: am i mistaken? i'm starting to wonder if its something to do with the dash cluster itself, the car didn't run when i got it so its qutie possible thats theres and underlying issue in the cluster, is there any thing else i can look into, the rest of my wiring seems to be right as far as i can see any other ideas? i don't really need the tach but it would be nice, just annoying watching that stupid thing going backwards and what not maybe i'll record a vid of it lol, its really something u have to see.
 
#24 ·
Good luck.

Perhaps you should not have quoted my previous post as it only clutters the thread.
 
#27 ·
Correct it is just a ground.
 
#28 ·
ya figured as much, must be something to do with my cluster, i'll just pick up an aftermarket tach, there a little more accurate anyways thanks for the help much appreciated.
 
#29 ·
another HEI question and I figured I wouldnt just make another thread.

If using a ZE disty cap for an external coil... does it need modding? I can see the 7th plug, it sticks out from the disty cap. I'm assuming that I just drill through here and attach the wire from the coil?

Just checking to see if there is a much simpler better way that I havent realised.

thanks
 
#30 ·
you can modify your own Aspec disty cap or buy a PRD cap pre modded for the OEM disty or use a jspec disty & cap. I dont know if the jspec cap fits the OEM Aspec disty.

Either way you need to know what distributor you are going to use before you ask how to install an HEI or external coil or MSD 6al
 
#31 ·
ive a ZE so ZE disty. Just wondering if you are still meant to mod the ZE cap. Cause unless I am missing something you need to to get at the center plug.
 
#32 · (Edited)
no modding the ze dist cap is not needed
 
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