I'm currently sitting in the car sweating my ass off... confused. Trying to use this Fitech setup to control timing, and its not firing the MSD box. I'm a wiring lunatic... like.. I solder everything.. the car has more grounds than anything else on the planet. This isn't going to be a 12v supply or ground issue. The setup and situation goes something like this... SBF, MSD billet distributor locked out, MSD 6EFI ignition box and coil, FiTech PA1200. Distributor to FiTech via 2-wire connector, FiTech to MSD via black (Fitech side) and white (MSD side) wires.

- Fitech turns on and the controller works. I've programmed it via controller and laptop. No connectivity or power issues.
- Controller shows RPM on cranking.
- MSD WILL spark the coil if I short out the 2-port connector (green/violet - used to plug distributor directly into ignition) or by grounding out the white wire that is connected to the Fitech black wire (yes, I cut the soldered connection to test it... cranky about that).

It seems to me that the FiTech is reading the distributor fine since it's showing RPM on crank. It seems the MSD is functional since it sparks when either input is manipulated. For some reason the FiTech doesn't seems to be triggering the MSD to fire??

I've messed with stabbing and re-stabbing the distributor and tinkering with tons of timing settings, but nothing seems to make it spark (I currently have the coil output straight to a spark-test tool grounded to the shock tower... even if the timing setting were off, I'd expect a spark.. even if it's at the wrong time???).

It is wired per instructions other than the orange fuel pump wire (I have a complete separate circuit for the pump). I've tested for spark both with and without the fuel pump running thinking there might be something built into it telling it not to bother sparking if no fuel pressure.. no difference.

For what it's worth, my distributor is stabbed at 10° at the moment and the FiTech is set accordingly. I have it currently setup to run locked timing (at 36 degree), but I also have timing tables in it.. no spark either way.

I know we have a few peeps here that have messed with these things.. any thought??? If it can't do timing control for me, it's losing its value. I'll go back to my carb and 6530 and forget all this nonsense...

Of course I try and start it on a holiday weekend.. so even if I wanted to reach out to their marginal (I hear) tech support, I'm screwed till Tuesday Anyone know and magic tricks to test the black wire out of the FiTech? Not sure what it's supposed to provide the MSD. Also, I've continuity tested that little black wire through the 4-prong connector .. no issues.

 

Can you try bypassing the msd, and use the black wire on the coil - to test? By the looks of it, the black wire does just what points would do... alternating ground on-off so in theory a multimeter or test light should work..

 

Yeah, totally can. I think the dwell and pulse is far too fast to catch with a test light (or, mine simply isn't pulsing). Idon't have an oscilloscope at home to check it either. I'll have to go look at a diagram again, but I'm pretty sure in "no timing" mode, you use the blue wire to connect to the tach output on the MSD. Soooo... we won't really prove anything regarding the black wire.. but I guess we'll prove the fueling works?

Edit: Missed what you said. Bypass the MSD all together with the black wire.. yeah, can do that too.

 

I believe you should see the signal with a test light at cranking speeds. Yeah, blue wire is for no timing.

 

Correct, and I had to dig for my old incandescent test light to help with that one. Negative side of coil should flicker an old test light a bit (LED's don't do it). Hot wired the positive side of coil, wired direct from FiTech black to negative side of coil, and shoved the test light into the terminals to look at them. Positive looks like you'd expect - little dimming on initial starter hit, then normal. Negative looks exactly the same. Zero pulsing on test light. Zero spark.

 

I slept on it. I fully expect FiTech support to drop the ball and/or screw me over on this deal... so I'll do one of two things. Yank it out and put my billet CSU and MSD 6530 back on.. or go into a mountain of debt and buy a Dominator setup

Unfortunate for them.

 

Stupid question, but I gotta ask... you have the spark control turned on in the settings? Also, any reason you wouldn't run the Fitech with the 6530?

 

Fair questions, but yes - the FiTech is set to "VRCoil". The only reason I entertained this move was for full timing control. I'm 1000% happy with my carb for fuel delivery. This setup had set for quite a while, it's definitely out of warranty.. so add that to what I've read about their support, and I'm not expecting much. If they surprise me and fix this, I'll continue to try and make it work for this car. It has happened before... Aeromotive surprised me last time i had to deal with them.. they were excellent. I guess we'll see how this goes. Maybe it'll be something stupid like a firmware upgrade (fingers crossed).

 

Had a thought on the long drive home tonight from a buddies place. I has swapped the hand-held controller with the latest and greatest version shortly after acquiring the unit. I decided to plug the old hand-held in and check things. I went into the ignition settings and reset the ignition type to VRCoil.. reset the unit... and the little black wire was pulsing.

Apparently I stumbled upon a fantastic firmware incompatibility. I'll have them send me firmware for both pieces that will make them play nice together and see how that goes. Weird that I even programmed it from the laptop (via the new hand-held) and it wasn't happy. There is some voodoo going on with this thing.. wouldn't be surprised if the firmware in the 30012 is original.

Long story short, took about 30 seconds to patch my test wiring back together.. tested for spark... had spark... tested a few more little things and it started right up. Zero drama. I'll sort out the timing and other nonsense tomorrow (probably reset the whole configuration again off the old hand-held) and get to sorting the tune out. Lesson learned.