They're are a couple of very minor mods that you need to do to the megasquirt. Also, you need to flash the proper code to the MS and use the proper megatune software. And then properly wire your ignition to your MS of course. It's all really very easy and painless.

I am at work right now, so I cannot walk you through it at the moment but perhaps tonight I can write something up for you. 94-95 cars are slightly different because of the remote TFI.

 

How come everyone is recommending the MSD with this... will any of the other ignitions work?

 

Crane Hi 6 series should work also. The only requirements are that the igntion box has to be able to be triggered by grounding the trigger wire. (aka points type trigger) Almost all of the popular ignition boxes can be triggered this way.

MSD is just the most popular one to use is all.

 

Not to mention it's really a bonus for turbo cars

 

WHAT kind of distributor does it have? Does it haev an electrical part on the side of if? Does it haev a 2 or 4 wire harness coming out of it?

 

So I could grab a tach signal from EEC pin #56 and then connect a spark output wire to the MSD's orange (i think it's orange) wire. Of course I'll have to solder the wires onto the megasquirt first.

I'm going to try testing the spark advance as it currently is with a timing light unless you don't expect that to tell me anything meaningful. I'll also try to track down the MSD's trigger wire so I can better understand just how this thing is working.

http://www.turbosn95.com/cobra/info/a9l.pdf

 

Eric, maybe I'll head up there and we can cover some of the finer points of these cars. It's just a little bit different than those BMW's huh?


Anyways, just think of the MSD box as a spark booster, it doesn't provide it's own spark trigger, it really just amplifies the spark.



The way this car is setup is it's a 94-95 with a standard dizzy, an MSD 6al, and the MS. The output on the MSD should provide a signal, but I have concerns on it being true. Eric, I also can get the EVTM's(Ford wiring diagrams) for his car if you need to track something down like a trigger.

 

Yes, correct. Hook that up to the MS tach input (pin 24 on the DB37)

You have to make a decision here. You have 2 choices. You can use your FIDLE ouput to control spark, or you can use LED17. It's your choice. The easy choice is FIDLE. For the sake of simplicty we will assume you are going to use FIDLE for yor spark output. Connect the WHITE wire from your MSD to the FIDLE on the DB37 connector (pin 30).

I don't see it on your diagram, but you need to hook up the "TFI power" and the "TFI start" to a switched 12v source. Also the TFI ground wire needs to be hooked up to, you guessed it, ground.

These later connections are usually tapped into the common 12v and grounds shown in your diagram. Your going to have to find a better diagram to find out what wires they are.

That's it for the connections.

The only other things you have to do is go to THIS SITE and follow the instructions for the FORD TFI IGNITION.

IMPORTANT: When it comes to the board mods, only do the board mods, input side. You are not going to use the output mods. You are using the MSD to control the coil, NOT the TFI.

Follow the rest of the instructions for all of the software instructions and Firmware upgrades. It's pretty straight forward, but read everything and make sure you understand it.

PM me if you have any questions.

 

Heh, I think the ignition system in my 1985 318i was a bit simpler. I also realize that Ogre and I have no real knowledge of the ignition system in his car, but we're getting there.

Jaeger6, if you don't mind highlighting some of the important parts to doing the spark changes to the megasquirt and connections to the TFI. I did find the TFI and did a continuity test to see which wire runs to the orange/trigger on the MSD.

Zoah, you should come over some time and show us what to do. Maybe when we get some more stuff squared away on this thing we can do some real tuning with the wbo2.

 

Jaeger, thanks a lot for all the info! I'll see where I end up, but hopefully won't have and troubles.

 

LOL, the orange wire on the MSD 6a series goes to the coil, not the MS!! The WHITE wire goes to the MS FIDLE... your scaring me now!

 

Sounds to me like the TFI is still in the car. By removing the EEC, you have in effect pulled the SPOUT jumper and the TFI's output is a fixed 10 deg. BTDC. (or whatever your base is mechanically set to).

When you pull the SPOUT jumper, your coil firing mimics the PIP signal (i.e. no timing advance), so the TFI doesn't know whether or not the EEC is at the other end of the harness or not.

The car may run, but it'll start to break up and quit revving around 4500 rpm or so with no timing advance....

Congrats on getting it going! Mine is a SN-95 also and I'm getting closer every day!

 

If he pulls the EEC out, there is no need for the spout wire coming out of his TFI anyhow. When you wire your car for megasquirt n spark extra, the wire for your spout connector gets pulled out of the TFI connector anyhow, as pictured.

 

I understand that completely. I was explaining why his car currently runs without the EEC in place nor the MS controlling spark.

Also, keep in mind the 94-95 TFI and wiring are different from a Fox, so that diagram may or may not apply.

 

I guess I missed the part where his car is running without EEC or MSnS-e either? Seems impossible, but apparently not

 

I guess I assumed that if he built a jumper harness to plug the MS into the factory EEC harness, there's no way the EEC is plugged in also....

Maybe I'm confused...

 

Ok Eric, clear things up here... you are not piggybacking the EEC, but running without it completely, correct?

 

The EEC is sitting in the back seat of the car with nothing connected to it.

I agree it would be impossible for the car to run without an ignition trigger of some sorts. I never put any thought into it because the car started and we drove it around very slowly while trying to diagnose a sound coming from either the driveshaft or clutch. Now after reading the MSnS-e/sourceforge website I see it'll run at constant 10 degrees btdc ignition timing with no luck of ever advancing under accell.

Jaeger, I'll keep the orange wire running to the coil. I was doing a test to see where the orange wire runs when I should have looked at a diagram and noticed that I wanted to figure out where the white (points-ign, not tach out) wire runs.

I started playing around with MSnS-E megatune last night. So many things you can do with it!

 

I was under the impression that no board mods (input or output) were req'd when using an MSD box with MS.

 

You are 100% correct.

The mods that you are doing to the MS is not for the MSD. The mods that are done to the board are so that MS can use the TFI PIP signal. The mods are TFI related only and have nothing to do with the MSD.