orange ECU box ??

[69chargerR/T]

Not sure if I should put this here but   I have an MP orange ECU box on my 69 charger, and I have not heard good things about the orange box. I have had the car break-up or miss at high RPMS a couple times. I heard that the orange box retards the timing at high RPMS ??  My question is, I want to get rid of the orange box, I hear the chrome box is good and the MSD6AL is good.   What would you guys use the MP chrome box or the MSD6AL??  I already have a new MP dis. with the adj. advance.   The motor is not stock it has pretty good cam in it, eddy RPM intake, 750 DP, headers, 3" exhaust. 

[Ghoste]

It isn't that the orange box is bad per se, it's that quality control on all of the MP ecu's ain't what it used to be.  You will get lots of folks who claim all the orange ones are garbage and others who claim the chrome ones are junk.  Personally I've suffered more failures on the chrome box than orange but not by an enormous amount.  I think I've had one orange one go bad and two maybe three at the ost of the chrome ones.  The orange one doesn't retard the timing at higher rpm, it is just that the dwell is only accurate to a lower rpm than the chrome one.  Both are sufficient for most street engines.  I think the orange is good to something like 5500 or 6500 and the chrome one is accurate to 7000 ro 7500.  Don't quote me on those rpm figures, I'm doing that from memory.
I have the MSD now and I love it. 

[R2]

Have used the orange box,,,,chrome box,,,,then a FBO box,,,,and now a MSD6AL

I would do the MSD,,,,

You can run it with your present distributor, you just have to splice in the connector/pigtail,,,(easy to do)

I mounted mine INside the car,,,(under the heater box,,,,passenger side),,,,to keep it dry and cool,,,,,and ran the wires thru the firewall,,,into the harness,,,,,works great.

You could even leave the orange box in place for "looks" and "hide" the MSD inside the car as mentioned above.

I dont like mounting the MSD under the battery tray,,,or inside the engine bay,,, 

[TylerCharger69]

My experience???   The orange box is a big POS!!!   I went through three of them in less than a year.... So.....I hate to admit this....but I went to Autozone for emergency reasons and purchased a Sorenson aftermarket piece for 17 bucks.   Car actually ran better and it's going on its third year with no issues!!!  There are more threads around this site addressing the "orange box" issues....Apparently...it's a common problem......Ace

[Ghoste]

I left my orange box in place and partly in case the MSD breaks down so I can switch quickly back to get me home if need be.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Have used the orange box,,,,chrome box,,,,then a FBO box,,,,and now a MSD6AL

I am running the FBO box now but Im wondering if its going bad....the problem I am having is that the car wont stay running....it will start & then immediately "electrically" shut off.  I wiggle the connection on the box & then she will start & run fine.  Took the connector off & visually inspected it with no defect....I wonder if one of the pins is failing?

[R2]

I am running the FBO box now but Im wondering if its going bad....the problem I am having is that the car wont stay running....it will start & then immediately "electrically" shut off.  I wiggle the connection on the box & then she will start & run fine.  Took the connector off & visually inspected it with no defect....I wonder if one of the pins is failing?

I kept smoking ballast resistors with the FBO box,,,,eventually got that figured it out,,,and then the box started acting up,,,cutting out,,,missing,,,
I got frustrated with it,,,and threw it away,,,and went with the MSD.

I left my orange box in place and partly in case the MSD breaks down so I can switch quickly back to get me home if need be.

Good plan,,,,,,,I should have done that,,,just in case,,, 
so far i have been lucky with the MSD,,,, 

[Ghoste]

I have been too but it seemed easy enough when I wired in the MSD to just leave the MP stuff all inplace and then I have a couple of connectors to make it easy to switch everything back around if I do have a failure.
If it's a really long trip, I carry the old points stuff with me too.

[adauto]

Dont want to curse my luck, but I've ran the same orange box for years........... 

[charger Downunder]

Dont want to curse my luck, but I've ran the same orange box for years...........  

Me too never had a problem.I have an electronic regulator.They have problems when the old style rgulators are used.

[Ghoste]

I have to say though that all of the failed ecu's I've had happened with an electronic regulator.  Back when I had the old point style ones I never had an ecu failure. 

[Belgium R/T -68]

I have to say though that all of the failed ecu's I've had happened with an electronic regulator.  Back when I had the old point style ones I never had an ecu failure. 

Sorry for a stupid question but do you need a ECU if you have the stock pointdistributor?

Per

[firefighter3931]

Sorry for a stupid question but do you need a ECU if you have the stock pointdistributor?

Per

Per, the ECU is for electronic ignition only....not required with points distributors. 


Fwiw, the new "orange" boxes are hit or miss....some work fine while others crap the bed. 

The older boxes seem to hold up well....i have one that's over 10 years old and it appears to work good. I'll probably replace it with an MSD 6al when it comes time to put that car on the road. 



Ron

[b5blue]

Per,ECU=Electronic Control Unit FYI. Now what is "FBO"? 

[tan top]

not wanting to hijack this thread in any way guys ,  but any one used the blue box from mancini    

http://chucker54.stores.yahoo.net/mrehpconun.html

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Per,ECU=Electronic Control Unit FYI. Now what is "FBO"?  

Fat Bald & Old Racing

http://www.4secondsflat.com/

I had my dizzy recurved by them & run their ign set up as well...

http://www.4secondsflat.com/a688specs.html

[b5blue]

THANKS! 

[Nacho-RT74]

Per,ECU=Electronic Control Unit FYI. Now what is "FBO"?  

http://www.4secondsflat.com/a688specs.html

just the brand for the same stuff

[Ghoste]

Per, what I was meaning was that if my electronic stuff fails on a long trip, I have a points setup that I can temporarily replace all the elctronic stuff with.  It's overkill but one of the really great things about the 1st gens is the amount of storage space in them.  Since I have the space and a dist doesn't use much of it, it's no big.  The only rationale for doing it is that if I have an elctronic breakdown at night or in the middle of nowhere, the points type stuff can almost always be MacGuyver'd enough to get you home.

[Belgium R/T -68]

Per, what I was meaning was that if my electronic stuff fails on a long trip, I have a points setup that I can temporarily replace all the elctronic stuff with.  It's overkill but one of the really great things about the 1st gens is the amount of storage space in them.  Since I have the space and a dist doesn't use much of it, it's no big.  The only rationale for doing it is that if I have an elctronic breakdown at night or in the middle of nowhere, the points type stuff can almost always be MacGuyver'd enough to get you home.

You are a guy with a very healthy way of seeing things.

Per

[Ghoste]

No, just too lazy to walk and too impatient to wait for help.

[69chargerR/T]

Thanks for all the info and ideas guys What do you guys think about the mallory hyfire digital box ?? Is there really an advantage having a digital box over an analog box ?? For around the same price as the MSD6al you can get the mallory hyfire box that is digital. Is see that MSD also makes a digital box but it's alot more $$$   

[Ghoste]

MSD are on the high side of pricing where the multi-strikes are concerned, no doubt about that.  The digital units typically offer more adjustment and a little more precision in those adjustments.  For example, rev limiters and stages of advance or retard.