Need help installing MSD on 91camry

[Tommy]

Ok i have had an MSD 6ML for a while now, and i cant get the thing to work on my 1991 4cyl Camry.

I contacted MSD and they said they would send the wiring diagram, but they never did.

I bought the tach adapter, so im fairly sure that i have everything needed

i just need a descriptive wiring diagram. What goes to what color and where. I have seen 88le's description, but my colors are different than what he describes.

[ducky]

6ML? or 6AL? well, either way the 6 series are pretty much the same. Heavy black and red go straight to the battery. small black and orange go to the coil. If you got the integrated coil inside the distributor, pull off the dist. cap, dust shield, and unscrew the two wires hooking up to the coil. The orange wire hooks up to coil +, the black wire to coil -. The other two wires, the red and white ones are for the trigger...ie, the wires you just removed from the coil. The red hooks up to the trigger + and the white hooks up to the trigger -. Sorry I cant give you the exact wire colors on your camry... but check this site and you might get the idea on what the wires actually do. http://www.angelfire.com/md3/ventana...Dtutorial.html

[Tommy]

thanks, but what about the tach adapter? where does that come in?

[ducky]

oh yes...my bad. the tach adaptor (depending on the model you have...most likely the 8910) has red and white wires. They splice into the MSD unit's red/white trigger wires...the ones which are now connected to the stock trigger +/-. Red w/ red, white w/ white.

Also, you might want to take a look into a noise capacitor, especially if you have a system, or just like your music. I cant say for sure, but if you get a nice ticking noise coming through your speakers that increases in frequency with your revs, well, then you can be sure you need the capacitor. MSD pn 8830, retails for like $30.

[Tommy]

Hey dude thanks a lot for your help. Ill give installing it another shot tommarow, and let you know.

[88 LE]

Big red wire: +12V

Big black wire: ground

Red wire: Brown wire on ignitor

White wire: Not used

Orange wire: Coil +
Black wire: Coil -


Tach adapter (MSD 8910-EIS):

Red wire: Brown wire on ignitor

Black wire: Black wire on ignitor

Plug with purple and green wire goes to the plug hanging off the MSD.


Are you using the stock coil or aftermarket coil with the MSD?

Pics of my MSD 6A with modified dist. cap and aftermarket coil:

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4289847013

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[ducky]

you use the 8910 eis model tach adaptor. Yeah, it depends on whether your running the magnetic pickup or the points style distribtor. As tercel/corollas use the points style, the 8910 is fine.

BTW 88LE..the distributor cap you got there is identical to the 92 corolla/tercel/celica. How many times do you have to change it out? Ive since been modifying my own caps to accept brass inserts...I was burning up a car every two weeks during the summer...none in winter though.

[Tommy]

Wow i was doing that wrong.

Im using a stock coil.

What is the plug with purple and green wires, and were is it?

Ducky: I drive a Camry

thanks guys

[ducky]

the purple and green wire plug is for the magnetic pickup style distributor. It should be on the MSD unit, though the wires maybe covered by a black wire loom. The tach adaptor 8910eis has this same plug in place of red/white wires. If you have the red/white wire tach adaptor (8910), then you might have to switch it to the newer one.

Easy way to check if you got magnetic or points style distributor....hook up the points system first. All it requires is unhooking two wires and wiring them up. Put the tach adaptor in line with the MSD unit. IF you are sure ALL parts work, and your car doesnt start, well, you need the magnetic pickup system that 88LE mentioned. Then just return your tach adaptor for the other unit. Its the same price.

[Tommy]

stupid msd tech guy told me to buy the 8910, and thats what i bought, and it doesnt have the plug thing, it has a red and white wire, and this diode thing that can be put inline.

i already cut some of the wires to use my own connectors on the adapter, so i cant return it now. is there any way i can use it?

[ducky]

im wanting to say it should work. if 88LE has his sn for a reason, then perhaps the 88 camry and the 94 camry are different cars, at least in the ignition department. It wont hurt to try it out...just DO NOT reverse the poles on the MSD unit...itll pop! The tach adaptors are a bit more robust though.

If you have the wires out of you cars distributor, you can check them easily. Be sure to hold the TRIGGER wires away from each other as well as any ground. Turn the IGNITION to on, but dont start the car. You should get a 12+ in one of the wires. That will be the MSD small RED wire connection. The other one will be the MSD small WHITE wire connection. Tach adaptor splices in with the same color wires tot he appropriate spot.

Now, if you have MORE than TWO wires going into the physical distributor, then just disregard the posts... But most likely you wont. Toyota uses a lot of parts across many models, so I am fairly sure your camry distributor (4 Cyl model) is in the same boat as the Celica/Corolla/Tercel systems Ive worked on.

[Tommy]

the set up is exactly like what 88le has, but my camry is a 91, and im using a stock coil.

2 wires going to the distributer, 2 screw post things on the internal coil with 1 wire running to one side and 2 going to the other.

do i leave the wires that are there connected, or do i disconnect them and connect the MSD's orange and black there?

[ducky]

hmm so many wires! haha...lets see. The wires on the coil are the triggers (which come from outside the dist, right?)... MSD black and orange would go in place of them. Those same two wires that you remove would go to the MSD white/red. But now that you mention that you have a 91 (I thought it was a 94) camry, then Id be best to check with 88le.

[88 LE]

Originally posted by ducky
BTW 88LE..the distributor cap you got there is identical to the 92 corolla/tercel/celica. How many times do you have to change it out?

I haven't had to change it out yet.

[88 LE]

Originally posted by Stevethecleric
Im using a stock coil.

Follow my directions above for hooking up the MSD and tach adapter.

Disconnect the wires (3) from the stock coil and hookup the orange (+) and black (-) wires to the coil.

You'll also want to disconnect a plug from the top of the distributor so that the 3 wires that use to power the coil don't short out.

Pic of the plug:

What is the plug with purple and green wires, and were is it?

On the tach adapter and MSD.

You'll have to use the extension harness that comes with the MSD unless you mount the tach adapter right next to it.