Street Fire Ignition controller instead of Magnapower II

[WinnerCougar74]

Has anyone used Street Fire Ignition controllers instead of Magnapower II on points distributor Chrysler outboards?
How long have you been running the Street Fire Ignition and did you have any problems?
Also did you use an epoxy coil or oil filled?
What are the part numbers for the coils?

 

[matt167]

" Street " tells the tale... These are not USCG certified for marine usage. MSD does manufacture marine ignition control boxes with the rating, however my experience with MSD boxes has been they run great until they quit..

Stuff to keep the Chryslers running is still available

 

[WinnerCougar74]

matt167 have you installed and run the MSD Street Fire units on chrysler outboards?

 

[matt167]

Nope, used them in other applications.. They are not USCG rated, and thus not even legal so I would never install a liability. MSD makes the same basic controller in a marine application. It's just $450 vs a little under $200. I get the want for the Streetfire controller being cheaper.

I understand some have done the swap ( covered years ago right on Iboats ) and it works, but it isn't legal, and the reason is it is not certified ignition protected. YMMV, it will work. You should match the coil impedance to what the Streetfire requires, epoxy filled for high vibration. Does not need to be anything special, just the right impedance on the primary

 

[WinnerCougar74]

Thank you for your reply. My motor is 46 years old. There aren't many new parts. Many of the things we do is cobbling. I'm sure you also don't recommend the automotive coil conversion but some say they work for years and even work better. So I'm just looking for ideas. You message is sooo very helpful. Once I make my mind up what to do I will post it for others to benefit from the info. Thanks again

 

[jerryjerry05]

The change to a regular auto coil works well.
Search these old posts and you should find out how
to do it.
I think Nordin has experience with that change.
FrankA(RIP) put up some info a few years ago on the change.

 

[WinnerCougar74]

This brand is marine grade. Intellitronix.

Prometheus Marine & Off-Road Ignition System ... LIFETIME W

The Prometheus Ignition System is designed for critical marine and off-road applications to safeguard against ignition system failures. This patent pending system has several built-in features that protect against dangerous weather hazards. FEATURES Built-in self-protection system that monitors...

www.intellitronix.com

Lists for $174.30 free shipping on ebay. LIFETIME WARRANTY.
I have purchased one of these and will post the results.
Interesting video explaining some of it's benefits.

 

[matt167]

Worth a shot... To be honest, if your just cobbling stuff, a Ford TFI module or even an early Chrysler module will actually fire off a points signal. Pretty neat stuff really... But the ignition box you found is the correct ( and affordable ) way to do it

 

[WinnerCougar74]

You helped me think about the reliability which matters a lot to me. It's no fun being out on the water with the cowl off. Looks bad too. I'm planning an offshore trip maybe 10 miles and would really like to get this thing running right. I probably should have gone with the basic auto coil setup but I don't like messing with dwell angle/points gap to get proper spark. The points gap is to hard to adjust in this distributor. Also the points should last longer and theoretically the multi spark should improve throttle response and maybe overall performance and gas mileage (wishful thinking I know) Plus lifetime warranty. I'm gonna give it a shot. My motor has always been hard to start when it starts to get into the 40 outside. Hopefully this will help.

 

[Nordin]

I have done some convert from Magna Power I ignition (the head of this thread is wrong. Magna Power II is a different system) to automotive typ ignition. It works great if you maintain the points regular cause the points is a part of the ignition in another way then in the Magna Power I CD system. It regulate some part of the timing and it is a part of the induction in the secondary winding of the coil.
I have also use the CDI Electronics aftermarket box artnr. 115-3301 and it has also worked great.

In the Magna Power I, the CDI Electronics aftermarket artnr. 115-3301, the MDS system, Street Fire and all kind of CD system for distributor systems the points is just a trigger signal for the CD box.
In this set up it is very important that the points is clean because the current through the points is very very low.
In an automotive system set up there are much more current flowing through the points and this current keep the points clean if the arc (right value of the condenser) are not to high.

All CD systems for distributor systems will work on Chrysler engines with points distributor.
In 1974-75 I think Chrysler started to use the electronic distributor with an optical foto transistor (optical eye) as trigger instead of points and I do not know if they fit the MDS, Street Fire etc systems as the level of the current and voltage from the optical eye is right.
Maybe it do not fit right on.

There are at least one video on Youtube about converting to automotive system with condenser and a car style coil.
It is done by Verti Jerky.
mweverett have done some videos about converting to MDS system and I think he use the OEM or CDI Electronic optical eye as trigger for the system.

 

[WinnerCougar74]

Finally had enough warm weather to install the Intellitronix ignition. It works, Starts right up. Can't wait for the ice to melt to find out how it runs. I really like the led on the unit that tells you what's going on. Solid green means good 12 volts, flashing green means good trigger signal, other led conditions indicate coil problems like and open coil, shorted coil, no trigger signal. Those simple little things are almost all you would need to trouble shoot this ignition. This ignition box will work for points or trigger distributor based ignition. There is a separate wiring harness depending on what you have. I'm happy. I will post more results after I use it more.

 

[WinnerCougar74]

Started it again yesterday and it seems like my problem with cold starts is gone, it was about 60 outside and it actually flooded. But it cleared easily and started right up and now the startup is really quick. Just a bump of the start key. Prolly need to work on a new startup procedure. Before I would have to move the throttle to about half way, choke it the whole time I was cranking the started and still it would take a good 15-20 seconds before it would start. I'm gonna start a new thread to see what everyone has to do to get the motors started when cold.

 

[WinnerCougar74]

Not sure if this will work. It's a video of the engine starting up after it's warm. Seems like the audio works ok. Really nice how fast it starts now.

 

[Tassie 1]

Re the original question about the Streetfire aftermarket module thingee.
We put on a new one on a 70 hp Chrysler 2-3 years ago, ran fantastic in the shed every time we started it.
Lasted 6- 7 outings out on the water.
Endured the tow of shame again with that motor.
Gave up on it after that.

 

[WinnerCougar74]

From what I understand these motors will run without a cdi box if you have a points distributor. So if the cdi box fails I should be able to get back to shore with some rewiring. I mounted the new CDI box inside the boat instead of inside the engine with rubber shock absorbing mounts. This keep the box away from the engine heat and vibration. We'll see if it last any longer this way.

 

[WinnerCougar74]

So I'm gonna put together a backup wiring kit. Blue wire to + on coil, - on coil to screw terminal on distributor, then add a condenser to help the points not burn up. So all I need to make up is 2 jumpers about 1.5 feet long with eyelets on each end and a condenser. I also have a backup coil in the parts box Here's a pic of the epoxy coil I'm using. You have to add a 90 degree end on the coil spark wire so it will clear the cowling.

 

[WinnerCougar74]

Had the boat out this weekend and it runs very well now with the new Intellitronix ignition box. The cold start problem is gone. It barely needs any choke and it was about 45 degrees outside. Still needs set to fast throttle for cold start. From what I have read this is completely normal. I believe setting the fast throttle advances the ignition which helps with cold starts. Idled well after starting. Good throttle response and top end speed. Restarts after it warmed up where instant. I am very happy. Time will tell if it holds up.