TFI Ignition Upgrade. anyone have REAL measurments of improvement

[roadgrime]

Im looking at doing the tfi upgrade and i am wondering what if any real improvement it gives aside from the kool factor. Ie what does the voltage at the coil run stock and what is it after the upgrade etc.

Here is that page i am following. so really 109 isnt bad...
http://fsjeep.homestead.com/TFI_Upgade.html

[89grand]

The TFI isn't really about cool factor, it really gives improvements in idle quality, throttle response and highway speed passing power. As far as voltage, are you talking about coil voltage output or battery voltage to the coil?

[bigblack'74]

i personally notice minimal difference..and you still are using a Great Googley MoogleyGreat Googley MoogleyGreat Googley MoogleyGreat Googley MoogleyGreat Googley Moogleyty module...and yes i have had the the module fail and it cost 175 to have it towed 45 miles home...if you use tfi get a good module like 89Grand is obviously using

[roadgrime]

bigblack. which module are you refering too? i see the ,sd 6a in his sig. does this replace the box on the drivers side wheel well?

89grand, yes coil output. voltage to the coil. improvement in hp fuel economy etc

[ March 02, 2004, 08:54 PM: Message edited by: roadgrime ]

[Panoscopic]

Huge improvement in drivability, throttle response and gas mileage. Best $$$$$ ever spent on the wag.

[89grand]

He's talking about the MSD 6A I'm using instead of the factory Duracrap module.

I don't know the exact coil voltage differences off the top of my head but a TFI coil is near double what the factory can coil is, I think the TFI is like 30,000 volts. I didn't notice an increase in mileage but I did notice the idle, throttle response and passing power improvements.

[83 WagDriver]

I noticed a big improvment on mine.
First I now get 16 miles a gallon.
Second..Quick starts on cold days.
Third...as others have said, more passing power.

Best 100 bucks I ever spent.

[bigblack'74]

I can tell you the only only difference I "Felt" was when I put on accell 8.8 spiral core wires...that is when i noticed improved throttle response and passing power, but keep in mind was all done with my old motor(401) with big tires on an old truck...

[imported_Sandals1621]

My quick question (as I plan on doing this today) Are you guys taking the power from the coil off of the the stock wiring, or did you find a different source to get a full 12 volts???

[Rande]

Power out of the coil to the sparkplugs is near double the stock voltage. The stock "can" type coil puts out about 26,000volts. The Ford TFI coil puts out about 45,000volts. The MSD Blaster coil does just a bit more than that.

When I put this on my '83 20 with a high mileage 360 I noticed immediately the difference. It started easier, idled better, steep hills that had me barely able to maintain speed on, I could now accelerate up. Not fast mind you, but now I could do more than just maintian speed on them.

I used the cap adapter, big cap, tall rotor, Accell Spiral-core wires, MSD BlasterII TFI style coil, gapped the plugs at .46, installed the Mr.Gasket springs in the distributor's mechanical advance. Forget now what I timed the engine at. Don't own that truck anymore. Plan to do the same swap to the new truck except to use the MSD6a box in place of the stock motorcraft unit.

[89grand]

You can use the stock coil wires, no need to get power from another source.

[War Wagon]

Mine starts quicker and idles better. I used the blaster II coil instead of the TFI coil. I have done everthing except change the springs in the dis. Keep putting it off. May do it when I install the new carb and intake.

Jim

[4x4n In A Cherokee In Colorado]

Hi RG, Ya need to do the TFI thing...In my ole rig, it has made a big difference....Fast/easier starts..More power..Better Mileage..

I'm working on mounting a GM HEI module on a heat sink, then removing the motorcraft module, and wireing the GM module in place of it...I cant see why it wouldnt work...If you wire it the same as the GM was, it should work...Id like to mount two on the heat sink, that way Id have a spare...

Ive been comparing my wireing to the GM set up...I think Ive figured it out....Ill Let you know!

Has anyone done such a thing?

Carey

[ March 03, 2004, 03:50 PM: Message edited by: 4x4n In A Cherokee In Colorado ]

[roadgrime]

ya if you figure it out let me know.

[djmac]

hey guys i have an 88 460 in my rig. it has the duraspark ignition. what would i have to modify to make this upgrade? it has round cylinder type coil.

[jode]

Roadgrime - now that you have TFI, how would you answer your own question?
smile.gif

[rusty401]

ok i have been a merkur person for a long time and after dealing with that car the jeep wiring is childs play.

Now i have some Q for some of you more creative folk tongue.gif

did anyone do the tfi without swapping out the new style cap and rotor...for example i just spent cash on a new cap rotor and wires for my turd. Id like tnot spend again. Will it behave itself....reason being is most other fords dont use this large cap and rotor and do just fine ...example being my little merkur and my ranger.

second i have engine harnesses from the merkurs and plenty of scrap cars...all have the coil and the plug i want...this guy did the conversion and he used one of the extra ground wires to go that that little resistor...i dont have a radio and dont want one....will i be ok??? i guess the easisest way to do is to jimmy rig it super fast and see if she starts up again eh ? something to do this weekend i guess.

[nograin]

If you dig back, the whole idea of the TFI upgrade is that it was cheap and effective. Parts came from the junkyard, and the concept was to use the improvements Ford adopted for their Duraspark system onto the Wags with the same systems.

Basically, only minor improvements ought to be noticable if the old system was in really good shape. The wide cap will make the system more tolerant mostly when and if you open up the spark plaug gap. If you don't open up the spark plug gap, then the addtional voltage is doing nothing. However in an oil filled coil, (like the Blaster 2) higher voltage comes at the expense of current. More on that later. You don't have to use a wide cap, but the system ought to be in top shape.

For instance, on my car I run an MSD 6T and gap the plugs at 45. I run a small cap because on that vehicle there is no room for a larger cap. It works, and I check the cap insides for carbon streaks etc etc a couple times a year.

If you are going to run an MSD 6, then thats a whole other ball of wax. It will not be cheap, or from junkyard parts. The MSD is a capacitive discharge system. It draws power right from the battery, more than the stock system. It uses multiple spark firings at lower rpms, that helps overcome misfires (especially with high overlap cams) and the fact that a coil designed for higher rpms, is not as good at lower rpms. It produces a spark with significantly more voltage and more current than a stock system.

Here was some numbers I got from MSD:

Coil Tech Thread (http://www.ifsja.org/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=2&t=002824)

To lookup the early posts on coils, TFI or other stuff, go here: Search old tech (http://www.studiosells.net/cgi-bin/keyword-search.cgi)

[mtn goat]

Originally posted by 4x4n In A Cherokee In Colorado:

I'm working on mounting a GM HEI module on a heat sink, then removing the motorcraft module, and wireing the GM module in place of it...I cant see why it wouldnt work...If you wire it the same as the GM was, it should work...Id like to mount two on the heat sink, that way Id have a spare...

Ive been comparing my wireing to the GM set up...I think Ive figured it out....Ill Let you know!

Has anyone done such a thing?

CareyYah, a bunch of little jeep guys have done this with ease. I'll look for the post, it was over on the JU board. I thought about doing this as well, easier to carry a spare...However, I have not had a problem with the one I have...yet...
:eek:

[87liftedGW]

I just upgraded my coil, and since the plugs, wires, cap, and rotor were all brand new, I decided to leave them for now- I ran the MSD blaster II coil since I had a spare... no noticable difference in power or MPG, BUT it starts on the first click every time now, where before it was 3-4 seconds on the starter before I got anything.

So I say for the money, if you do it right, it's well worth it- I got a bracket and plug for the TFI off a lincoln towncar, cost me $10... but ford used that same coil for years, so you can find one anywhere.

All I can say is I got my money worth in starting quality, I haven;t done all the conversion yet, but I can see the power coming in with the full upgrade with good wires and pulgs