Installation

ManualsBrandsMSD ManualsCar5520 Street Fire Ignition Control

S T R E E T F I R E • W W W . S T R E E T - F I R E . C O M • ( 9 1 5 ) 8 5 7 - 5 2 0 0 • FA X ( 9 1 5 ) 8 5 7 - 3 3 4 4

Parts Included:

1 - Ignition

1 - Harness, PN 8860

WARNING: During installation, disconnect the battery cables. When disconnecting the battery always

remove the Negative cable ﬁrst and install it last.

Note: Solid Core spark plug wires cannot be used with the Street Fire Ignition.

Note: The Street Fire Ignition cannot be used with distributorless ignition systems (DIS).

GENERAL INFORMATION

BATTERY

The Street Fire Ignition Control will operate on any negative ground, 12 volt electrical system with a distributor. It

can be used with 16 volt batteries and can withstand a momentary 24 volts in case of jump starts. The Ignitions will

deliver full voltage with a supply of 9 - 18 volts and will operate with a supply voltage as low as 7 volts.

COILS

The Street Fire Ignition can be used with most stock coils and aftermarket coils designed to replace the stock coils.

If you have any questions concerning coils, contact our Customer Service Department at (915) 855-7123.

TACHOMETERS

The Street Fire Ignition features a Tach Output wire that provides a trigger signal for tachometers, a shift light or other

add-on rpm activated devices. The Tach Output produces a 12 volt square wave signal with a 24% duty cycle.

Some vehicles with factory tachometers may require a Tach Adapter to operate with the ignition. For more information

on Tachometers and MSD Tach Adapters, see the Tachometer Section on page 9.

If your GM vehicle has an inline ﬁlter it may cause the tach to drop to zero on acceleration. If this occurs, bypass

the ﬁlter.

FOREIGN VEHICLES

Due to the fuel injection systems, some foreign vehicles may require a special Tach/Fuel Injection Adapter with a

Street Fire ignition. See page 9 for wiring and Tach Adapter information.

Note: Vehicles originally equipped with a CD ignition control cannot use the Street Fire Ignition.

SPARK PLUGS AND WIRES

Spark plug wires are very important to the operation of your ignition system. A good quality, helically wound wire and

proper routing are required to get the best performance from your ignition, such as the Street Fire Wire.

Note: Solid Core spark plug wires cannot be used with the Street Fire Ignition.

Spark Plugs: Choosing the correct spark plug design and heat range is important when trying to get the best

performance possible. It is recommended to follow the engine builder or manufacturer's speciﬁcation for spark plugs.

With that, you can then experiment with the plug gap to obtain the best performance. The gap of the plugs can be

opened in 0.005" increments, then tested until the best performance is obtained.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

Sealing: Do not attempt to seal the ignition. All of the circuits of the Street Fire ignition receive a thick conformal

coating of Humi-Seal. Rubber plugs are supplied to protect the rpm dials.

Welding: If you are welding on your vehicle, to avoid the chance of damage, always disconnect both Heavy Power

cables of the ignition (You should also disconnect the tach ground wire).

1 - 18" Ground Wire

1 - 100V/1A Diode

4 - Mounting Screws

Street Fire CDI

PN 5520

ONLINE PRODUCT REGISTRATION: Register your MSD product online and you’ll be entered in our

monthly 8.5mm Super Conductor Spark Plug Wire give-away! Registering your product will help if there

is ever a warranty issue with your product and helps the MSD R&D team create new products that you

ask for! Go to www.msdignition.com/registration.

Summary of content (12 pages)

PAGE 1
Street Fire CDI PN 5520 ONLINE PRODUCT REGISTRATION: Register your MSD product online and you’ll be entered in our monthly 8.5mm Super Conductor Spark Plug Wire give-away! Registering your product will help if there is ever a warranty issue with your product and helps the MSD R&D team create new products that you ask for! Go to www.msdignition.com/registration.
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INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS MOUNTING The Street Fire Ignition can be mounted in most positions, except directly upside down (if upside down, moisture or water cannot escape). It can be mounted in the engine compartment as long as it is away from direct engine heat sources. It is not recommended to mount the unit in an enclosed area such as the glove box. When you find a suitable location to mount the unit, make sure the wires of the ignition reach their connections.
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INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS 3 The chart in Figure 2 shows the polarity of other common magnetic pickups. Common Mag Pickup Wires Colors Ballast Resistor: If your vehicle has a ballast resistor in line with the coil wiring, it is recommended to bypass it.
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INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS MSD SYSTEMS Installing to an MSD Distributor. NOTE: SEE FIGURE 2 FOR COMMON MAGNETIC PICKUPS. ) ED US OT TE HI (N W TO TACH GE GRAY AN OR K AC BL ® DISTRIBUTOR WITH MAGNETIC PICKUP K TI-SPAR CDI MUL N IGNITIO PN 5520 WWW.STREET-FIRE.COM SMALL RED GM IGNITIONS Wiring a Dual Connector Coil. TO TACH NOTE: For a direct plug-in, use MSD Harness PN 8876. GRAY WHITE ® BLACK K TI-SPAR CDI MUL N IGNITIO ORANGE PN 5520 WWW.STREET-FIRE.
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INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS GM IGNITIONS 5 GM Large Cap HEI Distributors There are three different large cap HEI distributors. To identify which of the following diagrams fit your specific application, remove the distributor cap and rotor and locate the ignition module at the base of the distributor. Count the number of terminals on both ends of the module and follow the corresponding diagram. GM used 4, 5 and 7-pin modules in these distributors.
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INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS GM IGNITIONS Wiring an HEI 5 or 7-pin Module (Amplifier Trigger). NOTE: Some 5-pin models may experience a hesitation or stall on deceleration. If this occurs, contact MSD Tech Line for the required bolt-in diode to correct the problem. MSD Tech Line (915) 855-7123. MAGNETIC PICKUP NOT USED TO TACH GRAY ® K TI-SPAR CDI MULTION IGNI PN 5520 WWW.STREET-FIRE.COM Wiring a Ford DuraSpark using White Wire Trigger.
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INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS 7 FORD IGNITIONS Wiring a Ford DuraSpark using Magnetic Pickup Trigger. FORD DISTRIBUTOR BLACK (NOT USED) DISTRIBUTOR CONNECTORDISCONNECT FROM ORIGINAL HARNESS C+ + VIOLET + ORANGE VIOLET NOT USED WHITE (NOT USED) COVER W/TAPE GRAY ® + BLACK TO TACH ORANGE MAGNETIC PICKUP CONNECTOR SMALL RED PN 8860 HARNESS H GREEN C TA INDICATES CONNECTION + COIL ARK TI-SP CDI MULTION IGNI PN 5520 WWW.STREET-FIRE.COM FORD IGNITIONS Wiring a Ford TFI with Harness, PN 8874.
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INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS TO TACH ED Wiring a Chrysler Electronic Ignition using Magnetic Pickup Trigger. MAGNETIC PICKUP CONNECTOR GRAY GE R CHRYSLER IGNITIONS AN OR WHITE (NOT USED) ® K AC BL COIL TI-SPARK CDI MUL ION IGNIT PN 5520 WWW.STREET-FIRE.COM MSD SYSTEMS Installing to an MSD Distributor PN 8360. D L AL MAGNETIC PICKUP NOT USED TO TACH RE SM GRAY ® ARK TI-SP CDI MULTION IGNI PN 5520 WWW.STREET-FIRE.
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INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS 9 AFTERMARKET COMPONENTS Wiring a Mallory Unilite or 9000 Series using Points Trigger. MAGNETIC PICKUP NOT USED TO TACH GRAY COIL ® K TI-SPAR CDI MUL N IGNITIO PN 5520 WWW.STREET-FIRE.COM TROUBLESHOOTING Every Street Fire Ignition undergoes numerous quality control checks including a four hour burn-in test. If you experience a problem with your ignition, our research has shown that the majority of problems are due to improper installation or poor connections.
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INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS NO-RUN ON FOREIGN VEHICLES Some foreign vehicles with fuel injection systems may require an MSD Tach/Fuel Injection Adapter to run with the Street Fire Ignition. This is because many of these systems use the same trigger source to operate the CDI, the tachometer and the fuel injection. This results in a voltage signal that is too low to accurately trigger the fuel injection. To fix this, an MSD Tach Adapter, PN 8910, will remedy the problem on the majority of vehicles.
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INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS 11 GM 2-WIRE ALTERNATORS EARLY GM VEHICLES ATTACH DIODE TO TERMINAL "4" WIRE LOOM 1 2 3 4 SMALLER OF THE 2-WIRES FORD VEHICLES ATTACH DIODE TO TERMINAL "1" SPLICE HERE TO CHARGING LIGHT OR DIODE 1A-400V DIODE DELCOTRON ALTERNATOR Figure 5 Installing the Diode to fix Run-On. Most other applications: On other applications where engine Run-On is experienced, a Resistor can be put in-line to the Street Fire's small Red wire (Figure 6).
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CHECKING FOR SPARK If triggering the ignition with the White wire: 1 Make sure the ignition switch is in the "Off" position. WHITE WIRE TRIGGER 2. Remove the coil wire from the distributor cap and set the terminal approximately 1/2" from ground. 3. Disconnect the White wire from the distributor's points or ignition amplifier. 4. Turn the ignition to the On position. Do not crank the engine. 5. Tap the White wire to ground several times.