grumpin Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 I didn't want to Highjack the other thread any further so I popped back here where I belong, and I guess I have some good news! So my truck has been hard to start this spring, and since I did a bunch of things over the winter, I wasn't quite sure what was causing it...other than possibly a lazy 36 year old starter. Anyway, I swapped my old original DSII ignition module back in the truck this morning, and now I have my crisp, clean, quick starts back! So I guess (possibly) my new Ford DSII module does not have the retard function during starting. Maybe I'll keep the new one behind the seat as a spare instead of my old original one with the wires that are stiff as steel. Or start hunting for an 80's NOS DSII module on Ebay. That’s great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1986F150Six Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 Or start hunting for an 80's NOS DSII module on Ebay. The 80's I saw had yellow relief tabs. Here is one from the 70's and priced lower: https://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-genuine-Ford-1974-up-all-models-Duraspark-ignition-module-D4AZ-12A199-C/193259177543?epid=1823585157&hash=item2cff250647:g:sXYAAOSwlyVd9z~p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzFace2 Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 That’s great! See that is why "if it aint broke don't fix it" works so well So much so the box on mine has been leaking a sticky goo as I was building it but it keeps working so it stays. I should take the spare box off the other fender and throw it behind the seat just in case I guess The only problem I have is if it sits for a few days, 2 or more, and it is a little warm as it is in my house garage I have to crank it a little more than I like. I am also still learning what it likes to start at different temps like in the garage. That is all part of the joy of old car & truck motors that run carbs. Dave ---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 I didn't want to Highjack the other thread any further so I popped back here where I belong, and I guess I have some good news! So my truck has been hard to start this spring, and since I did a bunch of things over the winter, I wasn't quite sure what was causing it...other than possibly a lazy 36 year old starter. Anyway, I swapped my old original DSII ignition module back in the truck this morning, and now I have my crisp, clean, quick starts back! So I guess (possibly) my new Ford DSII module does not have the retard function during starting. Maybe I'll keep the new one behind the seat as a spare instead of my old original one with the wires that are stiff as steel. Or start hunting for an 80's NOS DSII module on Ebay. If you must have concours originality. Gary can attest the NAPA Echlin TP-40 does have spark retard. It's what I run, and about $40 last I checked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted May 11, 2020 Author Share Posted May 11, 2020 See that is why "if it aint broke don't fix it" works so well Well, I'm not one to leave things alone really...lol, but that said, it was one of those things that I wanted to replace and then keep the old one as a spare. My original one was not leaking, but it is really corroded on the underside, and the epoxy is separating from the sides. I didn't want to end up 120 miles from home (or further) and not have one with me to swap in. If you must have concours originality. Gary can attest the NAPA Echlin TP-40 does have spark retard. It's what I run, and about $40 last I checked. Well that is good to know. The replacement I bought is a Ford box, but I guess not 100% the same. I don't needs concours originality, but I've seen nice NOS 80's blue grommet DSII boxes on Ebay for pretty cheap, so that seemed like the easiest way for me to get one that I know will work properly...and they have the cool original Duraspark sticker one them;). I'll check on the Napa version. If it's $40 bucks for you, then that means it's probably $100 for me...lol. I was doing some reading, and it looks like the original blue grommet DSII ignition modules retarded 4 degrees during start. Does that sound right to you guys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 See that is why "if it aint broke don't fix it" works so well Well, I'm not one to leave things alone really...lol, but that said, it was one of those things that I wanted to replace and then keep the old one as a spare. My original one was not leaking, but it is really corroded on the underside, and the epoxy is separating from the sides. I didn't want to end up 120 miles from home (or further) and not have one with me to swap in. If you must have concours originality. Gary can attest the NAPA Echlin TP-40 does have spark retard. It's what I run, and about $40 last I checked. Well that is good to know. The replacement I bought is a Ford box, but I guess not 100% the same. I don't needs concours originality, but I've seen nice NOS 80's blue grommet DSII boxes on Ebay for pretty cheap, so that seemed like the easiest way for me to get one that I know will work properly...and they have the cool original Duraspark sticker one them;). I'll check on the Napa version. If it's $40 bucks for you, then that means it's probably $100 for me...lol. I was doing some reading, and it looks like the original blue grommet DSII ignition modules retarded 4 degrees during start. Does that sound right to you guys? Gary and I discussed this recently. The delay is 1 millisecond, which works out to about 4* at 650 or so rpm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Cecil Posted May 11, 2020 Share Posted May 11, 2020 Gary and I discussed this recently. The delay is 1 millisecond, which works out to about 4* at 650 or so rpm. Should have put a chebbie HEI in it....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted May 11, 2020 Author Share Posted May 11, 2020 Should have put a chebbie HEI in it....lol Haha...Ray, I actually don't mind the look of the HEI distributor on the side of the 300/6, but they look really out of place to me on a 302 or 351...lol. On the back of a small block Chevy, by all means! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted May 12, 2020 Author Share Posted May 12, 2020 Gary and I discussed this recently. The delay is 1 millisecond, which works out to about 4* at 650 or so rpm. Very interesting. The delay would only be when the starter is engaged though, ya? That is when the delay circuit would be energized? So, this DSII ignition module I bought...it came in a Ford Motorcraft box, and inside was in a Ford Motorcraft bag, but there are no Ford markings of any kind on the module itself. Clearly it is one that Ford buys and resells...and other non-Ford applications used the same modules, so I guess they did away with the start retard feature on this one. I actually bought this module because of it's good reviews, but I guess most of the people buying these are probably running stock or mostly stock applications, probably with the stock initial timing of 8*btdc, in which case one might not even notice that the module was not retarding during start-up... And I'm running 16-17 degrees btdc initial...so I'm very much advanced. I see there is a DSII module from the early 80's with the white grommet with even extra retard on start...it has 14*btdc which is 10* more than the DSII box with the blue grommet. From the little reading I did, it was used on 2.3t engines in the early Mustangs and Cougars, etc... I'll price the Napa one you mentioned today as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 Gary and I discussed this recently. The delay is 1 millisecond, which works out to about 4* at 650 or so rpm. Very interesting. The delay would only be when the starter is engaged though, ya? That is when the delay circuit would be energized? So, this DSII ignition module I bought...it came in a Ford Motorcraft box, and inside was in a Ford Motorcraft bag, but there are no Ford markings of any kind on the module itself. Clearly it is one that Ford buys and resells...and other non-Ford applications used the same modules, so I guess they did away with the start retard feature on this one. I actually bought this module because of it's good reviews, but I guess most of the people buying these are probably running stock or mostly stock applications, probably with the stock initial timing of 8*btdc, in which case one might not even notice that the module was not retarding during start-up... And I'm running 16-17 degrees btdc initial...so I'm very much advanced. I see there is a DSII module from the early 80's with the white grommet with even extra retard on start...it has 14*btdc which is 10* more than the DSII box with the blue grommet. From the little reading I did, it was used on 2.3t engines in the early Mustangs and Cougars, etc... I'll price the Napa one you mentioned today as well. Yes. You have white and a red wire in the power plug of the module. When the white wire is energized it adds the delay. Did you buy your module through a Ford dealer? If it doesn't *at the least* have the Motorcraft number on it it's probably counterfeit. There were a very few AMC vehicles that used DuraSpark modules under license, but their production numbers were pathetically low compared to Ford, and they soon vanished as an entity. If your old box pulls in enough retard then I don't see a reason to go to some oddball (and probably expensive) white grommet box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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