Leaky MSD coils. Any experiences?

[luckyseven]

Further on from this here post from jayom on my build thread; retrorides.proboards.com/post/2071655/thread I've done a bit of feeble Googling (my google-fu is weak). Basically, it seems that MSD recommend you only mount Blaster coils vertically. I've turned up a few threads out in the wonderful wide internetz from people saying their coils have leaked their oil out. But then there are also loads of replies from blokes saying things like "I've had one mounted horizontally on my Camaro* for ten years and they've been fine." Has anyone had any firsthand experience of this phenomenon? It seems rather that either you get a good one and you could mount it upside-down it still wouldn't leak or you get a Friday afternoon special and it's more incontinent than your nan.

Am I worrying unduly? Should I just leave them horizontal and hope I got good ones? It'd be a right PITA to find anywhere to mount them vertically without having to extend the wiring by miles

This is the stock location. Seems a shame not to use it since Mazda went to all the trouble of making nice shapely holes into the inner wing just for them



*other brands of car are available




In penance for what might prove a stupid question, have some of my humble pics of ignition systems, that in the words of the immortal Clink from BSH, would set fire to the proverbial bucket of p**s

[ChasR]

No, but I have seen this with a number of oil filled coils however. From what I can tell it seems to affect cars more where the coils are subjected to heat and vibration. For instance, many MGAs etc which have their coils mounted horizontally onto the engine, which they are subjected to a harsher environment than if they were simply mounted to tbem bulkhead out of the way. With your location it could be argued that the coils have an easier life truth be told. I guess all I can suggest is to see what happens, but it should be fine with any luck.

One solution around this IMO is to use wax filled coils like the Bosch Blue and Red coils. Even the 20 year old battered item on my Stag was better than the low rent coil I bought to replace it, which is still gathering dust somewhere on my shelves.

[joostvdw]

I've never really heard of coils leaking out their oil, but I have heard stories of coils completely failing when mounted horizontally. This is because coils need to be cooled and they (most of them anyway) use oil to do this, when the coil is horizontally the coil is not completely submerged and wont cool properly. There are however resin filled coils which can be mounted any way you like since the "coolant" is solid. No personal experience but it sounds reasonable?

I say "coolant" because the filler material is obviously not actively cooling anything, it just allows the heat generated by the coil to be dissipated to the outside of the coil and prevent hot spots which can melt coil wiring.

[hardtop]

MSD recommend their oil filled coils are mounted upright, they recommend a epoxy filled coil for horizontal mountings, maybe they wont be to taxed considering its a rotary and they wont be mounted on the engine, they might think that most customers are using V8's and horizontal mounting means fitted to the engine which increases heat and kills coils prematurely