DARREN LILLY wrote: ↑Sun Oct 27, 2019 2:02 pm
Hi Melford72 did you resolve the problem, I got mine back from the mechanics & not happy so far as it broke down 3x first day each time after about 15 minutes running. Does the ignition module need a heat sink, nothing under mine. I have a spare msd 6AL did using one of these fix it. Probably have less than a hours running time since installation is maybe the system still learning. The mechanics didnt install the lcd info screen will this cause issues? Thanks
Update: I finally got sick of it all and just ripped the entire system out.
I tried a new control module ($$$) and that did not fix the problem. Then I removed the timing control altogether and went to a normal dizzy (more $$$) and that also did not fix the problem. Then I took the truck to a local shop that has experience with the Sniper. They told me that they'd wished I had come to them BEFORE I'd bought the Sniper and that they'd seen nothing but problems. There's a local guy with a Ford Bronco that they're working with that's on his 4th Sniper throttle body.
They tried to figure out what was going on and spent some time on the phone with Holley too, but it seems that there's just something going haywire inside of my throttle body — or maybe it's mechanical — or maybe it's a Voltage drop thing — or maybe it's something else entirely. Who knows? According to datalogs, my Sniper appeared to be working fine. But when it died pulling away from a stop sign, I can tell you that it clearly wasn't running right.
So... I could have spent more time trying to figure out why this system refuses to work — but I'm just done with it. I've got bigger fish to fry (commitments to family, work, etc.) and dumping MORE energy into this nightmare didn't seem like a smart idea any more.
So now I'm back to running an MSD distributor with mechanical advance and an AVS2 Edelbrock carb. (My first non-Holley carb, but I wasn't about to put Holley ANYTHING on my engine at this point.) And my truck is running great again.
The silver lining of this all is that it gave me time to assess what I really want out of my truck and let me come to some conclusions.
1. I've spent a lot of time and effort on this engine (new cooling system, new fuel system, headers and exhaust, ignition and charging, plus other stuff that I can't think of right now...)
2. Even after all of that, it's never going to give me the reliability or mileage I'd want to be able to take my son fishing in the central sierras. Even when my Sniper was functioning correctly, it never got more than 10 mpg.
3. I don't really want to undo a lot of the work I've done on this truck, so it's time to sell it and let someone else enjoy what I built.
Meanwhile, a few weeks ago I picked up a 1970 Custom Special with a blown Buick 350. It was just too much of a coincidence to ignore. My best friend from high school texted me a pic one afternoon. The truck was sitting in his little sister's garage — and she was looking to get rid of it. The exterior is rough, but the interior is really amazing and it's a perfect starting point for me. So now I'm planning a LM7/4L60 swap, and I'm actually going to come out with something even better in the long run.