Another Mopar Off My Bucket List - Barracuda Fastback
1.5KE16A-E3/54 Transient Voltage Suppressor
It is essentially a Zener diode. It blocks electric current until the voltage reaches a certain level and then it conducts pretty well, keeping the voltage from rising much further.
This particular diode is designed to cut off voltage transients by shorting them to ground. It can swallow as much as 65 amps for a short while (microseconds) and dissipate 6.5 Watts continuously if properly cooled. You won't be properly cooling it but under normal conditions, it won't be conducting any current at all (by approximation) and therefore no power will be dissipated.
You connect it across the power input to the MSD box. The white line on the diode goes to + and the other end goes to -. Real simple. Should this diode fail, it will short and the generator will fry it. It can't hurt your gear. I promise.
Newark is the same group as a company called Farnell in the UK. They deliver over night via UPS at a fixed cost of $8, and not only to companies. I suspect Newark has a similar policy.
Check it out.
Zener diode? Zener diode? That sounds suspiciously like a flux capacitor. Why do I have the feeling that when I go into Radio Shack and ask them for the part they'll all fall on the floor laughing at me? I envision one of them attaching a 'KICK ME' sign on my back as I turn to leave with my head hung low. LOL.
Thanks for the info Anders. It'll be a few more days (at least) until I get around to the install. Maybe I should get one for each of our vehicles running MSD boxes. So, you think we'd be able to put a battery charger on the cars without risking damage to these electronic controllers then, right?