4x4Review Off Road Magazine
I ’m sure you have seen, readh or heard of several companies that tout some sort of ignition upgrade system. Especially those that make claims to improve your vehicles performance in one way or another. Well, I decided to give it a whirl and called Jacobs Electronics (1-800-627-8800). Their ads caught my eye with their prominent money back guarantee of instantly curing all misfires, loss of performance, erratic idle, off idle stumbles and increasing your fuel mileage. I spoke to Anita Matthews and she went over pretty much what the magazine ads had stated and told me that I would definitely feel and notice a difference in performance. I asked her to set me up with a entry point system, which included a Jacobs Omni Magnum and a set of Jacobs Energy Core Wires. I asked for the “cut to fit” wire set (1 of 3 options available) because I wanted to run the wires in a set of looms to clean up the engine compartment. The Omni Magnum itself is a work of art. I was impressed with the quality of the milling work of the aluminum case. The electronics are encapsulated in epoxy which is how they get to their water, vibration, and contamination proof guarantee. The wires themselves first appeared to be “normal”, until you read the fine print. Jacobs is the only company to offer a metal core with less than 250 ohms per foot (lowest of any wire available), a vacuum-deposited Teflon coating that protects against contaminants such as oil and other caustic agents, pure silicon insulation, and a unique boot vulcanization process that fuses together with the wires own insulation. They also provide a special Perma-slip grease so that the wires will never stick to the porcelain of the spark plug.
All in all, I was impressed off the bat with the quality of product I received. Follow along now with the installation process and see just how easy it was for us to upgrade the ignition system in our K-5 Blazer. You will see that Jacobs has taken every effort to making this ignition upgrade a snap for even the beginner to do for him or herself.
Installation
 We mounted the Omni Magnum on the fenderwell horizontal to the length of the truck. This will provide better air flow through the cooling fins (heat sink) and should prolong it’s life. (Although probably not necessary.) |
First, we disconnected the battery terminals. Next was to mount the Omni Magnum to the fenderwell. This proved to be the best location for our application. Per the instructions, we then mounted the trigger to a flat, stable location. The trigger 
is used for our application because the OEM ignition coil is an external unit and the trigger converts the high voltage output into a signal that automatically turns on as well as tells Omni the appropriate time to fire a spark. Now, the important note here is that the trigger cannot be farther than 18 inches from the OEM coil. There is a lead that is installed now from the trigger to the tower on the OEM coil, after the original coil to distributor wire is disconnected. Next, connect the new high voltage wire from the Omni Magnum to the center post on the distributor. This wire is pre-made and is already located on the Omni Magnum.
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The plug wires were the next step. We took each of the original wires off one at a time so not to mix up any cylinders. This took a little time but wasn’t too bad. Each of the wires was made to fit by the length I needed because of the future install of wire looms. Each wire had to have a Uni-clip installed in the end of each wire that straddles the conductive core. The biggest note here, per the instructions, is not to pierce the conductive core. After the desired length was determined, apply the provided insulating sealer adhesive to the lip of the outer wire insulation and insert the wire into the distributor boot/terminal assembly. Make sure that the uni-clip is in a horizontal position when the boot is installed on the wire (see illustrations in instructions). Before the wires can be installed, the spark plugs need to be gapped at .055. I spent the extra $16.00 and bought new plugs instead of re-using my old ones. Now comes the hard part, connect the red wire to the positive side (+) of the battery and the black wire to the negative side (-) of the battery. After those two tricky steps, with the ignition key off, slowly install the 15-amp fuse provided in the kit. That’s it! We took the time to check the distributor timing and took it for a test drive.
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Have you ever wondered how the stereo shops twist wires together so neatly? You didn’t think that they do this by hand did you? Well, here’s a quick way to get some wires twisted together quickly and neatly. Simply take your wires and secure them in a vice or something stable that you can pull on. Next, install your wires into the chuck of a drill and tighten. Finally, twist away! Just be sure not to twist the wires too much that it damages the metal core of the wire. The ends of the wires will twist more than the center so be sure that you have a few extra inches of wire that you can clip off if you need to. Approximately 1 to 2 twists per inch should be your maximum. | |
Final Analysis
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After the Jacobs system was installed, we headed back to the track and the chassis dyno. We were pleased to see our new results- the quarter mile time dropped to 18.42-seconds and the rear wheel horsepower went up to 112. Now, one must understand, the vehicle is a 1987 K-5 Blazer with 33×12.50’s BFG Mud Terrain’s , 4:56 gears, 700R4 transmission, and 92,000 miles on the odometer. Not a Corvette by any stretch, but a noticeable improvement was accomplished. The truck is primarily used for rock crawling, and the new low-end torque is gladly accepted. The Jacobs people held up to their end of the bargain. It provided me with all of the fixes they promised and I am very satisfied, as I would expect you would be too. If you are interested in seeing guaranteed results about your vehicle from Jacobs, please call 1-800-627-8800 for a free report. | Jacobs Electronics (a Mr. Gasket Company |
| 10601 Memphis Ave. #12 Cleveland, OH 44144 Voice: 216.688.8300 – ext. 500 Email: webstore@mrgasket.com Web Site: http://www.jacobselectronics.com |
| Description | Notes | Rating |
| Ease of Install | Amazingly easy. 4 wires to hook up. Much easier than the competitors. |  |
| Ease of Use | Fire the motor and enjoy. | |
| Performance | As advertised and guaranteed. No lies! |  |
| Durability | Approximately 1000 miles and no problems to report. | |
| Appearance | Stunning. As stated above, the machine work on the Omni Magnum and trigger are impressive. | |
| Driveability | Fixed my trucks problems | |
| Comfort | N/A | N/A |
| Price in comparison to related products | Very comparable to what MSD has to offer | |
| Was it worth it? | You bet! To install a product that lives up to its promise is refreshing. | |
| Tools Required | Drill and small bits, Phillips head screw driver, and small wrenches. These tools vary slightly depending on your vehicle. | |
| Editors Notes | I was optimistic at best. But, after having this system for 1,000 plus miles now, I love it. I made a long road trip with it and had no problems at all. And on a personal note, I want to thank everyone at Jacobs that I dealt with on the phone. All were very professional and polite with assistance I needed. Thanks. …TS | |
