Hi,

I've been struggling to find an OEM or known quality ICM.

I purchased one through Ebay and was scammed, it's a Chinese made part that cross references with the original, and I'm not putting that junk on the car.

So was hoping someone knows of a distributor that has quality ICMs.

Thanks,
Eric

 

I have an MSD coil/ICM/ bracket for sale. I am not sure of the brand, but it worked on my car (swapped for 24x and a Terminator X). I am looking for $65 for the pair + shipping.

 

Shoebox shows the AC Delco part as D1986A. Rock Auto appears to carry it. Could be made in China, but probably under better quality control.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/parts/ac...ule+(icm),7172

 

Hey Drew, I'm looking for new OEM if I can find it, but thanks anyway.

 

Your search was better than mine haha. This price seems lower than what Autozone wanted for the same part ($145).

I've got the heat soak issue I believe. Drive it around town for a little while till it gets hot; get home, turn it off, then try to restart - and it behaves like my battery is low charge...a real lethargic, slow attempt to crank.

Cools off, cranks immediately with no issues. I'm out of town working so haven't had a chance to test it, or get it tested while hot.

 

Just do the ICM spacer mod. Use two washers behind the bracket ears to give a small gap between the head and the heat sink. You can also use a more efficient thermal paste between the ICM and the heat sink. If you go that direction, do a search on Amazon for Arctic Silver. Make sure to clean all of the previous compound using rubbing alcohol before using the new paste.

 

I was going to do that with the new one, but I suppose I could try it with the one that's installed. I'll remove it, and clean both surfaces, and apply new thermal compound evenly.

Have you heard of anyone using stainless or composite spacers rather than washers to provide more standoff distance than just a ¼ to a ½ inch?

-Eric

 

A washer made of an insulator like phenolic material will limit heat transfer better than a washer made from basic carbon steel or stainless steel (e.g. 304). Both those steels have similar thermal conductivity, so stainless offers no advantage over mild steel, other than corrosion resistance. The thicker the insulator, the less heat transferred from the head surface to the bracket surface. The smaller the diameter of the washer, the less heat transfer. But the bolts will continue to conduct heat. Hopefully the insulator washer will not have any effect on the ground performance of the ground strap to bracket to bolt to head. Doubt it would. But don’t use anything non-conductive between the bolt head/wire terminal and outer surface of the bracket.

 

Right on. I won't disturb the bonding of the ground strap/ring terminal. I was thinking of using stainless, phenolic, or ceramic spacer that have an inner diameter suitable for the bolts' size, and increase standoff distance to more than an inch of air gap. Not a fan of stacking washers. Phenolic has much lower thermal conductivity than both stainless and aluminum, but might be tough to find.

 

Aluminum would be a poor choice. It is an excellent conductor of heat, many times greater than steel. Just find a fiber or hard rubber washer that will stand up to the temperature.