Points, every year item?

[Fordiesel69]

I hate to say it, but I am so fed up with the chinese crap, I would like to spit! I cant even spend good money on good stuff anymore. All the cheap phelon, echlin, etc points for kohler tractor engines never last, only factory kohler points do. Same with my mercruiser, china points in, lasted 15 hours or so and the pivot stud / pin came loose. Guess what? No low throttle (lower than 2500 PRM), I had to speed thru the channel and risk a big fine. Thanks china!!!!!

Now for the new ones, I asked for OEM and out of the bag comes the same crap china points. How can I buy a good set of points?

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Points, every year item?

I have run Mallory ignition parts with no problems.The last set lasted 3 years in my old OMC and were still fine when i sold the boat.
Not sure if they are made in the USA though.

 

[windsors03cobra]

Re: Points, every year item?

I bought a set of Echlin for my old Chev and I was blown away at the price of $16, I remember buying them for about $2 and I'm not even that old.
I was talking to a co-worker and he said they have become more expensive as less and less folks manufacture them as the dies and tooling wears out the companies just stop making them.
I was also unimpressed with the fit between the 2 points altho the material on them looked good, the same coworker said to give them a little tweak to make them fit better.

Probably 20 or 25 hours and no problems.
I rather have points than a spark box made in china or some god forsaken land.

 

[ziggy]

Re: Points, every year item?

i hear ya man. guess i didn't look at the bag that my points came in for origin. did note it was a quicksilver or mercruiser bag. reason i noticed was my dealer came out with some points. just plain points, no bag. they was all crooked. noticeably didn't mate proper. i says what this, some chineeze points. he says nope, mercruiser points, came right out of the bag. i says, well these ain't gonna do. dealer takes me back to the bag of points, says pick what ya want. found one that was satisfactory. quicksilver or mercruiser on the bag.....

side note, last year or two. i been checkin my dwell 1 to 3 times a summer. usually find it off from what i set it at. rubbing block wearing down???? could be my lack of a lub spounge (wore off and vanished) for my dist. cam... but stilll???? oh, and i certainly replace them yearly at summerization...

 

[Peaceful Pirate]

Re: Points, every year item?

I know the reams of text, both pro and con, have been written concerning converting to an electronic module (Pertronix) verses the old mechanical points. For what it is worth, we started converting a few years ago and are sold on the electronic module for older gas engines. Basically a set-it-and-go process that gives quicker starts, better fuel consumption and a noticeable improvement in engine performance. Just one opinion.

 

[mcleaves]

Re: Points, every year item?

Points fail more often than electronic do, but if they do it's easy to have a spare set. Having an extra electronic replacement is cost prohibitive. But that is what you pay for annual tow insurance.

Personally I hear stories about the problem of electronic failing, but I have yet to meet someone who can tell me it happened to them or friend. I think it's a lot more of a theoretical problem than a real world one.

That said here is my opinion FWIW. If you are going to electronic to replace the hassle of replacing and periodically adjusting points it is without a doubt a purchase you will not regret. I did it on my old AQ125 and never looked back. Ran more evenly longer as the electronic doesn't wear with use.

BUT, if you are going electronic to solve some problem with how it presently runs you are still going to have the same problem after you covert to electronic until you fix it. I see people wanting to go to electronic to solve a million unrelated problems and then wonder why it's not better after the conversion. Until you can set your engine up to run properly on points it's a waste of money to go electronic.

 

[Peaceful Pirate]

Re: Points, every year item?

Mcleaves makes an excellent point ? converting from mechanical points to electronic module will not fix anything. It is simply a bit of newer technology added to an older system. Just FYI ? as with any system, a backup is always a good thing on the water. That is why we hang onto the old points and relater parts, put them in a zip-lock and stow them with our extra belts and etc. Never had to break them out, but if a module did ever fail, we like knowing that at least we have a way home!!

 

[Fordiesel69]

Re: Points, every year item?

I also should have known when my RPM guage was going haywire. It was up at 5k when I was at 5" of vacuum. Not even close!!! The new points also fixed the RPM reading. Does this sound right?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Points, every year item?

Engine RPM and vacuum readings are not related whatsoever. If the engine is running and the tach is reading incorrectly it is also not likely the points. The tach merely counts ignition pulses. While point bounce due to a weak spring can cause bounce, the engine would also be running funny.

As for dwell readings changing, one should always check for wear in the upper distributor bushing. A worn bushing allows the distributor shaft to wobble thus causing varying dwell readings. You can set the dwell to spec but the next time you check it may be wrong. When setting dwell, blip the throttle to ensure the distributor shaft is not wobbling. Dwell angle should not change when the engine rpm is changed.

 

[zbnutcase]

Re: Points, every year item?

And don't forget, breaker points are meant to be aligned AFTER installing them. There is a tool made just for that, but good luck finding one today. It can be done pliers however...'nutcase

 

[myoldboat2]

Re: Points, every year item?

I think you guys are making a great case for switching to a Pertronix.

 

[Peaceful Pirate]

Re: Points, every year item?

Res ipsa loquitur

 

[love1u0]

Re: Points, every year item?

My old 3.0 had points and it seemed like I always had to tinker with them. I put a Pertronix kit in and I didnt have to mess with it at all.

I kept the old rotor and breaker plate with the points and condenser on it as a spare on the boat.