points wear out 2.3L omc

[Capt.P]

Just bought a boat and the old owner tells me the points wear out after 10-15 hrs . Coil labelled 'use external resistor'could not find one installed so i put a ballast resistor on the positive side of the coil. Start engine and their is 10.5 v @ idle and 12 at a high idle,everything i read on the net tells me i should have 6-8 volts when running am i wrong?It does appear to start easier after the resistor was installed and it is coming up on 15hrs of running time.Do you think my problem is solved or is the volts still to high and the points are going to wear out??Maybe their is anoter reason for the points to wear out ? I have not experianced these wearing out yet as i have only used the boat a few times .

 

[rbezdon]

Re: points wear out 2.3L omc

12 is too high if that is at the + of the coil. It says the running voltage of your charging system may be too high. Since one end of the ballast resistor is also connected to the + coil, the other end of the ballast resistor should be connected to the ingition side of the +12 of your boat. Measure that at high idle. It should be around 14 to 15. If it is the charging system is OK and you have the wrong value ballast resistor. You need a bigger value (more ohms).

 

[Capt.P]

Re: points wear out 2.3L omc

Thanks Ron the charging system seems ok 13.5 -14 volts and the auto supply gave me the highest resistor they list Ibeleave 1-2.75 ohms Am I going in the right direction with this ?

 

[rbezdon]

Re: points wear out 2.3L omc

You know, while posting on another thread a thouygh came to me. The purpose of the condenser is to limit the rate of rise of voltage from the coil, primarily to protest the points. Have you relaced the condenser and made sure the connection to it is good and that the body of the condenser is well grounded to the distributor frame and back to the block?? This could also be related to poor point life.<br /><br />By the way, your charging voltages seem fine. Try two of the resistors in series. I measured my ballast resistor wire and I got nearly 3 ohms total. You range on the one you got is too much. If it is 1 that is way too low. 2.75 is closer. I am sure the voltages your are getting are too high (12 at fast idle). Increase the ballast resistor by putting them in series until you get around 9

 

[whywhyzed]

Re: points wear out 2.3L omc

geez, weren't the old slant 6 chrysler ballast resistors 10 ohms...<br /><br />of course, measuring the resistance of the thing cold, on the bench means nothing, as the ballast resistor heats up, it's value changes drastically...

 

[Capt.P]

Re: points wear out 2.3L omc

yes the old owner had the points condenser cap replaced and the marina where i bought it also replaced them before i bought it because it was running rough they were unaware of thr points burning out.i found the original owner after i bought the boat.great idea iwill check the ground and also i have been checking the resistance when cold , maybee i should run the boat for a while then check the resistance?will it increase alot?Thanks for the help everyone i appreciate it very much!

 

[rbezdon]

Re: points wear out 2.3L omc

I have not seen how to find the actual value but the sure fire way is simply to increase the resistance until you have about 9 volts during the normal run. Also, make sure the resistor gets bypassed by the starter solinoid during start. In my case I have found the right value ballast resistor to be roughly the same as the primary resistance of the coil. One sure fire method to ELIMINATE the problem is to convert to the Pertronix Ignotor and the Epoxy coil rated for full battery voltage and eliminate the ballast resistor all together. You could do this for around $100 bucks (module about 75 and coil about 35) and then you solve the problem once and for all. I did the conversion. It took 20 minutes. Simple, woth while and better preformance.

 

[Capt.P]

Re: points wear out 2.3L omc

Thanks ithink i will run the engine awile and then check the volts and resistance maybee it is ok after it heats up? I would love to convert this ignition but i just bought the boat and although i got a deal idont want to spend any more money than i have to, besides i am from canada and parts are more money here than in the states