by "Berang" (berang)
Published 01/23/2017 at 05:18
by "Berang" (berang)
Published 01/23/2017 at 05:18
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STARS: 0
Mine does. For now.
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
01/23/2017 at 05:21, STARS: 0
GB534?
"McMike" (mcmike)
01/23/2017 at 05:23, STARS: 0
I have two that came with points/condenser.
One still does. One has a Pertronix
"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
01/23/2017 at 05:44, STARS: 0
One of my cars used to. My motorcycle still does.
"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
01/23/2017 at 05:58, STARS: 0
Ah, but I’ve had a car with them. I think.
"Blind Willie Tyresmoke Namington IV" (sal-man)
01/23/2017 at 06:12, STARS: 0
What are those? And how many oppo points do I lose for asking?
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
01/23/2017 at 06:20, STARS: 5
Pun intended?
"Blind Willie Tyresmoke Namington IV" (sal-man)
01/23/2017 at 06:30, STARS: 0
Actually no, I get it’s part of the ignition system but what does it do?
"Berang" (berang)
01/23/2017 at 06:36, STARS: 1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contact_breaker
They’re evil little shits.
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
01/23/2017 at 06:36, STARS: 1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contact_breaker
They’re often called points, hence the unintentional pun you made. And, they haven’t been used on car engines for several decades now, so don’t feel too bad about not recognizing them...
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
01/23/2017 at 07:05, STARS: 0
The Wiki explains well what they do...though why would a car need them?
"Shoop" (shoopdawoop993)
01/23/2017 at 07:19, STARS: 0
I’ve got plenty of ratchet straps tho.
"Slant6" (slant-6)
01/23/2017 at 07:36, STARS: 0
Car I drive everyday, thankfully no. Car I have in a storage trailer back home, yes.
Although it will probably be the first thing to go once I land a real job and have some disposable income.
I’m actually considering going to grad school about 4 blocks from my parents house, so I might just use it for getting around town then. Until then I need my Ranger to get me 200 miles home and around town in the snow.
"jimz" (jimz)
01/23/2017 at 07:40, STARS: 2
because it’s an old car built before electronic ignition systems.
"Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost)
01/23/2017 at 08:06, STARS: 0
Points! I remember screwing with those, they do suck.
"MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s" (mastermario)
01/23/2017 at 08:31, STARS: 0
This was kind of a cool little factoid from the wiki page on these
“since contact breaker points gradually degrade instead of catastrophically failing, they are still used on aircraft engines.”
"Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer" (dash-doorhandle-and-bondo)
01/23/2017 at 08:47, STARS: 0
Mine look like that, except the actual points will be welded together with a hole blown through the arm. tends to still run after murdering points. Murders points in short order, will run quite well like that for some reason.
"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
01/23/2017 at 09:06, STARS: 0
Got a set of points in the Rover. Got a set in the Lincoln (not running yet). Would have a set in the Galaxie, except that the previous owner got an electronic set.
"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
01/23/2017 at 09:08, STARS: 2
Analog old-timey ignition system. No points, no spark, because it’s breaking contact that creates the conditions for the coil to zot things. Not necessary on a diesel, nor on anything that has an electronic points module or fully electronic spark management.
"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
01/23/2017 at 09:12, STARS: 1
Mechanical ignition. Most cars actually had some form through at least the 90s, but very traditional ones like this haven’t been common in at least 3-4 decades.
In 10-20 years I could probably make this post with a picture of an ignition coil pack or a spark plug wire and the kids would be just as confused.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
01/23/2017 at 09:12, STARS: 1
It’s amazing to me, although I guess it shouldn’t be, that people wouldn’t know what these are. I’m not even that old I swear!
I had points in my old truck, and I’ve actually yet to take the distributor cap off the ‘61 although I would put money on the fact that it also has points. I like that I can keep a spare set in the glove box and it’s about $5. They are dead simple, although a bit finicky.
I’ve had an electronic kit puke out its magnets and you’re really out of luck then. At least with points you can fiddle with it or replace it easily.
That said, a fully electronic distributor is the way to go.
"bob and john" (bobandjohn)
01/23/2017 at 09:28, STARS: 1
its basically what sends spark to the motor. part of the distributor. your cars are too modern to have one.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
01/23/2017 at 09:35, STARS: 0
That is wild!
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
01/23/2017 at 09:36, STARS: 0
I know what they are, but I’ve never owned a vehicle that has them. Even my ‘74 Buick Apollo had an HEI distributor.
"kanadanmajava1" (kanadanmajava1)
01/23/2017 at 09:40, STARS: 0
Unlike many other engine parts, you know quite well if those work or not. If it opens and closes during on distributor rotation as many times as the engine has cylinders, it works.
I have to admit that I have a problem with those in my Packard. The bearings in the distributor are worn out and the shaft wobbles so much that the breaker opens rather randomly. A timing light doesn’t work very well due this. I’m slightly surprised that the engine even runs with a distributor in that condition.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
01/23/2017 at 10:50, STARS: 0
Since boats are so far behind cars in technology, not to mention the fact that people don’t hesitate to run a boat that’s 25 years old (as opposed to cars), I’ve dealt with points plenty. There isn’t anything wrong with them in theory, and often they will work for years without any trouble.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
01/23/2017 at 11:02, STARS: 0
I actually have some NOS points and condensers I pulled out of my dad’s toolbox, he was a mechanic in the 70's. I don’t know why or what I would ever do with them, but for some reason I think they’re cool enough to hang onto. I even have his old dwell tach, which I wouldn’t know what to do with if you put a gun to my head.
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
01/23/2017 at 11:05, STARS: 0
Huh, that’s actually really cool! I’ve never thought about how a mechanical ignition works!
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
01/23/2017 at 11:06, STARS: 0
Makes sense, I have no idea what I thought a non-electronic ignition would use. This device certainly does the trick though!
"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
01/23/2017 at 11:23, STARS: 0
It’s easy to think that the rotor passing the correct location in the cap times the spark, but it’s actually these little mofos. They ride on a cam under the rotor, and every time the cam comes on point, the points open, which makes a spark. Because the points don’t actually handle that much current themselves, they’re relatively fragile - a little corrosion or scum or grease and they don’t make contact properly, which means no spark. If you leave the key on in an older car with points and the engine is currently off-cam on the points (i.e. the points are in contact), the points can get hot and burn, and preventing the car from starting. So, be sure to avoid that if you find yourself in a 60s car - key on, start immediately.
If the points get replaced or have to be fixed from getting toasted, you have to set them to the proper gap - usually like sixteen thousandths - and if they’re burnt you have to clean the contact faces with a points file or sandpaper. Note: this used to be common enough that half emery nail files or points files used to be carried in wallets for this purpose. You can get the gap pretty close with, IIRC, a dollar bill folded twice.
If you think about it, it’s no surprise they act up sometimes. It’s a *switch* that gets activated on, say, a six cylinder, 3/2 times for every revolution. In 5000 miles, that’s literally millions of times...
"My bird IS the word" (mybirdistheword)
01/23/2017 at 12:24, STARS: 0
why are aircraft engines still using distributors? cars don’t.
"MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s" (mastermario)
01/23/2017 at 12:29, STARS: 0
Because they really don’t fail catastrophically, instead they gradually degrade. If you only have one engine keeping you in the air, you do everything you can to avoid catastrophic failure, even if it means using an older less efficient technology. That would be my understanding of the reasoning behind it.
"My bird IS the word" (mybirdistheword)
01/23/2017 at 13:50, STARS: 0
But my point is that electronic non-distributor ignition with individual coils is a practically solid state system. no moving parts.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
01/23/2017 at 14:04, STARS: 0
Funny, I’ve set timing of course but never used a dwell meter either. It has to do with how long the points are open, and when they open (I am pretty sure). That helps get the best spark at the exact right moment, on top of timing. Again, I’ve never done it but that’s my understanding of it. I’m SURE someone on here knows lots more.
"MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s" (mastermario)
01/23/2017 at 14:07, STARS: 0
Maybe the worry is about the ECU itself failing. It’s rare, but it does happen (happened to me actually). I don’t really know much about aircraft engines, I just found that bit interesting when I was reading.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
01/23/2017 at 14:09, STARS: 0
That sounds about right. My dad gave me a brief explanation, I just glazed over. When he noticed that, he said, “Tell you what, if you ever need to actually use this thing, I’ll come over and show you.” He’s the kind of guy that is really into the inane intricacies of how things work. According to him he was the local go-to guy for tuning quadrajet carbs back in the day. Of course I have no proof of this, but it seems like the kind of thing that would be right up his alley.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
01/23/2017 at 14:16, STARS: 0
The closest thing to tuning a quadrajet carb is balancing the carbs on a Honda 25hp outboard. There were three carbs (1 per cylinder), and we hooked up a complex thing that measured vacuum, and you would fiddle with adjustments until the readings for all 3 carbs / cylinders were the same. Not that difficult, really. But it looked cool while you were doing it!
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
01/23/2017 at 14:18, STARS: 0
Sounds like some evil scientist stuff :)
"MM54" (mm54mk2)
01/23/2017 at 19:18, STARS: 0
Dual points? So fancy
"JEH" (silverado412)
01/27/2017 at 09:51, STARS: 1
I spent a lot of time setting points with a feeler gauge to get them close, then using the dwell meter to fine tune. The best were GM V8s with the “window” in the distributor cap. Slide the window up and use an allen wrench to set the points with the engine running. Some of the worst were Chrysler slant 6 with the distributor buried down along the side of the engine. You had a choice: you could see what you wanted to do but not be able to do it once you got your hands in there, or just work by feel ... and hope you didn’t drop the screw holding the points or condenser.
Timing light and dwell meter are still safely tucked away in the bottom of my tool chest, where they’ve spent the last several decades.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
01/28/2017 at 09:43, STARS: 0
Hah, that window idea sounds fantastic! I used a timing light every couple years on either my boat or truck... but it’s been probably 5 years now? Setting base timing on my EFI boat engine was a real hassle, none of the things in the manual behaved the way they said....