Dwell gauge/meter for points, how necessary? (especially, as I haven't got one)

[daverclasper]

Hi.  For my car use, low milaege fairly gentle use, is it just best to use feelers?.

I understand they compesate for any wear of the plastic heel?

Cheers, Dave 

[Pete Lewis]

the base design of the dizzy cam be it delco or lucas will control the dwell well if the points gap is as specified  

to change the dwell you have to change the gap 

as you use feelers  sleep easy  dont dwell on the dwell ,  you cant change it so dont need to check it 

Pete

 

[Clive]

Yep, I have never owned a dwell meter, always just set the gap

[daverclasper]

Brill. Thanks folks

[Ian Foster]

I bought one a few years ago at a Beaulieu autojumble (£3 IIRC). I used the dwell function to check that a standard points gap gave the book value of dwell, but haven't used it since as I now have EL.

It does have a rev counter which is of some use setting up idle.

Ian

[Pete Lewis]

some dizzy like ducilier have a  adjustable points base plate so the dwell can be altered 

but the dizzy we have ,  preset the dwell a long time before the  myths of  having to check it were devised upon us 

Pete

[johny]

Course electronic ignition varies the dwell depending on revs so the coil always has the optimum time to charge! At least thats what Ive been paid to say😂

[Pete Lewis]

its a subject we cant Dwell on   Ha !!

what ever the dwell it doesnt have long if you think of a 50 year  6 pot at 6000 rpm makes 36000 opens and shuts  per minute 

doesnt leave much time  to dwell but it does it  ( well something like that ) 

  stay happy

pete 

[johny]

Wouldnt trust my engine to stay whole at anywhere near those revs😂

[JohnD]

20 hours ago, daverclasper said:

Hi.  For my car use, low milaege fairly gentle use, is it just best to use feelers?.

I understand they compesate for any wear of the plastic heel?

Cheers, Dave 

Returning to Dave's OP, this is the points gap, I presume?    Thing with those is that wear tends to raise a point on one side and a pit in the other.   A feeler gauge will bridge the pit, causing you to set a much wider gap than needed.

Using the feeler just on the rim of the points is fiddly.  One way is to drill a hole in the tip of the feeler blade!

John

[Pete Lewis]

i seem to remember they did make points with a hollow centre so as to try and avoid the pip    dont think it worked 

but a bright idea  to solve a problem     who remembers them ???

Pete

[Peter Truman]

I remember them in the 60’s & being gullible tried a set don’t think they lasted any longer can’t remember what make they were, presumably saved the maker some precious metal = more profit!

Would have brought them from Chapman’s Garage in Norton High St opposite Stockton Grammer great all sorts of bits and pieces in trays on a centre bench no plastic bags of things, Ah the good old days! Petrol pumps at the side of the road fill up kerb side!

Oop’s showing my age!

[PeteH]

The old "Fag Paper", Worked.

Pete

[daverclasper]

On 27/12/2022 at 14:39, JohnD said:

Thing with those is that wear tends to raise a point on one side and a pit in the other

Depending on eyesight and delicacy/coordination, can just the pip be filed off?

[Clive]

17 minutes ago, daverclasper said:

Depending on eyesight and delicacy/coordination, can just the pip be filed off?

Yep, you used to be able to buy neat little files to do just that. Or spend an extra few minutes and take the points out, run a file over them and refit. 

[Pete Lewis]

and to add if you get a lot of point pips and craters it may be worth getting a condenser from the dizzy doc as you may have a poor after market copy

or  if running a ballast coil ( 1,5ohm) on 12v without the ballast you double the points current and yes burn them out quickly.

Pete

 

[thescrapman]

I have a meter capable of measuring dwell, very easy to check points gap is correct, which it never was just using feeler gauges.

most of the  cars now have EI, so doesn’t come out much.

[PeteH]

"Dressing" Point`s was a regular neccessity on Old Brit; Motorcycles, with Magneteo`s, the "quality" of many condensers too was always a bit suspect. I still have (somewhere) a very thin file and, I think, a thin "wetstone" used for that purpose. Car`s of similar vintage where too needing checked regularly, as the timing drifted. The "fag paper" substituted for a feeler gauge. Only later did checking "dwell" become something we worried about. Nice to have, but never thought essential?.

Pete

[NonMember]

2 hours ago, PeteH said:

The "fag paper" substituted for a feeler gauge.

Surely not - it would be far too thin. I thought the fag paper substituted for the light bulb - you know when the points are just opening because the fag paper can be pulled out.

[Pete Lewis]

corm flake packet would work better  

P

[ahebron]

Had a conversation similar to this recently.
Basically it was about the points building up on one side or another and that meant that the condenser was too big or too small.
If you have a negative earth engine and the build up is on the positive side of the points ( the moving bit) then you have to increase the condenser size.
And vice versa if the build up is on the fixed part of the points.

I hope that is correct.

[Pete Lewis]

and youcan always mout the condenser outside the dizzy  as many other makes do 

if you need more space for a larger capacity one 

Pete

[Stratton Jimmer]

I inherited a small thin file from my father who always referred to it as his "Magneto file". I have only ever used it for flattening off point tips.

[Pete Lewis]

a file would be better than sand/emery paper as they deposit grit in the contact and cause more problems 

but looking at costs of points   its hardly worth messing around they should last a good few thousand miles depending on the 

original spec or fake copies made of cheese which wont .

Pete

 

[Casper]

Wifey had a nice saphire (corrundum) nail file.  Now in my 'carry it' toolkit.  Available fromBoots. I believe

C.