When do you know you need to change your points?

[BuckinFug66]

Lemme know if y'all could thanks



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[Dupe]

When you no longer get spark. Lol I used to check mine every oil change and lightly file them like every other to every 3rd oil change. And I always keep a spare set in the glove box.

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[Ol'fogasaurus]

The obvious time is when the engine starts running. Look for pitting on the points themselves. A weak spark can also be a sign but it can be a sign of many other things too. The condenser is a big player here. Before I converted to electronic distributor parts I always carried a couple sets of condenser and points with me in my buggy as the condensers do not like silicone.

Look at the cap and rotor too for pitting or blackening of the surfaces the arc jumps across. Look at the condition of the plugs and plug wires as well as the high tension lead to the coil. When all these thing play nicely with each other things are good but a bad attitude in anyone or a combination of them can cause the other components to over-work themselves.

[sideshow]

Wear on the contact points (pitting or oxidation), wear on the rubbing block, spring tension.
If one uses CDI boxes and quality parts with tungsten and decent lobe grease, I would expect 200,000 miles easy, maybe 25-50% with a lot more filing when used with a normal coil.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Sideshow, good point on the lube on the cam follower as without it the soft material follower can wear away quite quickly. You can put too much lube on also and it can get into the points and cause no contact of the points. Also the points have to be adjusted so the contact is not toward the edge but flat: e.g., the points adjusted properly. Seen all of these problems happen... many years ago.

[Jim Ed]

I got rid of my points & condensor and installed a Pertronix ignition. I never have to fool with the points any more.
Compufire is also a good system similar to Pertronix.

http://vw-resource.com/compufire.html


http://vw-resource.com/points.html

Every 250 Miles or Weekly -
• Check engine oil level
• Check windshield washer fluid level
• Check brake fluid level
• Check tires and tire pressures
Every 3000 Miles or Three Months -
• Check engine oil level
• Check windshield washer fluid level
• Check brake fluid level
• Check tires and tire pressures
• Change engine oil
• Lubricate the chassis
• Check and adjust engine drive belt
Every 6000 Miles or Six Months -
• Check engine oil level
• Check windshield washer fluid level
• Check brake fluid level
• Check tires and tire pressures
• Change engine oil
• Lubricate the chassis
• Check and adjust engine drive belt
• Inspect/replace wiper blades
• Check clutch freeplay
• Inspect underhood hoses
• Rotate the tires
• Adjust valves
• Inspect brakes
Every 12,000 Miles or Twelve Months -
• Check engine oil level
• Check windshield washer fluid level
• Check brake fluid level
• Check tires and tire pressures
• Change engine oil
• Lubricate the chassis
• Check and adjust engine drive belt
• Inspect/replace wiper blades
• Check clutch freeplay
• Inspect underhood hoses
• Rotate the tires
• Adjust valves
• Inspect brakes
• Service air filter
• Service fuel filter
• Inspect fuel system
• Check compression
• Replace spark plugs
• Replace ignition points & condenser <<<
• Inspect spark plug wires, distributor cap and rotor
• Check/adjust engine idle speed
• Check/adjust ignition timing
• Check transaxle lubricant level
• Inspect suspension and steering
• Inspect exhaust system
Every 30,000 Miles -
• Check and repack wheel bearings
• Change transaxle lubricant
* * * * *

[helowrench]

Since I have a tech, I start seeing weird (not smooth) needle movement. Erratic running problems show up 50-100 miles later.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Have you had the distributor spun on a Sun Machine? That would tell you a lot about the condition of the distributor bearing, shaft, casting, advance, cam lobes, etc.. Those "honkers" do wear out you know... some faster than others.

[Jim Ed]

For a simple test to see if your distributor is worn, try grabbing the rotor and push and pull on it. If there is any play it should be replaced.
John C. at aircooled.net sells reliable parts.
http://vwparts.aircooled.net/SearchResu ... earch=svda

[Marc]

To clarify, it's the radial play that's of primary concern - if the bushings in the distributor base are worn and allowing the shaft to move, the dwell will vary. At low speeds the tension of the spring on the points will push the shaft away, increasing dwell; then as the RPM goes up the shaft will tend to stabilize some and the dwell comes back down. Changes in dwell also affect timing (more dwell retards the spark). This was a huge issue on early Rabbits, until you rebushed or replaced the distributor you needed to set the point gap at a compromise point that'd let the engine start yet still run OK. They never did address the root problem, a bad distributor drive design, but eliminating points and substituting an electronic pickup eliminated the symptom.
It's not common for ACVW distributors to wear enough to cause any big problems like that, but still worth checking.

Always use a lubricant designed for the purpose on the distributor cam, such as "Bosch grease" (Mopar has a similar product still available for muscle-car guys, or did the last time I checked). Other greases can cake up/harden and actually hasten the wear of the rubbing block on the points.
http://lufteknic.myshopify.com/products ... 1261738724