So, found this guide on engine tuning...

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Nice, has some good info. The part about timing and dwell helps. I have a Tach/Dwell meter but have never checked it. So when setting the points gap, you would also want to check the dwell?
 
I think its good for the couple of basic points it covers. There is a lot more stuff that you really want to get into but yes a good overview for someone starting out. To really get down to the full and complete understanding of how to set a car tune-up would take quite a few pages.

Yes about setting the dwell. Dwell is way more important than the gap. The point gap is to ballpark your dwell setting to get the car running then you always want to set dwell.
 
camd64 said:
I think its good for the couple of basic points it covers. There is a lot more stuff that you really want to get into but yes a good overview for someone starting out. To really get down to the full and complete understanding of how to set a car tune-up would take quite a few pages.

Yes about setting the dwell. Dwell is way more important than the gap. The point gap is to ballpark your dwell setting to get the car running then you always want to set dwell.
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Ok, so after I get the points gapped with the feeler gauge, I should connect the dwell meter to the coil and also ground it, then check the dwell degrees? If it is off from specs, shut the engine down, then open the distributor and open or close the points to adjust? Thanks
 
dont forget when you change the dwell you also change the timing so recheck your timing too
 
They make some good basic points but it's not meant to be very in depth. A couple things I see potentially confusing:
First, cylinder 1 is on Top Dead Center twice in any one cycle. in order to get the rotor pointed properly, you need to pull a spark plug and verify the piston is at TDC on the compression stroke. By saying simply rotate the engine 180 more degrees they don't account for possible previous mechanics messing the alignment and subsequent wire placement up.
Second, on the dwell... Dwell is the time it takes the primary windings to de-energize, causing the secondary wingings to generate the spark. Dwell is not the time it takes the primary windings to saturate. Generally, the more time (in degrees) a coil has with the points closed, the more energy the coil can potentially develop when it fires. Mopar IIRC likes to use 30-32° as the dwell spec. I find by going with 27-28° I get a better result.
 
Ignition occurs when the magnetic field colapses from the primary windings, when it is switched off....the points opening....and the condencer is collecting back EMF ( electro-magnetic force)....approx 300 to 400V.....then the secondary windings build up and lets go the spark the lights the fire.
Roughly as an example....primary winding has 200 coils of wire, the secondary will have 20,000 coils of wire.
When you replace points, replace the condencer too...this helps stop the points burning.
A good idea is to run an earth wire from the dizzy housing to the battery - terminal.....need a good earth for the dizzy.
Another thing to check is for vacuum leaks at the carby base gasket and intake gaskets...loose nuts/bolts at either.....and split vac hoses too.
Check condition of other ignition components too.
 

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Yeah I don't even wanna deal with points and that stuff so I'm just going to replace the whole distributor and switch it over to electric in the process ha ha, but thanks for all the tips for sure. I just think points are an (unnecessary) pita, but just my opinion obviously.
 
Coryduran said:
Yeah I don't even wanna deal with points and that stuff so I'm just going to replace the whole distributor and switch it over to electric in the process ha ha, but thanks for all the tips for sure. I just think points are an (unnecessary) pita, but just my opinion obviously.
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The best thing about points is you can do something with them on the side of the road when it stops working....and easy to fault find too.
I forgot to mention checking that the vac advance unit works, and the mechanical advance works, lubing the felt pad down the guts of the rotor shaft with a drop or 2 of engine oil (when doing an oil change), lubing the points rubbing block with high temp grease when you fit them, and check at oil change intervals.
Its all about "Preventitive Maintainence" for incident free motoring.
 
lol.. Well, say what you will, but when it HAS to start, I run points... like in my plow truck. Sometimes simple is best.
 
Coryduran said:
Yeah I don't even wanna deal with points and that stuff so I'm just going to replace the whole distributor and switch it over to electric in the process ha ha, but thanks for all the tips for sure. I just think points are an (unnecessary) pita, but just my opinion obviously.
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For me, points are so easy to deal with. But then again, I'm a die-hard on a lot of things on my Dart. I've only had to adjust dwell on my dual point distributor twice in 9 years. The spark is hot, car runs well, plus its still one of the original parts for the car. JMO.
 
I don't claim to know these things from experience, I just know from what I've been told by a lot of people, but the consensus seems to be that electric is more reliable, starts the car easier, is less of a hassle, and generally gives performance boosts compared to points.

Like I said though, I don't know from experience though or anything.
 
Solid state electric is better in almost every way. But like anything can also be prone to sudden complete failure. On my other cars I use MSD which is a solid state system. But if the MSD dies at a show, or on a cruise, it's no big deal. If my plow truck dies, in the middle of a storm and I can't get home, or in or out of my driveway (which is shared), I'm screwed.
 
Checking ignition coils for cracks......
 

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