The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk quick points question

I have a 60 chevrolet witha 235 the thing runs great but I am haveing problems with the points burnin up everytime I drive the thing. I changed the points and checked the gap and dwell the first time it did it I thought maybe it was just a fluke thing but it has done this repeatedly now. I checked all the electrical thinking maybe the generator was shooting to much votage then I replaced the coil twice now but now I am at my wits end. I really like to drive the truck but with it doing what it is I dont want to be stranded after the emery board wears out and I dont have another set of points to change it out with. oh well it can be another of my garage ornaments if I cant get it fixed or else change the thing to electronic ignition. Oh and I wanted to keep it as original as possible.

Hy generalmotor, burned points are caused by arcing, the condensor is supposed control arcing. Make sure it is the correct condensor for your truck, make sure all your connections are tight. You should also use the ballast resistor that came with the truck, so if you have removed it put it back, hope that helps.

Good advice from 3B....you might also check your coil connections to make sure that the hot wire is connected to the + side and the distributor is connected to the - terminal.

I switched over to an internally grounded (Edited..Opps, resistance) 12v coil and haven't had any problems. For some reason the new replacement ceramic ballast resistors just weren't giving me the voltage that kept my points happy. Starts are instantaneous and points have become "set and forget". Might be an option to consider.

Dave

"internally grounded 12v coil"

What's the difference? Does it have a "-" connector? Is it grounded through the body?

I agree with 3B and Fla54chevy3100. A quick check to make sure you have the correct voltage to the + side of the coil can be made easily. With the engine not running and the key on, measure the dc voltage to the + side of the coil. It should be 12v. Now temporarily ground the wire from the neg coil terminal to the distributor and again, with the key on, measure the voltage on the coil + terminal. It should be approxinately 6 volts dc. If much more than 6v, you have a problem with the ballast device be it a ballast resistor or a resistive wire. My 1960 chevy,235, has a resistive wire.
meansam

Should the voltage after the external ballast resistor be about 8 volts (or, maybe, anything between 6-9 volts)?

Maybe Dave meant "internally resisted" coil!


Stuart

Duh...brain fart! Sorry Jim! Thanks Stuart! You guys are on your toes!!!

Just wanted to point out that the internally RESISTED 12v coil has eliminated my issues with the new repo ceramic ballast resistors, and my point wear over the last 3000 miles has been negligible. I look at it as one less Chinese repo part to worry about!

Dave

Yes, the voltage at the plus side should be 6-9 volts with the key on & the points closed or the neg term grounded. Coils that don,t use external resisters are for tractors or other low RPM engines.