Timely thread.
I’ve been having some issues this summer with my ’57 Javelin that seemed ignition related, so I figured I’d start with the mag plate. Everything was replaced a few years back, but something was amiss, so I figured I’d just “shotgun” it and replace everything.
My brand-new OMC / BRP points arrived, and they simply do not work. The riser that rides on the cam is undersized, so there’s just no way to make these work. If I adjust them so they ride on the cam, I cannot time them to a.) open at the right time (with a timing tool) or b.) open to a .020 gap. Can’t be done. Very disappointing to say the least. And, as others have noted, they were VERY tight on the post.
I reinstalled the old points (I think they were Sierra, but I can’t recall for sure), and they, too, had dimensional issues. Not as bad as these new points, but still a bit funky to get them to cam-ride properly while opening & closing at the right time.
I have a junk drawer of, well, old junk…and in it I found about 10 sets of old points. Some in better shape than others, but I could easily find a pair that cleaned up just fine, have plenty of contact material left, have tall cam riders, and function (timing & gap) perfectly. Glad I saved them…
So I’m out about $30 from marineengine (it’s not their fault I suppose, as they’re just the distributor), but I’ve learned a lot about points while wrestling with these. Lessons learned.
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