Do I need new exhaust manifolds?

C-Bass wrote: Pete, you're an emotocon machine nowadays. I remember when you didn't believe in them.

Craig,
It wasn't really that I didn't believe in them, it was more like teaching this old guy new tricks!! I had never even posted in a forum before I joined here. It didn't really take me too long to figure out that they really are valuable tools. Getting your feelings across in words can be a real issue! Whomever came up with the idea should be praised!!

BTW, there still are a couple that I haven't used yet!

Now the big question is: do we really need to get Chris to use them or not??

Having a spare condenser in the boat is a wise idea with points though;)

That is what got me when I used to run points before I converted to EI. Now that my EI failed, I have points again. what comes around goes around I guess. And once I get it running fine for a while, I will probably go back to EI, and carry my points and the wire just in case.

lets see if I have an electronic unit and it fails I just have to replace the module and enjoy the rest of the day, points fail then I limp back to the dock and buy a new set, reset the dwell , reset the timing, then I can enjoy the boat again.

Hhhhmmmmm couple minutes of hassle and enjoy the rest of the season or several steps to get back to the dock to buy new parts and re-tune the motor. Smarter than harder comes to mind for me. You maybe not enjoy the peace of mind knowing you can limp back to the dock and fix the problem enstead of using that same amount of time with an updated system and the benefitts it brings. I'll stick with updated technology.

boat dr wrote: Chris,all is well If........ There is a parts store near...... They have the part you need in stock...... You have the tools to R&R bad part..... gotta agree with Pete........ points and condenser only 61 years old, is it time for a EI upgrade ????

See now this is why I am moving up from keeping a "backup engine" to keeping a "backup boat" with summer in central new york only about two months long you just can't afford to miss a single weekend.

Some would say I am taking it a bit far?

Joe I thought you where two deep on the back up boat plan?

you don't even catch on when your being set-up, never seen a wire get connected to the contact on a point set and what is the contact attached too anyway? SS arm maybe?

nothing has changed even if the contacts are gone they still go throught the stainless then through the block for the ground Right or did I miss something? aren't both contact pads mounted to SS arms one moves one is sationary right? and the last time I look at a set of points the coil side neg lead is on the arm that moves on the points, and the points are still grounded to the distributor that is still grounded to the block so the ground path and the material composition through the components to the ground remain the same and never change so the comment about the stainless effecting it is meaningless thus completely over your head and missed the point about being set-up. What effects the system if the contacts are gone is the surface area so what effect does that have on the system, won't it react the same as a pitted contact that has less contact area what effect does that have on the coil? in wire larger diameter less resistance, that doesn't hold true for points?

Ok, well I just re commissioned the boat for summer today, and I got her running.

I have a vacuum gauge on the intake manifold port ( in one of the runners) and at 3000 rpm, it shows a vacuum of 20 psi.I don't know if there is a better place to tap into to test for vacuum, but this was an easy one due to it's location.

I have an inline 10-15 psi fuel pressure gauge on the way with fittings to go right into the 3/8" fuel line after the pump.

I tested the spray from the accelerator pump and it starts spraying equally to both primary barrels instantly as soon as the throttle is touched. I don't think the accelerator pump is out of whack because of this.
The choke is all the way open as I have it adjusted until I get a new electric choke cap.

One thing that irks me is that there seems to be a sporadic "miss" and it sounds like it comes from the output of the motor, maybe in the tranny. It does not sound like it comes from the motor it self.

I wish my digital camera had sound on the video part. it's one of those water resistant ones that has no sound for it's video.

I need to re check base timing, and still check total advance with a better timing gun than I have.

[QUOTE=horkn] .

I have to find a funky battery for the dwell meter, a 4.5 volt thing, and the dwell meter measures up to 2500 rpm. I would think all advancement will be done by 2500 rpm, right?

Dwell is the degrees the points are closed......Dwell Meter
Advance has to do with spark timing.......Timing Light

you cannot use the choke stat with one terminal it needs two, buy a new one and leave the junk tyard parts in the junk yard. You can get the choke stat at any parts store just ask for a holley choke stat they are all the same.

horkn wrote: fwiw, I had this old carb in a box from years ago, so it didn't cost me anything. Since I have the choke disabled, I can get it running properly without the choke piece, for now. Now regarding the running of the motor and how it gets smoother as the revs go up, that would tell me it might be retarded, as the engine advances under higher rpm, it smooths out.

no it sounds like you don't want the carb fixed correctly or want to have the engine tuned properly is what it sounds like.

Running smoother at higher RPM's vs lower RPM's can all be in the carb and fuel system and not in the ignition system at all.

So spend the damn ten twenty bucks it cost for the choke stat install it correctly and adjust it correctly, hook up the dwell meter set the dwell at 18 degrees set the timing at 8 degrees BTDC, adjust the idle mixture screw after it's warmed up, set the Idle rpm in gear then see how it runs.

So I got my fuel pressure gauge in. It reads about 4 psi to start out with, then after it has been running a little, it gets up to 4.5 psi, but never any higher.

My guess is the original pump is a little weak, but that should only manifest itself as an issue under higher RPM running, and not the 2200 rpm or so for wakeboarding, nor even 3500 rpm cruising.


I have the dwell meter hooked up to the positive and the negative terminals on the coil, and it looks like my 1.5 v AA battery won't give it any power. It calls for that funky 4.2v battery, but an AA does fit in.

Also, the motor really smooths out at around 2000 rpm, but under it has a slight rough run to it. I'm thinking if I can get a battery with around the voltage I need, the dwell meter will work and then I can go from there.

I am checking to make sure I have .18 gap on the points as is, but I need to wait until tomorrow to go to radio shack for a hopefully a battery that will work.

your timing isn't correct BTW. You have to set the Dwell angle at 18 degrees not a .018" gap. Get the proper battery for th tester waiste of time untill you do.

Fuel pump is junk replace the fuel pump then re-adjust the carb.

Tom,
You'r not that far off with the gap. They are typically around .020". check the manual for the exact figure and then see what the dwell meter has to say (if you find a battery!).

Have you tried Radio Shack? They always have the weird odd ball batteries or can order them for you.

My PCM manual says .018 gap for the points. So that should be good.

I went to radio shack, and they have no such battery. The E-133 battery listing they show is for a laptop battery and that is definitely not what I need. He suggested that I wire 3 AA batteries that are 1.5 volt each to make 4.5 v. Or I suppose I could use a 9v battery and use a resistor to reduce the voltage? I have no idea what resistor I would need to achieve this.

Does my idea of wiring 3 AA's or using a resistor and a 9v battery seem to be sound to you guys?

I see some multi meters have dwell as a feature on them, but not mine.

I did some more reading about dwell. I now understand that the gap on the points is merely the gap, and the dwell is the number of degrees the points close until they open again (rotation). I can see why you need a dwell meter to really set the points properly.

I also see that most places say that you need a dwell meter to set used points accurately. Since these points are new, shouldn't a feeler gauge get close? or is it such a precise thing that even if the points are new, a dwell meter is the only way to get the exact gap on the points?



The only batteries plus stores are in milwaukee, and not really on my way anywhere. I have a feeling if I called them up, they would have no more info than I got from the shack.