From Moss Motoring 1983
Having your points or condenser go bad is a problem at the best of times, but when you are on a trip and its raining or dark, the task of installing new ones is even more difficult. One way to make the job easier is to obtain a spare contact breaker plate assembly from an old distributor, and fit it with new points and condenser. The points can be set by installing this plate on your distributor (good practice for changing the plates!) then put the original plate back on and carry the spare plate in your toolbox or glove compartment. Should the need ever arise; you have a spare part handy and much easier to install than the components themselves.
Submitted by Terry Peddicord
Santa Barbara, CA
'Tech Tip – Spare Points and Condenser' have 2 comments
September 6, 2016 @ 7:39 am Kenny Snyder
Gap the points on the spare breaker plate assembly prior to removing the plate from the distributor. Lightly grease the end of the rubbing block. Store the plate in a Ziploc baggie. The two screws holding the plate to the distributor body and the condenser screw use a Pozidriv #2 screwdriver. A small screwdriver (or pocket knife) will be needed to lift the vacuum advance spring off of the plate post. A new Terminal Lead (MOSS 153-640 – 25D4) can be wired to the spare breaker plate making the swap much simpler.
September 6, 2016 @ 9:43 am SJ Morgan
Why bother with points at all? I have had British sports cars most of my life, (more than 50 years worth), and I have made it a priority to replace the ponts with a Pertronix Ignotor as the first thing that I replace when I acquire or restore any car with ingitionn points. This eliiminates the problems with timing shift, burned points, broken rubbing blocks… Heck, I replace the points in everything if it has them. Points are a constant tuning problem, and are at best, inconsistant in operation. I have no idea as to why people still mess with them when there are far better electronic switching devices available.
While you might think that having an electronic part that can’t be serviced might be a problem in itself, I assure you that points are a far greater liability. Points start to deteriorate upon first stsrt up, and the quality has been spotty over the last few years. If an Ignitor should fail, it is pretty easy to replace (a single part), and is adjusted with a small tie wrap.
If I worry about a spare, I have a second distributor on a plate, timed, ready for installation should there be a problem, but I have stopped carrying it with me except on long tours.
Or, you can carry a spare Ignitor, which is far easier to replace than a points set.
In the more than 20 years that I have been installing the Pertronix magnetic trigger, I have never had a problem, and my fresh replacement Aldon/ Lucas distributor is still sitting on the shelf, unused.