Distributor - points or electronic?

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m151dave
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Distributor - points or electronic?

Unread post by m151dave » September 8th, 2010, 10:30 pm

My M151A2, a 1972, has the electronic distributor in it. I have a spare distributor that has points. What I would really like to know, drawing from this groups experience, is which is better to use. What are the shortcomings of one over another? I have heard mention of bad effects if the master switch is left on with the motor not running.

Then the question comes to mind, is it as easy as it looks to swap them out? It looks like one should lift out and the other, after being oriented to proper rotor position, should just drop right in. Am I over simplifying this?
Owner - M151A2
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halftracknut
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Re: Distributor - points or electronic?

Unread post by halftracknut » September 8th, 2010, 10:44 pm

points are a lot cheaper than electronic...
slowest mutt east of the missippi..

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svramselaar
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Re: Distributor - points or electronic?

Unread post by svramselaar » September 9th, 2010, 3:01 am

hello

the same are the distributer housing and the coil

points ignition
has a capacitor and the points
the points has a little fiber tad go over the axle
if you set the points at a dwell 39-44 degrees
the fiber will wear out a little after a while so your dwell gets more and the timing is a little off
the spring from the points can be broken
on the road you can try to repair easier if you have no spare parts

electronic ignition
has no moving parts no maintenance
if it is not working no repairs possible if no parts

normally electronic is better
only you must have good spark plugs and wire`s
otherwise the current over the electronic is to high and gets to hot

george

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rickf
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Re: Distributor - points or electronic?

Unread post by rickf » September 9th, 2010, 7:24 am

I think points are just fine for the occasional use we normally do with our vehicles. If you drive a lot of miles then electronic would probably be the way to go. Points just need to be adjusted once in a while but they are a lot easier to diagnose when you have a no start situation. The big thing with points is DO NOT leave the switch on.


Rick
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

rlich8
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Re: Distributor - points or electronic?

Unread post by rlich8 » September 9th, 2010, 3:22 pm

Personally I always like points. You can always get them going again if the car dies out because of them.

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Horst
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Re: Distributor - points or electronic?

Unread post by Horst » September 9th, 2010, 4:10 pm

I have an electronic ignitor installed but I always carry an extra ignitor in the spare box when leaving the pattern. This way , in case something fails, I don't have to worry what went wrong if I have an ignition problem.
Horst

1972 USMC M151A2 w/ROPS (ex Barstow) and M416
1962 M201 and trailer
1966 GTO,1982 E350 Skoolie, 1987 SJ413, 1987 911
Gone: 2xM35A2c, Unimog 404S, Hanomag AL28, DKW Munga

Fil Bonica
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Re: Distributor - points or electronic?

Unread post by Fil Bonica » September 9th, 2010, 4:57 pm

One more point, no pun intended.
There are two styles of electronic ignitions.

Swiss Controls and Prestolite

My experience has been with the Swiss Controls version and they have been flawless in their performance.
I have an NOS Prestolite distributor in the cabinet that I will probably convert if I need to use it only because I know how the others function.
Swiss Controls conversion kits are less than $ 50.00 so they are a reasonable item

Just some thoughts.

Fil Bonica
K1ABW

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Re: Distributor - points or electronic?

Unread post by halftracknut » September 9th, 2010, 5:22 pm

What I have found is when the electronic type goes out it is dead ...No hope for a start...With the point set up a mechanic can go in and file..clean ..re-gap...and go...if the coil goes on either on your are sol .. oh well... That said I am running electronic on mine :lol: :lol: :lol: htn
slowest mutt east of the missippi..

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rickf
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Re: Distributor - points or electronic?

Unread post by rickf » September 9th, 2010, 6:18 pm

The spare distributor that I carry with me is a points setup. If I have a problem on the road and have no spark all I do is swap distributors and done. At that point I would probably leave the points in and set uo another with points as my spare.

Rick

Yes I carry a spare distributor........and two coils..........and a carburetor............and a spare ignition module.
It all fits in ammo can and is always in the vehicle.
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

rlich8
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Re: Distributor - points or electronic?

Unread post by rlich8 » September 10th, 2010, 10:40 am

halftracknut wrote:What I have found is when the electronic type goes out it is dead ...No hope for a start...With the point set up a mechanic can go in and file..clean ..re-gap...and go...if the coil goes on either on your are sol .. oh well... That said I am running electronic on mine :lol: :lol: :lol: htn
Exactly my thoughts. The coil is less likely to go out than the electronic ignition though. :mrgreen:

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rickf
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Re: Distributor - points or electronic?

Unread post by rickf » September 10th, 2010, 12:12 pm

rlich8 wrote:
halftracknut wrote:What I have found is when the electronic type goes out it is dead ...No hope for a start...With the point set up a mechanic can go in and file..clean ..re-gap...and go...if the coil goes on either on your are sol .. oh well... That said I am running electronic on mine :lol: :lol: :lol: htn
Exactly my thoughts. The coil is less likely to go out than the electronic ignition though. :mrgreen:
The electronic module is actually very dependable unlike the coils which are a very common problem. I see very few module problems and LOT of bad coils. Older Prestolite modules have a problem with the potting material getting soft and then shorting out components on the board but the Swiss controls units are very dependable.


Rick
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

m151dave
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Re: Distributor - points or electronic?

Unread post by m151dave » September 10th, 2010, 1:33 pm

This is a wealth of information from everybody! Thank you all for sharing your thoughts and experience.
I think I will stick with my electronic module. I have two spares of those as well as an entire "old school" distributor.

I do not currently carry spare parts, I am thinking that needs to change! Coils, the good kind, are pricey and hard to come by. I have a low mileage take out, of the good variety, as well as an unused crappy chrome one that I am afraid to even try out! I put one in once and it lasted exactly 25 miles! What a load of @#^&!!

I have an entire spare engine that I got hold of years ago, started taking apart and never finished that I ought to put together, test and store. Time just keeps slipping away. Maybe a winter project. If I could just sort out the clutch issues now, I would be good to go.
Owner - M151A2
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www.lastpatrol.org

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rickf
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Re: Distributor - points or electronic?

Unread post by rickf » September 10th, 2010, 3:41 pm

I hear people complain about those coils all the time and I have to wonder if most of that talk is because of what has been said about them. I have been running one for two years now. I talk to KC Gonzo who sells them and he has had one return in four years of selling them. I would think if they go bad so often that he would have a lot more returns. Remember that this is the internet, you only hear about the bad and not the good. How much trash is talked about the overseas carburetors? I have been running one for quite a few years, ask anyone who has ridden with me how good it runs. I have helped several others set them up and all are happy but you seldom hear from them since they are not having a problem. Yes Raymond, I know you had one melt down but remember, I had a NOS one melt down also.

Rick
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

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Re: Distributor - points or electronic?

Unread post by moose53 » September 10th, 2010, 6:38 pm

Personally, I'm perfectly happy with my zenith carb, my jeep starts up and purrs every time. I think a lot of timing and vacuum leak issues get blamed on a bad carb ....

Jim
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1971 G838-M151A2 1966 G857-M416
1968 G748-M101A1 1976 G748-M116A1
1990 MEP-701A

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Real jeeps have horizontal grille slots

Cobra5
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Re: Distributor - points or electronic?

Unread post by Cobra5 » September 11th, 2010, 10:05 am

Rick,

I'm glad hear someone else is running the chrome coils. When I was chasing my problem and thought it was the coil, I bought two of them. Of course after I changed it I realized the coil wasn't the problem so I rebuilt the carb. I put 25 miles on the coil with no problems. I swaped the coil back out with the original GI issue because of the negative things I have read about them. I'll keep the chrome in the spare parts box because when your coil goes out on the road a cheap working coil is far better than walking home.

BTW The reason I thought it was the coil first was because it ran fine until normal op temp and than it would stall, chug, and sometimes die. Once it cooled down it strated fine and ran until reaching normal op temp.

Tim

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