65 Sportwagon- high points resistance

I picked up this old dwell meter from a garage sale so I could tune up my 65 sportwagon-300 engine with a 4 bbl carb. It has a miss at idle that makes it hesitate when you first start out from a stop. My dwell angle was good at 30 degrees but when I switched the meter to 'points resistance' the meter pegged all the way to the right passed the red. Maybe this is what causing my miss? How to I fix that? If I turn the key on and measure voltage to the coil I get about 8 volts- is that right? I read somewhere that the 65 uses a resistance wire to drop the voltage down so I'm thinking that it's okay. Am I wrong? I'd really appreciate it if somebody can help me out here. Thanks

 

The best thing I ever did for my ignition system was install this, along with a new Accel cap and rotor button and new plug wires.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Breakerles...334235?hash=item263f371edb:g:3c8AAOSwW9Fe-zxZ

This is super easy to install in a Buick as the distributor in in the front.
Through the years (I'm 71) I have used Crane, Pertronix, HEI distributors, high performance points from different companies and nothing has proved to be better or more reliable. And the general thoughts and reviews say it never fails or needs attention.

The auction link is just to acquaint you with the product, you can purchase it from any number of places, including from ToddsGS here on the board.

Here is a post from Todd, you can get his contact info there,

http://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/body-bushing-kit-from-inline-tube-save-over-30.362650/

Yeah I too have a dwell meter which tells you the points resistance. But thankfully I will never use it again. Newer cars don't need it and any (GM) old car I get will get one of these kits.

Good luck, Mike

 

X2 on the above, go pointless.

 

Contact ToddGS on this Board and order a Lectric Limited set up.

 

thanks guys, I'm a listening to ragtops advice. You don't know how long I've been messing around with these points. I should have posted my question a long time ago. And what a perfect Christmas gift Oh Yea!

 

One thing MANY miss on the distributor wether you have points or an electronic conversion is the ground wire on the breaker plate. You don't know how many I've come across that this wire was broken or not even there.

Tom T.

 

I would say 8 volts is fairly close, I would think 7 volts would be where it’s at.resistance wire in loom seems to be working. I do not think your miss is in the points. I would look at vacuum advance. But a miss and hesitation, probably 2 different issues. Plugs and wires for miss and carb for hesitation.
But it can be a deeper issue. Bad valve or cam lobe going flat. Do you have any ticking noises? What type of oil do you use. Have you done a cranking compression test?

 

This kit looks like the Lectric Limited, is it the same but with a different name?

 

I have a electronic ignition conversion kit in my garage, where it's been sitting for over 10 years. Points are very simple and work well, I have several additional thoughts.

1) Some of the replacement points available are garbage. You need to look at the part and make sure the contacts are high quality and line up properly. I have tended to Standard ignition products since my parts guy stocks these and they are good. I have rejected more points than I have purchased over the years.

2) Throwing parts at a problem is never a good idea. You may only add to the complexity of your issue. If the dwell is correct and the points are good, that's likely not your issue. Other wiring issues or charging system issues, or ignition system issues (plugs/wires/cap/rotor) can cause these same symptoms.

I had a similar problem that I traced to a loose Alternator belt, which left me in a low voltage situation at idle, which caused poor coil charging, poor spark, fouling, missing. Tightened the belt, replaced the plugs and wires, and the car now runs great.

Let us know how it goes...

 

Have seen a bent distributer shaft cause this issue also.

 

But is there anything specific that is causing the high resistance in my points? I've replaced all the ignition parts (except the distributor) and the carb has been rebuilt. Motor sounds fine, I'm running Rotella 5W-40 synthetic in it.
Alternator belt nice and tight, charges good at idle. Maybe it is the distributor. If I can correct the high resistance, I can eliminate that as a possible cause. I've seen these small cap HEI distributors on ebay. Anyone have any luck with them? If I get one of these I can get rid of the points and at the same time replace that distributor.

 

If the points are open when you test than high resistance is normal. As Larry stated above, you can only test the resistance with the points closed...

 

Check your oil for amount of zinc additive. You may not have the protection the flat tappet cam needs. Synthetic oil isn’t always the best for older engines.

 

You're right, I should do a few tests to see if it reveals anything. I think I can get a loaner compression tester from Autozone and I'm going to hook up my vacuum gauge to see if anything's off. I thought the Rotella had that zinc in it. What oil do you guys use?

 

I got a vacuum reading of 19, but it has an ever so slight fluctuation from about 18.8- 19.1, any idea what this might indicate and if it relates to my miss? Also my dwell reading is at 30 degrees but if I accelerate to about 2000-2500 rpm the needle drops to 29 degrees. Is this significant? It doesn't drop any more than 29 if I continue to rev it even higher.