OK, its been a fast week, however since posting on this board last Thursday I have bought, picked up and delivered a 1.7 L engine to my mechanic to replace the 1.7L that needs rebuilding.
The engine was purchased from two great guys, one a member of this board, and on Wednesday of this week (or Thursday) I will be a few levels happier.
Now, a question. (Mike D you can chime in if you are out there, I wasnt able to fully ask all of the questions I had this past Saturday -it was early and I was still dizzy from all of the 'new stuff' I was exposed to).

electronic points/ignition? The newer electronic points kits out there, are they really that much better than the good old fashion points, and is it a safe bet to simply install them without any additonal tweaking? -

What are the potential hazzards -there arent a lot of people out there discussing the drawbacks of dropping in one of the electronic kits.

Hope to hear from you.

thanks again for all recent help.

Points: Ick, yech, patooie!!

They burn easily, they wear instantly, they change your timing when they wear, they get finicky when they get any dirt at all on them, they have to be replaced every X thousand miles, adjusting them is a pain.

Electronic ignition: Mmmm, good!

The good--your timing never changes on its own. A little distributor wear won't materially affect your timing. More consistent than points. Does not wear out normally.

The bad--some of them (e.g., Crane's optical one) don't work at low system voltages so your range with a broken alternator is much shorter. Some of them (e.g., Pertronix) will fry themselves if you leave the key "on" without starting the car. QC has been spotty on the Pertronix and the Compufire (the two Hall-effect ones that I know of).

I prefer going pointless.

--DD

Pointless - man are you trying to determine if I'm a jumper?? There is a nice balcony here in La Jolla, its 5 stories up, you can make a guy like me a little unstable using such words.

Pointless:

So, I'll take that as a 'the worse thing that can happen is I will be happier once they are installed and running' -If I pick the right Make for my machine.

I've been 'eyeing' the CompuFire since this past weekend. Looks like a job I can handle as far as installation is concerned. My big fear was the whole idea of adding something 'new fangled' to such an old car. I would never send my Grand-dad an escort for his birthday -LOL not the car of couse- because I would be afraid his 'engine' could only handle so much.

I guess when it comes to points, I'm not dealing with something that could cause serious damage other than they may fail and I would need to put my old points back in?

i think there is a pointless consensus on this board ...

My pertronix unit went bad. I actually think one of the magnetic pickups wasnt triggering causing a miss. Most of the time after the car was warmed up.

So, remember, seriously, my first language is English, Second America-English, third Ebonics (better learn how to communicate when driving through the hood) and last, auto-mechanics. (wurd)

My, assumption (and yess I know what happens when I make an ass out of U and Umption) is that 'pointless' refers to 'the change', the 'transformation', the removal of the old and replace with the new 'electronic pointless' systems.

I guess I'll give it a shot sometime next week. (the CompuFire)

Should I expect a noticable improvement, or is this like not smoking in an attempt to live 3 days longer?

I'll also be taking apart my old 1.7L engine should anyout out there know anyone who needs parts, give me a ringy.

If the points in your distributor are old and worn out, you will notice a very marked improvement! Just remember to set the timing, because doing anything to the points (including replacing them with something else) will change the timing.

If your points are in great shape, you might notice a very slightly smoother idle. That's about it. If you had a high-revving motor with lots of cylinders, you might also notice some top-end power/smoothness as well, as the electronic points replacements never "float". (I.e., get pushed open by the distributor cam and not have time to fully close before they get pushed open again.) But not in a 914, unless the spring in the points is worn to where it is just about to break.

--DD

Actually, before discovering the Valve problem in the 1.7L that is being orphaned. I just had my points replaced, and had my exhaust system checked and repaired. As a result I was able to notice the horrible intake related problems that resulted in the search and discovery of the good old bent/broken intake valve.

So, since I have just put new points in the car, perhaps I'll enjoy them for a while before jumping to the 'pointless' concept considering the improvement will be minor.

pointless can also mean:

gegenstandslos
ohne Spitze
witzlos
zwecklos

but that's of course only if you add German to your vocabulary ...
Andy

keep a set of points in your car's toolkit or get a second petronix/compufire and put it there.
when they die, the die. period.

ROFL - HAHaaaa....
OK, ok,
MY car's toolkit. Right now, my car's toolkit is a funnel, a fire extinguisher, a rag and a small screwdriver -which I usually can not find -Ohhh, and a flashlight.

I'll make sure to add the Compufire/P'tronix kit -plus the tools needed to install.

I need to meet more of you guys, I feel inadequate and its bad that I'm entering the board with the smallest, ahem, engine I could possible have.

I wish I knew this board better when I was running around with my 2.0L....

ahhh, memories....

that has got to change!

btw., what do you need the funnel for?
Andy

RIGHT - I have no idea!!! Perhaps to pour the oil into that HUGE OIL receptor -Hahaaa.

I seriously have no real idea I have never used the thing and it was in my first 914, the 2.0L that was murdered by the Ford Escort - evil car!!!

I will be upping the 'tool kit' for sure. I've been really lucky with 914's so far. I have never been 'stranded, stalled, or in need of a tow' from any distance that wasnt CLOSE to my house, or right in front of the house. I've taken many trips to LA, out east to Julian, and to Vegas without any issues.
But, that was being lucky.

DUDE, all you need besides that is a 13mm wrench!!

I think what Andy meant to say was that if someone were to get a consensus on this board, it would be pointless. Which is true on both counts.

C

i left the points in my car to get it running. then when it was running right, swapped it with a p-tronix, no problems to date.

am i doing this "confusion" thing again? you guys have to tell me...
my English is limited and trying to put information and humor into one sentence results more often than not in this reaction:


Andy

if your car won't start after you put the NEW compu-fire in, put in a new set of points and a condenser. btdt

kevin

An optical ignition would be nice, but points are cheap and easy to install, (If you can get that screw started without dropping it and losing it in the distributor!). I have never had points die while driving down the road. As a matter of fact, I have never had points go bad anywhere except sitting up for an extended period of time.

You can replace this with your screwdriver (no you won't need the funnel ! ) and a paper match. Yes, a feeler guage would be better, but a paper match will set it close enough to get you where you need to go. I guess you could add the right size feeler guage to the toolkit. You could tape it to the side of the funnel!

That being said, I plan to convert to an optical ignition when I can afford it. But for now, I have extra points and a paper match in the car!

use a magnetized screwdriver. if you don't have one just lay one on a big magnet for a week or so.

kevin

I luv it!!!
On a big magnet!!!
Now really if I could get my hands on a big magnet, I wouldnt have any problems at all.

Me and Pinky would be set, the world would be ours, ME, my Big Magnet, and My FUNNEL!!!!
OHhh, and my 1973 1.7L red 91Fo'

I'll get the wrench and the match.

The points will be an experiment for 2 weeks from now. At the moment, I'm just waiting for tomorrow to put in the 'new' engine and see how it sounds, runs, etc.

One problem at a time.

Are there any brake systems for the 914 that allow pad replacment as easy as in the Land Rover???

BMW 320i brakes on the front... not much to do about the back though.. or do a 5-lug conversion and use 911 brakes all around...