What are "points"?

[VFRGuy008]

I'm using the book, _Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Maintenance_ for a class. The author keeps making reference to "checking the points." I have no clue what he's talking about. I thought that he might mean spark plug cables. Do YOU know what "points" are?

 

[BusaWhipped]

Points went away when electronic ignition. Points are a mechanical device that open and close the curcuit causing the coil to fire; thus, sending curent through the distributor, down the wires, and into the spark plugs.

 

[Don Hardcastle]

With solid state ignition. We don't use points anymore. Your book is dated.

Don

 

[Wag]

I haven't read that book yet but I always thought it was a philosophy book, not a maintenance reference manual.

--Wag--

 

[hydrabusa]

hey, I used to turned the motor, to open up the points and using piece of sand papers to clean off the cotacted area...

 

[TROUBLED WINE]

Points

 

[Don Hardcastle]

hey, I used to turned the motor, to open up the points and using piece of sand papers to clean off the cotacted area...

You're old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[xzvs]

I will say something for the points -- no matter what, if you had a screwdriver and a piece of sandpaper you could get that bike or car home
with electronic ignition you are pretty much sunk

 

[steelhead]

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. You think it's about motorcycles, but then you find out it is hardly that: more like maintenance for the soul.

 

[rc51ny]

Great book. I read it years ago and have just re-read it again. The philosophy is getting in touch yourself, your machine and with nature. The harmony and balance of each. More to the point, as stated above, the older machines needed "tinkering" to keep them running properly. Adjusting Points was part of that preventive maintance.

 

[ajsmithtx]

Points.  I use them in my '63 Ford Falcon.  Yeah I am old

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[HRJR]

I will say something for the points -- no matter what, if you had a screwdriver and a piece of sandpaper you could get that bike or car home
with electronic ignition you are pretty much sunk

+1 Yep, the "good ole' days".

(But, I really don't miss them

)

 

[CorrodedAlien]

zoop

 

[Turbo-Torch]

I will say something for the points -- no matter what, if you had a screwdriver and a piece of sandpaper you could get that bike or car home
with electronic ignition you are pretty much sunk

But ya better have a spare condensor too!

 

[xzvs]

I had an ammo can under the hood, bolted to the inside of the fender on my old chevy truck. Had a few used/ good sets of points and condensors in there.
Had a lot of friends with "newer" mopars -- man those things ate ign modules -- remember them melting and making a big mess. Also, they tended to stay right where they died.

 

[xzvs]

Also, charged condeNsors were used to keep the "fender monkeys" away -- ZAP OW!!!!

 

[MC MUSTANG]

Someone say Phaedrus?

 

[BusaWizard]

You also had a dwell setting, thats how long the points remained open. i.e. 20,30,40 degrees of dwell. You could either use a feeler gauge or dwell meter.



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[hydrabusa]

hey, I used to turned the motor, to open up the points and using piece of sand papers to clean off the cotacted area...

You're old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

 

 

If I can't ride anymore...thats when you say, you,re old...not until then...

 

[VFRGuy008]

Thanks for all the good information! All these years of riding, albeit "modern" motorcycles, and I never knew what points were.

And thanks for the comments on Zen And the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values. It's certainly NOT a pure maintenance manual for machines, but I'll bet we could make the argument that it, indeed, is a precursor to all maintenance manuals. It does what a father/mentor/master should do for the son/apprentice.

I'm using it for an English composition class.

Those of you that read it (and understood it) can appreciate the idea that Quality counts above all things.