Modern KW Points

[TXGOAT2]

When I got my car, about a year ago, it ran very well. After some weeks of driving, it began to run somewhat rough. I inspected the timer (New Day) and found it to be full of metal powder. I replaced it with a spare, and the car ran much better for a day or so, then began to run rough. I found the second New Day timer to also be trashed out. After messing with the timer for a while, I found that one of the coils had lost the contact on the steel spring. It still worked, but wasn't working right. I replaced the bad part with a used part and filed the points, then tried to set the coil adjustments by ear with little success. I got the car to run better by setting the point adjustment with the engine running, and that got the car running OK, but not as well as it did when I got it. Timer problems diminished. I acquired an ECCT and set the coils with it and got the car running quite well. Lately, it had begun to run somewhat rough again. I removed the coils and observed that one set of points looked very bad. I removed that set of points and attempted to file them. I found that the point contact on the steel spring was deeply cratered. After filing on it, I noticed that the file was beginning to bite. It seems that the point contact consists of a layer of tungsten over brass, and that is soldered or riveted to the steel spring. I replaced the point set with another used set, filed them, and then set all 4 coils on the ECCT. The car now runs well, with a smooth, even purr at all reasonable speeds.

[MKossor]

Pat, did you check the capacitor in that coil that went through 2 sets of points? Excessive contact wear will occur If the capacitor value is low. Should be 0.47uF replace if lower than 0.33uF.

New Day timers are great mechanical timers but do need periodic maintence to keep clean and occasional resurfacing. Coil adjustment also drifts with time and usage so coils also need periodic maintenance and adjustment to maintain optimal performance.

[TXGOAT2]

Mike: All capacitors checked "excellent" I believe the used steel spring/contact I put on the coil that had the original contact failure was already in very poor condition. All 4 point sets looked very good to new when I got the car, but problems began when the point contact detached from the blue steel spring on one of them. I believe that that failure led to the timer issues, since the coil kept working, more or less, after the failure. I was not aware that the points consist a thin overlay of tungsten over brass. Many old point sets had a tungsten disc about the thickness of a dime. I think the most recent poor performance episode was caused by the tungsten overlay on the well-used contact I installed earlier wearing through. After replacing that set of points with another used set and and adjusting all 4 coils on the ECCT, I was able to get good test results for all 4 coils, and the car now performs well. I need to order a full set of new 4 point assemblies, since I now have no used parts on hand. I believe all my (New Day) timer issues have been related to the original point set failure and subsequent shade tree coil adjustments. I believe the original point failure, when the contact detached from the spring, was due to a manufacturing defect.