Ignition: electronic or stick with ol' points?

I have an 4.3l v6 OMC dressed engine and cobra stern drive. As the summer approaches its time to get to it. I have a point system for my ignition should i clean the points again and make sure that everything is tickity-boo? or would it be better to change out to electronic ignition? is there a benefit? loss? perks? Looking for any input from the experts.
thanks, for your time.
Myles

Should you stay with contact points, you'll want to replace them, not clean them. You'll also want to set "dwell", not gap. Gap is an estimate only of correct dwell.

As for electronic ignition..... you'll likely not see a big performance increase, but you will see better start-ups.

Your OMC uses what's called an ESA (electric shift assist).
The ESA causes a momentary interruption of the ignition, in order to lower RPM for the Dog Clutch teeth to "disengage" during a shift from gear into neutral.
The OEM OMC ESA is set up for contact point type ignitions ONLY.
If you go with electronic triggering, you'll need the "diode fix" .... or the OMC ESA to Electronic Ignition plug-in module.
Google this, and you'll find the modules and/or a link to the diode fix instructions.


Now.... here's the other side of this.
You can go with a completely new electronic triggering ignition distributor, or you can do the Pertronix conversion kit to your existing distributor.

Rather than me typing this out again, take a read here, and then go to post #70 for my rather doom-and-gloom explanation of the Pertronix kits.



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You didn't post a year but... you can buy alot of points for the money you will spend on a new module and dist.

If the shaft has no wobble in the dist. you are good to go replacing the points.

Thats a big IF.

the boat year is an 88 and it was re powered in 2002 by a dealer.
Could you be more specific about the wobbling? is it as simple as pulling the cap off the distributer and grab the shaft that the rotor button spins on? if it wobbles then remove and replace it?
thanks,
Myles

Master mechanic said:

You didn't post a year but...

Click to expand...

True, but he did give us this.... 4.3l v6 OMC Cobra stern drive ..... which suggests an approx year range from 1987 to 1993.
During those years, the OMC 4.3L points style ignition systems would have been very similar.

Myles_T said:

Could you be more specific about the wobbling? is it as simple as pulling the cap off the distributer and grab the shaft that the rotor button spins on? if it wobbles then remove and replace it?
thanks,

Click to expand...

Myles, the lower shaft bushing typically wears before the upper bushing due to the cam drive at this location. Neither is good.
A worn bushing no longer holds the correct tolerances, and if this was to become excessive, it can cause shaft wobble.
Excessive shaft wobble may create a vibration, premature drive/driven gear wear, and may throw the dwell off on either points style or electronix triggering.

As said in the other thread, usually by the time we're considering an electronic conversion, the existing distributor is old and worn.
In your case, having been powered in 2002, you may be OK.
Just pull the distributor, and examine the bushings. If you're considering changing to Electronic, you'd be re-setting the ignition timing anyway.

Myles_T said:

1. should i clean the points again and make sure that everything is tickity-boo?
2. or would it be better to change out to electronic ignition?
3. is there a benefit?
4. loss?
5. perks?

Click to expand...

1... No.... replace them and set the correct dwell, not gap!

2... Need more info.
Do you mean as in a completely new electronic style ignition distributor......, or as in a Pertronix conversion kit to your existing???

3... As per my previous post: "you'll likely not see a big performance increase, but you will see better start-ups."
(with the assumption that your contact point system is working correctly to begin with)

4... None, other than installing the ESA Contact Points-to-Electronic Ignition "module" that allows the ESA to work with the electronic triggering.

5... No more contact points!


Keep in mind how important the correct progressive advance curve, and TA (total advance), are regarding top performance.
The best of the best electronic triggering won't solve an incorrect or malfunctioning progressive advancing issue.




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the point in which i put the boat away last fall was that it was running- roughly mind you but it was running. I had to strip everything down off the block remove the dome and clean the inside of the engine. I had raw water get in when the manifold failed. and gave me that super nice milky mess of goo. So i did a total top end rebuild and had everything but a timing light but was able to get it close enough to start and idle using the notches on the pulley and the timing gauge.
i still need to finish "sweetning" the timing before the spring.
Thanks for all the input Ricardo.

Re-powered in 2002 and they used the old dist. ?

Manifolds also ?

Elbows also ?

Another thread ?

Brand new dist... Rick can point you to the best one.

I like the all in one units one wire in one wire out and one wire to the tach.

Everyone around me tells me to stick with the points. They say you'll always get home with points even if it's not running right ,even by changing them out in the water. If the electonic goes, you're done . Maybe that's why the guy I bought the boat from had 3 sets of new points in the glove box.

i always keep at least one set of points in the tool box on the boat. I picked up a new set of wires, condenser, points and have just got my hands on a dwell meter. once it i get it all together ill give you all an update on how shes running.

Go with a new electronic ignition system, re-furbish the old, and keep it on board.

If budget allows, pick up a spare ignition module.

See post #2 again regarding the ESA modification.



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