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New Points Won't Open

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DuckBoatGuy

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I have a 1976 Evinrude 6hp Model# 6604A. I bought new OEM points (0580148) and they barely open at all. The old points open and close just fine with the adjustment screw but I want to replace them as one looks burnt and I'm not sure how old they are. After hours of trying to get the new points to open, I decided to use one of the old points and file down one of the new points in order to get them to gap properly. The motor now runs well but I'm concerned about the longevity of filing down the new points and potentially not having peak performance.

Is it a bad idea to file down points like this? Could I lightly bend the points arm in order to get the feeler to make solid contact with the cam? Or is there something I'm missing? Is is possible I received two defective points?
 
Sounds like your new points haven't been installed correctly. I have never had to file a set of new points, in 30 years as an auto mechanic, to get the correct gap.
Occasionally, the static contact(non-moving), will need to be tweaked to make it seat squarely on the moving contact.
 
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DuckBoatGuy said:
I have a 1976 Evinrude 6hp Model# 6604A. I bought new OEM points (0580148) and they barely open at all. The old points open and close just fine with the adjustment screw but I want to replace them as one looks burnt and I'm not sure how old they are. After hours of trying to get the new points to open, I decided to use one of the old points and file down one of the new points in order to get them to gap properly. The motor now runs well but I'm concerned about the longevity of filing down the new points and potentially not having peak performance.

Is it a bad idea to file down points like this? Could I lightly bend the points arm in order to get the feeler to make solid contact with the cam? Or is there something I'm missing? Is is possible I received two defective points?
Click to expand...


Have you installed points before?
 
No I have not. First time some I'm all ears! I've read the manual, multiple articles, and watched the videos. Not sure what I'm doing wrong.... I successfully replaced the coils, condensers, spark plugs, rebuilt the carb, rebuilt the fuel pump, new impeller, and new thermostat but these new points have me scratching my head! Like I said, the motor seems to run great with one old point and one new filed down point but I know it shouldn't be that way. What am I missing??
 
The plastic rubbing block on the points needs to be right on the high spot on one of the cams, so rotate the engine by hand to get that happening. There's 2 screws that hold the points in, these should initially be set just tight enough that the point gap can changed by putting a flat blade screwdriver into the slot in the outer edge of the base of the points and twisting. Play with that and youi will see the point gap change. Once you have the right gap, tighten the screws fully, then double check the gap. Once your gap is good, rotate the engine to close the points, gently pry them open then put a small strip of clean paper between the contacts, let the points close, then drag the paper out. This makes sure there's no oil or grease on the contacts.
 
The screw that holds the points has a special washer.---Tighten that screw fully then use the cam screw to set the point gap.---Bin doing it that way since 1968 !!
 
I have seen several reports here and on other forums, complaining about new points that cannot be set. You probably can't return them because you filed them. But try anyway.
 
*UPDATE* It was a bad set of OEM points! Picked up new points yesterday and they work as they should. The rubbing block on the previous set of points is significantly shorter than the new points. Both sets of points are OEM which is concerning. I thought I was going crazy for a bit there....
 
I have the excact same problem with new OEM BRP points for my 69' Evinrude 18 hp!

Bought new OEM points about a month ago. Part number 580148. First, I couldn't make them fit the magneto plate. The holes on both point arms were to small in diameter, so I had to drill them wider. Okay, not that big of a problem, I thought, but once fitted, I just couldn't get the timing right with the timing fixture. The points would only start to open way past the timing mark. Whatever I did, I couldn't make them to start open within the timing marks. Took the new points off, and compared them with my old ones. I then realized that the rubbing blocks on the OEM points were way shorter than on the original ones. Bought a new pair of OEM BRP points, part number 580148, and, lo and behold, they had the excact same problem. Ended up buying a pair of NOS points, and they worked out perfect.

So the holes were to narrow to fit the magneto plate, and the rubbing blocks were to short fort the points to function propperly.
Guess I could start to by Sierra from now on if this is the new low standard on OEM products.

I'm located in Norway, so this seems to be a worldwide problem with all new OEM BRP points with part number 580148.
 
with200 said:
I have the excact same problem with new OEM BRP points for my 69' Evinrude 18 hp!

Bought new OEM points about a month ago. Part number 580148. First, I couldn't make them fit the magneto plate. The holes on both point arms were to small in diameter, so I had to drill them wider. Okay, not that big of a problem, I thought, but once fitted, I just couldn't get the timing right with the timing fixture. The points would only start to open way past the timing mark. Whatever I did, I couldn't make them to start open within the timing marks. Took the new points off, and compared them with my old ones. I then realized that the rubbing blocks on the OEM points were way shorter than on the original ones. Bought a new pair of OEM BRP points, part number 580148, and, lo and behold, they had the excact same problem. Ended up buying a pair of NOS points, and they worked out perfect.

So the holes were to narrow to fit the magneto plate, and the rubbing blocks were to short fort the points to function propperly.
Guess I could start to by Sierra from now on if this is the new low standard on OEM products.

I'm located in Norway, so this seems to be a worldwide problem with all new OEM BRP points with part number 580148.
Click to expand...

I'm happy to hear I'm not the only one! I found a new set of OMC points locally and they worked great. They're packaged in a small cardboard box 'OMC Genuine Parts'. The BRP points that came in a plastic bag did not work!
 
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