Gone Gapless!

[pyrOman]

So, I'm on my merry way home from work cruising at the prescribed 75 when all of a sudden BOOM!!!



Engine just up and quit! Lights are on, radio works, it cranks even but no start! So I coast my arse to the side of the freeway. Man, you don't really know how FAST is the traffic going until you are sitting just inches from it!!!

Anyway, figuring it has to be some electrical issue I look at all the wires to the coil but everything seems okay. Having the sun on my back and sitting on the side of the freeway, decided that this was not the place to try to find/fix anything. Called my trusty towing partner, the triple-A, to take me home just about 5 miles away.

Once home, I had it dropped on the street since I am working on that dreaded RED bus that doesn't seem to want to leave my place and it is in front of the Garaj Mahal so I can't get the Dormy out. I then get the RED bus out of the way and get the Dormy ready. At this point I was about to ask my neighbor for help pushing the bug into the garage but decided to take another look now that I'm NOT on the side of the road. All seem good until I pop the distributor cap. I noticed the points were closed, totally closed! Okay, just worn out a bit I think. After adjusting it as far I it went they were still closed! WTF? So I take them off and find the real issue here:

Go search in my YUGE stash of parts'N'junk and find a used set. Sand the contacts off, install it, set the gap and BAM! It fires right up! The bitch!

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Some people are so busy being clever they don't have time enough to be wise.

[60ragtop]

Hopefully you lubed them. I had that happen to me in my old DC. it was dark going to work and bam quit running. I popped the cap and sparked the points by hand and had fire? once it got light out I could see the problem. So I put in my spare dist and away I went. The worst part of the story is my wife was following a little behind me but it was so foggy she missed seeing me on the side of the road. LOL
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Rick
Certified Mechanic by the State of Michigan in 1977
ASA certified in 1987
Certified Hunter Wheel Alignment Master Technician 1986

[Cusser]

I have not yet ever had a points rubbing block break off; yes, I do lube it.

That said: I do carry a spare set of points in my trunk, at least in my 1971.
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[Tim Donahoe]

After running strangely when I first got my current bug, I popped off the distributor cap and saw that the black point's spring was broken in two. Got Bosch points and installed them.

Tim
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Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[Meiang]

Any reason to use points these days apart from it being a legacy thing or wanting ignition retard on no.3 cylinder (pre-doghouse). Installing a Lumenition magnetronic system or other internal distributor kit is so easy and cheap and does not show in the engine bay - maintenance free and no loss of ignition performance over time.

[airschooled]

[Old n' slow]

My neighbors new 1967 Oldsmobile got towed home one day.......one of the tungsten contacts fell off the points.......never, to this day, have I seen that happen again.
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Currently own : 1969 Beetle w/ 1600cc, Single Port, Solex 30 PICT 2, Dist. 113 905 205 T, stock exhaust.
All my daily drivers gone but not forgotten;

1964(sunroof)1967 & (2)1968 Beetles , 1968 Squareback , 1963 (23 window )Deluxe Sunroof Bus , 1969 Westphalia camper, 1974 Dasher , 1985 Vanagon , (2) 1981 Rabbit Diesels & a 1991 Jetta Diesel .

[Buggeee]

[pyrOman]

I intend to get a Pertronix for it coming up. This motor had been and is running pretty good as is, so I had no need to do it just yet. Also have a Pertronix in the Truehaf diz for the Dormy and I had posted in the performance forum about the Compu-fire I ran in the Bug which made the thacometer go wild and crazy.


Used to have a "ready-to-swap-clamped" diz in the trunk but working on other motors on the stand I had used it. Finally, even with that, working on the side of the freeway is not my cup of tea. Iffin I had enough momentum to roll off the freeway it'd been a bit of a different story.
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Some people are so busy being clever they don't have time enough to be wise.

[mark tucker]

Ive seen somany the were dry or the rong lube was used, or the lobes were rusted and killing the rubbing block. as far as gapless, thats a good way to go on rings and electronic ignition.just be sure to read the instructions...and follow the instructions.

[pyrOman]

Instructions???? I don't even know how to read! Hell, it's a miracle I managed to somewhat understand what you attempt to write!
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Some people are so busy being clever they don't have time enough to be wise.

[tasb]

There have been quite a few posts about new Bosch points failing in this way as of late. Heck, they won't even put their logo on them anymore . Points can still be very reliable but they do require periodic maintenance. If you've done it before its not really a hassle. I'd shop for NOS Bosch over new and even go with USA made NOS points over the new Bosch. as far as Mr. Tucker goes, He's on my ignore list so I can't see what he tries to write anymore. Makes my Samba life a bit more pleasant.
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Roads Scholar &
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

[sjbartnik]

Points tend to be pretty reliable especially if your condenser is good and you keep the distributor cam lubed.

The real good news is that spare points & condenser are small and easy to keep in your travel spares kit or glove box.

With any kind of ignition shutdown situation like what you had, that would be one of the first things to check - pop off distributor cap and check points.

With 5 min of work at the side of the road you could have saved yourself a tow. But hey now you know for next time.

And yes even if you get a Pertronix, do carry a spare set of points & condenser in your kit for when the Pertronix takes a shit.
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1965 Volkswagen 1500 Variant S
2000 Kawasaki W650

[pyrOman]

[airschooled]

Napa Echlin points are the only points that last long enough to be considered worth of the Volkswagen heritage. They even come with a pill of cam grease so you don't have to buy a gallon jog of Bosch grease.

They make a set for all types of VW distributors, but you have to order them by model year that your distributor would have come with.

Robbie
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Learn how your vintage VW works. And why it doesn't!
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[sjbartnik]

[Multi69s]

Having a rub block break off, is a once in multiple peoples lifetime occurrence. The most common problem with points is that the rub block does wear over time. This closes the gap, changes the timing, and eventually causes a no start situation. However, a quick turn of a screwdriver will get you home. When they 1st came out, I bit the Pertronix bug. Especially for my Baja, you don't want to be in the middle of no-where and have a failure. Yet failure reared its ugly head and the module failed. The problem is that when a module fails YOU ARE STRANDED. It's even worse then your situation. I'm not saying that it would have been nice, but you could have walked, thumbed a ride to the nearest flaps, got new points, and be heading down the road. When you lose a module, where can you get one, and how long will it take? I've had points and condenser issues, but I was still able to limp home, but when a module fails, you are DOA. I have three VWs, I now carry extra points and condensers in two, in the Baja, a complete, timed distributer. For me the last straw was losing a module 2 miles from home. No one was there, so I walked home, grabbed my truck and tow bar, pulled the bug home and switched back to points.
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69 road Bug 2110
73 Squareback - 2L, T4, Automatic W/ AC
Gone, but many fond memories 69 Baja Bug 2010 - 5 Rib Bus Transaxle
Gone but not forgotten 72 Baja Bug 2010
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AC in Squareback https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...highlight=

[Zundfolge1432]

This was thread has become just like the infamous points vs pertronix debate from several years ago. It went on over 30 pages. I just bumped it up to top of the list on performance forum.

[pyrOman]

[wcfvw69]

I run only NOS Bosch points and condensers in my personal VWs. The ones made in Germany in the 60's and 70's. They've never let me down and I do grease them with Bosch grease.

I LOVE the idea of the modules but too many people I know have had them fail, even with them installed perfectly.

I agree with the OP too. I don't want to risk my life working on the side of a busy freeway. My then new to me bus had the rocker pin fall out of the craptastic cheap fuel pump. The engine died and I coasted off to the side of the freeway. I waited for the tow truck far away from the van. I have no desire to get rear ended by a distracted driver.
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