electronic ignition or points

[moggyadventurer]

Hi

I have remained a faithful contact points man for 25yrs, however have always struggled in winter months to get her started. Mostly when damp rather than cold. However, reliability is key these days as I need it to start at 5am most mornings for work.
I am not lucky enough to have a garage..so she sits on the drive open to the elements. Can anyone advise as to whether it is worth moving to electronic ignition such as accuspark of the one simonbbc sells? Or just stick it out?

Good starting and reliability are key for me at the moment.

Grateful of any thoughts or experiences of these products.

[robedney]

Now you've done it -- the debate will surely follow. My solution to hard cold starting is a thorough go through of the full tune-up process. This includes a careful check of all the wiring in the primary and secondary areas of distributor wiring, coil, plug wires, etc. Particularly check for crumbling insulation and/or poor connections on the primary side. Spark plug wires that work fine normally will often be a problem in cold/damp weather -- and they are cheap to replace if older. It's cheap and effective to coat every connection with some dielectric grease (once undone and cleaned up).

Combustion really likes warm, dry air -- and is less friendly to cold/damp air. Therefore, you need to double check mixture, the choke setting (including cable adjustment), etc. Also double check the timing. Make sure that the points are cleaned and properly gapped -- or just replace them.

Other things to look for are a cracked distributor cap, or even -- although rare -- a crack in the coil. The point is that cold/damp weather will soon find any weak link in the system.

Now -- having said the above -- there is a theory that goes like this: As the hot distributor cools overnight condensation forms within the distributor and things do indeed get wet. Points and water don't get along well. Therefore, providing all the wiring is good, an electronic system may in fact make for easier cold starts. I would test this theory -- and it should be easy. Some morning where the weather is such that you are expecting hard starting, pull the distributor cap, check for moisture and blow everything out with a can of air. Put the cap back on and see how she starts. If there's no improvement the problem is not likely to be the distributor.

[moggyadventurer]

Interesting thoughts.

I must admit, its the starting that concerns primarily. I put a lot of effort into ensuring the ignition system is maintained regularly, but admit have rarely changed the ignition leads. Might be worth a look.

[robedney]

Note that I edited my original remarks after thinking it over. Yes -- check the leads!

[bmcecosse]

Electronic won't help with starting - is the battery good? I think if I HAD to get started at 5am every morning I would park on a hill - or run a trickle charger on the battery overnight...... As others have said - moisture is the problem in winter - clean/new parts will make a worthwhile difference. And perhaps retard the timing slightly so there is no chance of it kicking against the starter.