Contact breakers

Inspecting the contactpoints or contact breakers:

The contactpoints inside the distributor, although well protected from water, will corrode over time. Bad point connections cause engine overrun, timing issues, speed missing and causes the engine to misfire or fail to start. Look closely at the surface of contact points. Check for corrosion (white or degradation. If the points look burned or the contacts have eroded or a worn out block, these parts need replacing. For a quick treat you could polish the contacts with a file or some abrasive paper, but that won't last long. High quality contactpoints are made of copper/tungsten, but also full copper or zinc is used.

The gap between the points is crucial to run the engine at higher efficiency. The gap can be adjusted by adjusting a screw. The gap is normally between 0.5 and 0.7 mm. Feelerblades are used to adjust the gap.