SoCal Jet Boats
Tech Talk => Engine Mechanical / Electrical => Topic started by: mehogfan on February 11, 2009, 07:56:07 PM
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Guts please excuse my ignorance but i am new to this and am trying to learn as much as possible. i have a good friend who is doing the work on my boat. He is wanting to switch from a "points" to a H.E.I. I sorta have an idea of what this means(electronic). I asked him to make this thing reliable. 2 Questions..1)is this a good decision? Reliability is one of the most important things to me. 2) What would you recommend I use? brand,etc. I have a BBF 460. Again sorry for my ignorance but if I dont ask I dont learn. Thanks in advance!!
Thx
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For reliability, yes, that's probably one of the best choices to make. No points=No hassles
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For reliability, yes, that's probably one of the best choices to make. No points=No hassles
X2
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just for an opposite point of view...if your running dual points or single points...and something was to happen on the water you could rig something up to get back when the brains go they are gone...the main reason im thinking this is because of what just happened to me...im at a crossroad here...i would definatly say for a little more performance electronic yes...btw im not doubting skip or gt here turn key would be an electronic deal...however if the points are properly set-up they can be just as turn key
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Hmmm, good "point" there. ::)
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just for an opposite point of view...if your running dual points or single points...and something was to happen on the water you could rig something up to get back when the brains go they are gone...the main reason im thinking this is because of what just happened to me...im at a crossroad here...i would definatly say for a little more performance electronic yes...btw im not doubting skip or gt here turn key would be an electronic deal...however if the points are properly set-up they can be just as turn key
Being from a racing background, always have spare crap in the crashbox...
FWIW I agree to a certain extent, I love points for their simplicity and being able to MacGeyver it back together, but at the same time the only thing you can "fake" is the points.
I keep a back up box (MSD6AL) and a pick up coil, there are no other parts to replace that you can't "bailing wire back together", the quicker starting and hotter ignition IMO make life a little easier on other components (starter, battery, alternator etc...) ??? .
Its a good way to go either way I guess, it is kind of nice to be able to use a buisness card and a pocket screwdriver to get her running again.... :-\
GT
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Thanks guys. I will be going to electric. Any particular one you recommend? Inexpensive is always best but I am really looking for reliability.
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If you have a mallory dist. you can buy the electronic conversion kit for a little over a 100.00. Dont know what everyones opinion is of those, but its easy.
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i actually grew up at the drag-strip and seen all that fancy stuff and what my dad uses on the race car, but then i see im just out there cruising on the lake and having fun...i got a dizzy with the conversion in it and it was a failure...i just put the points back in my boat and bumped the key and vroom...sure the go fast stuff is nice dont get me wrong...but i run a fairly large lake and getting towed in is something i dont really wanna do...both types of systems have their pros n cons just like anything else...and imo i dont really wanna have an extra msd box flying around the boat...now down the road ill probably purchase a nice magnetic msd and call it a day...maybe if the planets line up i can find one at pomona
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.....I got an MSD crank trigger and dizzy for a small block
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I've been running with the conversion for 18 years in my Advantage, hasn't missed a beat.
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Thanks guys. I will be going to electric. Any particular one you recommend? Inexpensive is always best but I am really looking for reliability.
You can keep the existing dizzy and use a Pertronics conversion, have installed many and they work pretty well.
GT
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I have a Pertronix conversion in my Mallory dual point distributor housing and run an MSD 6al with no problems yet.
The nice thing about the Pertronix kit is you remove the original point plate and install there plate, so I have the original point plate with points installed in my spare parts bag.
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I think the big advantage with the electronic is NO maintenance. I run a dual point with a 6AL using one set of the points. If anything happens to the points the spare is already there. I have disconnects to eliminate the 6AL if it dies. It's all plug and play to by pass it (just in case)
Electronics are great till they quit. The worst part is they usually don't give you a hint of trouble til they do quit. When they do quit you'll float right there, that's the end of the program.
The good part about electronics is if they are going to fail they usually do it quickly or they last for years. The next best down fall is to get them wet.
Im an industrial electrician and deal with electronics every day. They are great, we can't live without them.
I just wouldn't use them in my boat without a back up plan. Raystown lake here in central PA is 28 miles long, and I don't like to paddle. ;)