Every new car I get, (you can tell how old I am) I tear down the distributor and give it a good cleaning. Almost always either the vacuum or mechanical advance is sticking.
OK, my new car has none, and I never got a “new” new car, but you get the idea.
LLoyd
You’ve got to live somewhere you aren’t afraid to die.
Ukrainian poet Serhiy Zhadan
This is how to do it
I’m thinkin’ about circumcising, oops, i mean circumventing, current and potential future problems with the condenser and points by going with a Pertronix LU-166A.The tech at Pertronix said I’d need a coil with 3 ohms of resistance. I’ve already ordered a Lucas Sports coil which, like my ignition system, has no ballast resistor. Two very reliable owners who have been running Pertronix with no resistance say their cars have been running well for years with the Lucas Sports coil and no ballast resistor. Advice? thanx again. s
Looking good from here…same as my setup
I’m not convinced a Lucas Sports Coil offers anything worthwhile that a standard 12V, 3 ohm coil doesn’t. Other than that, looks good.
In a naturally aspirated street car? You’re absolutely correct!
But don’t discount the very positive affect the addition of that coil has to the mind dyno… 
The problem I found with gapping the points on the bench is, if there’s the slightest play in the shaft, the gap will be out when installed as load goes on the shaft. Set up my S Type like that, taking extreme care and the car never ran right, would spit back through the ASC when cold. I spent ages mucking around with the ASC to no avail before discovering the points gap was way too small. Reset gap and normal service restored.
is the Lucas Sports coil 3 Ohms or “0”. thanx s
Are those OSHA safety toes?
True, but it gives you a place to start from and with the ease of installing them on the bench. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I got the gap and dwell within specs on the first try.
Before you jump towards a Petronix, there is a lot of good info on the site of different ignition systems. This thread listed below has some good discussion; you’ll have to wade through quite a bit of blither, but you’ll get a better idea. In a nutshell, it seems a 123 is often a better choice.
Or @scheherazade, just replace the condenser and see if it allows you to drive with your lady to a nice restaurant and back. I’m still using points and condenser after over 50 years and I sincerely can’t see what all the fuss is about. Just my .02.
Work on thousands of cars, as a living, equipped with points and condenser, and you might see the fuss…
I hate the things!
I agree. Very good advice.
Although I do see a lot of threads that go “I am having problems with my 123”
All my cars run points.
Except…they work. 40,000+ miles for me and 51 years with zero issues. And yet I still keep hearing stories about problems with the “Petronix” (sp) and 123.
I say again, what’s the fuss? It’s an easy job for a competent teenager to install and adjust points and condenser on any period 1960s Jaguar, without a timing light or other special tools. What a great education for the newcoming youngsters to our world.
Except… when they don’t.
And need maintenance. AND good quality supplies seem to be dwindling.
Long may they stay dead.
As I said, I saw/replaced thousands… and on a day-to-day basis, they suck, compared to a modern electronic ignition.
Comparing one’s personal experience with points against stories of Petronix or 123 issues needs to also include the countless stories by people with points/condenser system issues. I think one will find a lot more people who have struggled with getting points systems to reliably work.
You mean the “Petronix” and 123 that everyone keeps complaining about? Sorry. I’m going to stick with what has worked for me since 1971.
In a prior thread, I showed a pic of a number of points and condenser blister packs I collected back when they were hanging on the rack at NAPA auto parts stores for pennies on the dollar, vintage Lucas, circa late 70s. I figure they will carry me through my demise, sometime within the next 20 years or so, if I’m lucky.