Topic: What's the correct dwell angle for a Cb350 twin?

[Cowboy]

My CB350 should have a points gap of .012-.016.  If I'm using a dwell meter, what should the correct angle be?  (BTW, my meter only has four and eight-cylinder scales)

[Cowboy]

Nobody here uses a dwell meter?  understandable, I guess, since I've never found dwell specs in any of the manuals I have.  But I like being able to double-check my gaps with the meter, particularly with dual points, so they are both the same. After I recently adjusted the gap to .016, I checked the dwell on each set of points. they were about 6 degrees different, despite being freshly set with a feeler guage.

The 350 twin points are easy to use with a dwell meter, since you can loosen the backing plate and actually adjust the gap with the engine running, and quickly switch between the left and right points sets. 

Right now, I've got both sets running at 52 degrees on the 4-cylinder scale. that correlates to about .013 gap.

[mgmuellner]

Honestly, I dont even know what dwell is. 

[cb(r)]

I am not completely sure but when I set my points I set them at a .013 gap and at 30 degrees (btdc?)using an electronic timing light.  but I really do not know the actual dwell and I am not sure you can change it?

[Gordon]

My CB350 should have a points gap of .012-.016.  If I'm using a dwell meter, what should the correct angle be?  (BTW, my meter only has four and eight-cylinder scales)

Sorry, nothing I've seen shows what the dwell should be for the 350 or 360 twins, just the gap.  The dwell for the fours is 92-98 degrees, but don't know if it would be different for the twins. 

[crazypj]

Changing the points gap changes the dwell angle.
Usually its going to be somewhere around 47% to 52%.
 Not sure how that translates to 4 or 8 cyl dwell meter though. maybe half or double of the 4 cyl scale?
 Points are running half crank speed, the 90+ degrees is probably at points cam not crank ( 180+)
 Sorry  cant be more help.
 In

[Cowboy]

(cb)r wrote: "I really do not know the actual dwell and I am not sure you can change it?"

(cb)r,

Changing the points gap and changing the dwell angle are the same thing, just different means of measuring it. To measure the points gap, of course, you use a feeler guage. To measure the dwell angle, you use a dwell meter. If the points gap is larger, the dwell angle (which is the number of degrees of rotation of the crankshaft during which the points are open) is larger too. Closing up the points gap reduces the dwell angle, as the smaller gap means that the points are open a shorter time.

I like using a dwell meter because, (at least in my simple mind) the measurement is more accurate, so you can get the two sets of points to the same measured dwell angle easier than you can with feeler guages.

[Green550F]

The dwell will also determine the amount of time the coil has to saturate before discharging. Wich in some systems may actually be specified to prevent burning up a coil. (depends on if it has an internal balast resistor)

I could be wrong, but that seems to be what I remember...

[cb(r)]

(cb)r wrote: "I really do not know the actual dwell and I am not sure you can change it?"

(cb)r,

Changing the points gap and changing the dwell angle are the same thing, just different means of measuring it. To measure the points gap, of course, you use a feeler guage. To measure the dwell angle, you use a dwell meter. If the points gap is larger, the dwell angle (which is the number of degrees of rotation of the crankshaft during which the points are open) is larger too. Closing up the points gap reduces the dwell angle, as the smaller gap means that the points are open a shorter time.

I like using a dwell meter because, (at least in my simple mind) the measurement is more accurate, so you can get the two sets of points to the same measured dwell angle easier than you can with feeler guages.

cowboy,

good to know.  I was thinking like green550f about the dwell- the amount of time the points stay closed 

I quess "dwell angle"  did not register in my head  but thanks for clarifying