Topic: 1974 CB350F points question?

[jgcalifornia]

Anyone know if the condenser must be replaced if I just want to change the points?
Any advice or tips for the new points?

thank you!!

[Johnie]

Welcome to the board new guy!!!  Usually those electronics are replaced together. You would hate to have it fail, but it is your call. I never replace only the points. Cost is minimal for the condensor. Remember to put a little grease on the rubbing block of the points.

[jgcalifornia]

Hey Johnie, thanks for the reply.  Wouldnt there be 2 condensers then to replace?  Can i ask you , why necessary to replace all or nothin..

thanks!

[Johnie]

Hey Johnie, thanks for the reply.  Wouldnt there be 2 condensers then to replace?  Can i ask you , why necessary to replace all or nothin..

thanks!

Yes, you would have 2 points and 2 condensors. Why replace all or nothing? I guess the way to answer that is your electronics will only be the best they can be on a 35 year old bike with both replaced. The 2 systems work together so why only replace half the system. The points are located under the lower right chrome side cover with the HONDA logo on it. It would be a good idea to invest in a service manual as it will pay for itself if you do your own work. Not sure, but there may be a service manual on this site you can download. Check it out...

[jgcalifornia]

cool, thank you.  I actually have the service manual.  I know how to do the replacements, no problem..  I just like to get a feel from others on their experiences doing it..My condensers are in fantastic shape..  I was attempting to do some troubleshooting on the ignition timing and why my spark plugs are doing what they are doing..in the service manual, they just recommend to replace the points, condensers etc.., before/during this process..So just thought Id ask..
thanks for all the help!

[HondaMan]

What are your plugs doing?

[Bill/BentON Racing]

Yes ,what are plugs doing,and how do you know about the condensers? Do you have a tester,reads in microfarads? Best to replace as recommended when replacing pts.Do we use old tubes in new tires? Good Luck,Bill

[jgcalifornia]

I didnt know replacing the condensers would be analogically compared to tubes and tires......Hence, why I asked in the first place..

"What are your plugs doing?"
There seems to be inconsistency when starting the bike, as far as all four firing up and staying hot.  One day, I'll be riding on only 3 cylinders, and #1 is a cold pipe.
The next day, #1 might be hot and #4 is cold, and/or didnt get hot for hours later.

"Yes ,what are plugs doing,and how do you know about the condensers?"
How do I know what about the condensers...that their good?  Got confirmed when measuring the resistance, and if that wouldnt have shown a problem, there would be no spark if they were bad. 

I will gladly replace them as suggested, just wanted to know if there were different outcomes either way.

[HondaMan]

I didnt know replacing the condensers would be analogically compared to tubes and tires......Hence, why I asked in the first place..

"What are your plugs doing?"
There seems to be inconsistency when starting the bike, as far as all four firing up and staying hot.  One day, I'll be riding on only 3 cylinders, and #1 is a cold pipe.
The next day, #1 might be hot and #4 is cold, and/or didnt get hot for hours later.

"Yes ,what are plugs doing,and how do you know about the condensers?"
How do I know what about the condensers...that their good?  Got confirmed when measuring the resistance, and if that wouldnt have shown a problem, there would be no spark if they were bad. 

I will gladly replace them as suggested, just wanted to know if there were different outcomes either way.

That #1 - #4 problem sounds like an unbalanced coil. This can be caused by bad sparkplug caps (too high resistance or very different resistance between them), or by a bad (as in, slowly failing over time) coil. Check the connection of the plug caps on the wires: hold the wire above the cap and pull with about 2 pounds of force (hard to guess, I know) to see if the plug cap pulls off. If not, unscrew it from the wire, then get or borrow an ohmmeter, and measure the resistance between the little screw on the wire end of the cap and the plug end of the cap: it should be in the range of 7.5k to 10.5 k ohms, and both should be within 1k of each other. If so, trim about 1/4" off the end of the wire(s), clean the debris out of the plug cap, and screw it back on (they have a screw in the ends).

If the caps do not have this resistance, or if they are not close in value to each other, the spark will have difficulty trying to jump both plugs at once.

Also, make sure you have the same type of sparkplugs in all 4 cylinders, and they are all clean and in good condition, with equal spark gaps.

[jgcalifornia]

Hey, thanks for your reply...
FYI, the plugs I normally use, & whats in there now, are NGK D8ESL. I removed one spark plug to checked the gap and it was dead on between the .024 and .028. 
Just to clarify- the "plug caps on the wires", the boot of the spark plug wire?

[HondaMan]

Hey, thanks for your reply...
FYI, the plugs I normally use, & whats in there now, are NGK D8ESL. I removed one spark plug to checked the gap and it was dead on between the .024 and .028. 
Just to clarify- the "plug caps on the wires", the boot of the spark plug wire?

Yeah, it looks like a hard plastic boot.

Where in the world did you find those sparkplugs? They haven't been made since the late 1990s. 

[jgcalifornia]

haha..i bought a case of em at this motorcycle junkyard i used to frequent...  The box was totally sealed, all brand new plugs.  Have about 1/2 box left...  Did u want one as a souvenir?haha

what do you use?

[HondaMan]

haha..i bought a case of em at this motorcycle junkyard i used to frequent...  The box was totally sealed, all brand new plugs.  Have about 1/2 box left...  Did u want one as a souvenir?haha

what do you use?

Those are the right plugs, just real hard to find. Today, I use the ND X24ES-U, which is actually slightly better, also hard to find...

Yep, those end caps unscrew! On the NGK brand caps, there is a legend on the side with a number like "0K", "5K", or "10K", which refers to the ohms value of the (new) cap. Ideally, the 350F should be between 5K (5000) and 10K (10000) ohms.

[jgcalifornia]

where do i unscrew the caps?

[bender01]

Well grab the plug wire in your left hand and the cap/boot in the right hand. Rotate cap/boot counter clockwise to loosen.

[jgcalifornia]

ok, caps unscrewed..Im not sure the tips of the wires look so good...

[HondaMan]

OK, if they have enough extra length, just clip off about 1/4" and then screw the caps back on, after measuring them. The ends get pretty ugly after many years of spark blasting by them.