Topic: Questions about setting points gap, feeler gauge tension

[rempy]

Could someone explain about setting the gap in the points gap? This is
on a 350F, brand new points. The manual and Clymer say spec is .012-.016in
but another thread mentioned Honda's factory spec is .35mm (.014in), exactly.

Is the gap measured in the same way as the tappets? IE the go, no-go
method where .014in just fits but .015in shouldn't? This might be an
obvious question but if so, why do they give an acceptable deviation in
the manual? Are points gaps considered tolerant of that .004in?

And set correctly, should the tension of a .014 feeler guage in the gap be
tight to the full spring weight? Or similar to the tappets where there's a
medium drag sliding the feeler through?


Thanks for any help! I'm beginning to see the light at the end of
the tunnel.

[76CB5WI]

If you can pass the 014 with resistance...should be good. 012 should go easy

[fmctm1sw]

I went the degree wheel route.  I picked up a cheap protractor of appropriate size at Hobby Lobby ($2 I think) and drilled a hole in the center.  Just a thought...

[rempy]

I went the degree wheel route.  I picked up a cheap protractor of appropriate size at Hobby Lobby ($2 I think) and drilled a hole in the center.  Just a thought...

First I have heard of such a thing. The sohc4 search engine and I have some issues.

fmctm1sw, could you possibly point me to a page with more about this on sohc4's?

[fmctm1sw]

I went the degree wheel route.  I picked up a cheap protractor of appropriate size at Hobby Lobby ($2 I think) and drilled a hole in the center.  Just a thought...

First I have heard of such a thing. The sohc4 search engine and I have some issues.

fmctm1sw, could you possibly point me to a page with more about this on sohc4's?

Long story short until I can find something... and I'm doing this from memory..  The points should be closed 195 degrees out of the 360.  I have a little test light I connected between the points and just noted the degrees of turn while the light was out (or on, don't remember).  I'll try to get a photo of it and come to think of it I haven't seen my degree wheel for quite some time...  

*edit*  Here's my apparatus.  That wheel is 3-1/2" in diameter and the light is simply held onto the points to observe it lighting up and turning off.  You just have to carefully turn the bike over to get the precise moment of illumination (or unillumination).  I got the 195 degrees out of a post by TT some time ago on the subject.  Somewhere the are posts discussing dwell meters and how you read them for our wasted spark ignitions, I think that's where I picked it up...

*edit*  http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=41860.msg431980#msg431980

[76CB5WI]

I always do this by feel when the points open or your light is lit
I just swing the wrench approximately 90 degrees to get the point of
greatest spread and thats how I gap them.
Maybe its crude but my bikes run fine. I need a course on the use of dwell meters.