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PostPosted: Wed Aug 03, 2005 10:58 pm 
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Location: Northern Nueve Mehico
hey all i need some help as to how one would go about adjust the dwell angle and the points on a '80, my truck needs a tune up bad and was told the one of the things you need to do is fidle with the points and all. I, however, have no clue as to how this is done. i'm used to electronic ignition where there an't any of that kind of crap to deal with. Oh I have the repair manual, but it an't helping any.
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'80 Luv 4x4, 3" BL, 1.5" SL, 32/36, 2.25" exhaust...and fuzzy dice.
'95 Toyota 4Runner Limited 5-Speed.


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 04, 2005 11:24 am 
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I'll cover everything here, just in case, so ignore the parts that are obvious to you

The points are located in the distributor. Remove the distributor cap by unhooking the clips on either side of it. This is a good time to scrape the crud off the contacts inside. I use my pocket knife and just scrape the side of the contact that points in toward the middle. There is usually some black/gray build up on there and it should come off fairly east. Don't try to peel off metal, just a light scrape should do.

Next pull off the rotor. It only goes on one way, but note the direction it is pointing so you can get it back on easily. Pull off the round metal dust cover and you will see the points sitting below it. They are held in place by two screws. There is a wire that leads to the bolt that all the wires on the outside of the distributor connect to. To remove the points you need to loosen the nuts on the outside of that bolt (to get the wire inside loose) Be careful working with that bolt, I've had several where the threads were screwed up or the nut siezed to the bolt and it broke when I tried to take it apart. It might be a good idea to have a machine screw handy you could replace it with before you try to take it apart. The two screws holding the points down do not need to be completely removed, just loosened, and the points will slide out from under them.

Once you get them out, look at the contacts on the points. When they get bad, they tend to build up a peak on one side and a hole on the other. If that is what you find they should be replaced. I like to keep a working set in the truck with me, so if its running now you may want to keep these as a spare even if they are crudded up. If the build up is light, you can file them flat again and reuse them, but at less than $10 I like to get new.

Putting them back in is where all the trick lies. You need a feeler gauge to get the gap right. Before you install them, grease the follower on the point with just a small dab. New points should come with a little bit of grease in a tube and some instructions for where to put it. Slide the new points back into place. Tighten the screws partially. You will see a notch on the metal frame of the points is sitting near a pair of short metal posts in the distributor. The idea is to tighten the screws enough to hold the points but so they still can be moved, then use a flat head screw driver inbetween those posts and against the notch in the points to adjust them.

Turn the motor over by hand (use the fan gently) so that one of the lobes on the distributor shaft is centered under the follower(deal that rubs against the shaft) on the points. Find the blade on the feeler gauge that matches the top of the gap range, and the one that matches the bottom. You want to adjust the gap until the small one fits between the contacts without dragging, and the larger one should slide in but with a little effort. Once you get it there, tighten down the screws that hold the points down. Then recheck the gap. You will find it is probably off and you need to do it again. (Tightening the screws tweaks it off a bit) You can sort of hold them in place with a flathead while you tighten, or you can plat around with them until you get them set right and tight.

If you get the gap right, you don't need to worry about the dwell. I think I've used my dwell meter twice to set points, and it just took longer than gapping them right in the first place.

When you put everything back together remember to put in the metal dust cover and get the rotor back on. If everything is set right, it should fire right up. If you get no start or backfires (out the pipe or carb) you have the gap wrong. Don't try to hard to start it if it won't go. I blew the side off a muffler once trying to get a worn out set of points gapped right along the side of the road.

Much of this will only make sense when you are looking at the parts involved. I wish I had some pics to add to this, but if you have the haynes manual it covers the process and has a few pics.


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 04, 2005 6:05 pm 
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THANKS A MILLION!!!!!!! that is some of the most helpful info I have every gotten off this site thanks!!!!! hope it solves the problem of my truck running like crap and it backfiring a little on me :wink:

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'80 Luv 4x4, 3" BL, 1.5" SL, 32/36, 2.25" exhaust...and fuzzy dice.
'95 Toyota 4Runner Limited 5-Speed.


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