Oxidation of Points NOS or ?

leo

leo

Well-known member
I'm fairly amazed that I installed a NOS set of Ford points into my distributor and they were so oxidized that I could not get any continuity to ground without doing some filing on them. So what creates all this oxidation? Is it just what happens when these things sit around in storage?
 
Pictures?

How old, where were they oxidized?

I have NOS Ford point and a bunch of still good used ones and none are oxidized.

I have some low quality points where everything is oxidized and still new on the store card.

Why did you replace the ones on you dist? Too many people replace perfectly good points for no reason other then they think they need to because you have to do something to the car.
 
leo said:
I'm fairly amazed that I installed a NOS set of Ford points into my distributor and they were so oxidized that I could not get any continuity to ground without doing some filing on them. So what creates all this oxidation? Is it just what happens when these things sit around in storage?
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I have never experienced this problem in 50 years. Please provide a picture. Wayne
 
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J Franklin said:
Air pollution speeds it up but all things oxidize, even us.
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nooo people just pickle, were 80% water much like a cucumber:p


Oxidation is purely dependent on material and atmosphere. I got a small flat of distributor parts from an auction and all the points were varying degrees of used. Some still shiny, some were well used and dull (oxidized), some just needed a quick rub on a shirt to clean em up. The cherry picked set I put in my distributor ran great in 2007, then engine sat till earlier this year. Put gas in it pulled choke and came to life first few revolutions. I didn't mess with the points at all. Only thing I did in that time period was hand turn the engine over with oil down the cyl every few months. Maybe that opening and closing of the points left a tiny spec clean??? who knows...
 
I also run stock Model A Points. I still have a few sets of NORS points that have good tungsten.

I have also had good luck with Model A Points from my local parts store. They come in a Borg-Warner box. They ARE NOT made in China.

I would not even think of running solid state ignition. Too many times on a tour while sitting on the side of the road, I have had to try to diagnose a problem with a Model A with solid state ignition. With points, you can easily diagnose to the problem and get on down the road.

Please understand, this is just my experience and my opinion.
Others may disagree which is fine with me.

Chris W.
 
Hi Leo,

FWIW: Just a few past actual experiences.

The Model A & Model B distributor bodies have an opening on one side for adjustment of spark advance. This opening resembles an open window in a wall.

Vintage distributor and magneto caps on old vintage tractors have no side openings and are sealed from exterior moisture; hence, no open window.

If one lives in a humid area with air temperature differences during night & day, warm moist air later in the day enters the Model A/B side window and condenses on cooler metal points thus causing oxidation.

Many years ago, our 1946 Farmall Tractor points never oxidized with a closed distributor cap ..... but my Model A points parked next to it oxidized when laid up not running for about 3-5 months depending on time of year ....... worse time of year is early spring and late fall.

Same thing happens today with my Model A parked next to my 1947 Farmall Cub tractor ..... in fact, Cub tractor points never did oxidized in many many years since I had it .... unattended Model A points oxidize in 3-4 months.
 
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The contact points were a dull gray color so I used some 2000 grit wet/dry paper to get them shiny again and the continuity returned. But these points were NOS Ford in an Autolite box with no appearance of being exposed to the outside atmosphere. I also had another set of points, non-Ford which I had run for a short while and they had a blackish color on them which took a point file to remove but they were not pitted. These too did not have any continuity to ground until they were cleaned up.
 
Hi Leo,

FWIW:

Even in more humid areas, not many heed old vintage point cleaning recommendations, however:

A. From past experiences, old outboard motor points, hit & miss engines, old tractor points, Model A/B points almost last indefinitely when "often" using a proper mild surfaced "point file".

B. Filing points "often" with sand paper, over time, (allows sand paper grit to be dropping along side a constantly turning oiled distributor shaft), which can prematurely wear soft metal distributor bushings.

C. Using a regular file "often" in lieu of a "point file", (where points oxidize often), can prematurely wear points.
 
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