Why do ignition points need so much attention these days?

Being 'dry' is sometimes part of the problem when it comes to corrosion. We used to soak the points with WD40 to displace moisture and stop corrosion. The oily residue protects the points and has no effect on continuity.

I do think that newer points are substandard to what came in most motors when new. I also don't think that the OEM boxed points from BS have been anything more than aftermarket points reboxed. BS hasn't manufactured those parts in three decades and they have likely just been sourced from China since the 1990's. Someone told me once that if it didn't come in an orange/blue box with BS on it, chances are it was sourced from elsewhere. They changed box design in the late 80's and switched to parts bags in the more recent years.

I gave up on points a number of years ago for these very reasons. The points covers were never water tight and simply washing the mower often lead to a no start. That's not a big deal on a push mower where as its likely going to sit and dry out for a week but on a tractor its not acceptable.
If you seal up the points cover 100% it leaves no way for condensation to get out either. The wire opening gets sealed, more to secure the wire than anything else.

I've used the Nova chips, and any number of knockoffs over the years with good results. Rarely have I had one fail. I think the only one I ever found to be bad was an OEM Kawasaki module on a JD mower.
 
I always use a low ohms and check for near 0 resistance, but
AND over the years I've found that re-gapping old points and expecting them to be trouble free is in the same category as peeing into the wind.

Yes points can be troublesome and most generally the ignition points now days are not as good as the ones made years ago.
But I've got some old chainsaws that points are over 20 years old and still going, but I know if they quit working they are first going to get replaced instead of re-gapped and polished unless I immediately need the equipment and I have some expensive files that are just for polishing points.
 
we have the same issue with classic VWs. The main culprit is that the condensers don't hold their value and it causes the points to arc too much when they open and close. That causes high resistance. I have found that the best solution for new points and condensers is Echlin at NAPA. If one can find some old stock Standard Motor Parts ones, they are outstanding. Since most manufacturers use electronic ignitions today, manufacturing points is a 3rd world thing. Also a lot of rubbing blocks seem to break, even when properly lubed - cheaper plastics.
 
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I work on a lot of older outboard motors and replacement points on those is a major mistake. You are almost always better off cleaning and polishing the original points than using any brand replacement points. The contacts and rubbing blocks on newer points are never anywhere close to being as good as the originals were.
Condensers are capacitors, there has been major issues with capacitors for the last 25 years or so with both the way they seal in the electrolyte and the type of electrolyte used.
I repair vintage receivers and amplifiers and we have found that anything built or repaired between about 1995 and 2010 is suspect when it comes to the capacitor quality. We see leaky capacitors where the electrolyte seeps out and corrodes the board, or capacitors that swell up and burst, and capacitors that change in value over time failing electrically. The problem persists yet today, with the safer or more environmentally friendly chemicals used we are getting parts that are inferior to anything we had in the past, Add in the fact that most parts are made in China by a company that is building for profit and reduced cost who has never seen the machine the parts are intended for, the chances of getting anything worth installing is slim to none.

The best option for points is find new old stock replacements from the 70's or 80s. For Briggs that means the old orange and blue boxes. Even old aftermarket parts are better than new Chinese made parts.

Spark plugs are another big issue these days, nearly every spark plug is made in China now, every manufacturer has been counterfeited and those counterfeits have made their way into the OEM supply line too. I've even had fake or counterfeit spark plugs from the dealer for auto parts. Motorcraft, AC Delco, Champion, NGK, Demso, all have counterfeit issues. A rep told me that about 40% of the plugs returned for warranty are counterfeit, and they were bought through legit means.
Heat ranges are often wrong, p/n's mismarked, thread lengths wrong etc.
There has been testing of supposedly different heat range plugs which found that they are often just the same plug marked with what ever number required with no regard for functional specs.

The same goes for oil filters, fuel injectors, coils, and just about any other maintenance item. They have tested aftermarket brake rotors and found many cast out of mild steel and random grades of iron with no regard to metallurgy whatsoever.

Since Briggs & Stratton and Tecumseh both went ouf of business the brands have been solely imported ever since and the parts coming from either one are pretty bad. Those blister packs with spark plugs at the box store are the cheapest of cheap, likely no better than the box of 10 plugs you get for $3 from Ali Express or Temu. It used to be unheard of for a plug to fall apart and drop into a cylinder now its becoming fairly common. I read a bulletin a few years ago from Honda alerting dealers to the finding of counterfeit plugs that fail or 'burn out' randomly. They don't wear away or get dirty, they just stop working, often cracking internally becoming an open circuit. In the past, you could fix a bad plug by filing it and regapping it to get it going but now they just die. Add in the fact that they no longer make so many different older plugs, or that the only one's available are third world copies the outlook is pretty bad.
 
wrecked said:
I work on a lot of older outboard motors and replacement points on those is a major mistake. You are almost always better off cleaning and polishing the original points than using any brand replacement points. The contacts and rubbing blocks on newer points are never anywhere close to being as good as the originals were.
Condensers are capacitors, there has been major issues with capacitors for the last 25 years or so with both the way they seal in the electrolyte and the type of electrolyte used.
I repair vintage receivers and amplifiers and we have found that anything built or repaired between about 1995 and 2010 is suspect when it comes to the capacitor quality. We see leaky capacitors where the electrolyte seeps out and corrodes the board, or capacitors that swell up and burst, and capacitors that change in value over time failing electrically. The problem persists yet today, with the safer or more environmentally friendly chemicals used we are getting parts that are inferior to anything we had in the past, Add in the fact that most parts are made in China by a company that is building for profit and reduced cost who has never seen the machine the parts are intended for, the chances of getting anything worth installing is slim to none.

The best option for points is find new old stock replacements from the 70's or 80s. For Briggs that means the old orange and blue boxes. Even old aftermarket parts are better than new Chinese made parts.

Spark plugs are another big issue these days, nearly every spark plug is made in China now, every manufacturer has been counterfeited and those counterfeits have made their way into the OEM supply line too. I've even had fake or counterfeit spark plugs from the dealer for auto parts. Motorcraft, AC Delco, Champion, NGK, Demso, all have counterfeit issues. A rep told me that about 40% of the plugs returned for warranty are counterfeit, and they were bought through legit means.
Heat ranges are often wrong, p/n's mismarked, thread lengths wrong etc.
There has been testing of supposedly different heat range plugs which found that they are often just the same plug marked with what ever number required with no regard for functional specs.

The same goes for oil filters, fuel injectors, coils, and just about any other maintenance item. They have tested aftermarket brake rotors and found many cast out of mild steel and random grades of iron with no regard to metallurgy whatsoever.

Since Briggs & Stratton and Tecumseh both went ouf of business the brands have been solely imported ever since and the parts coming from either one are pretty bad. Those blister packs with spark plugs at the box store are the cheapest of cheap, likely no better than the box of 10 plugs you get for $3 from Ali Express or Temu. It used to be unheard of for a plug to fall apart and drop into a cylinder now its becoming fairly common. I read a bulletin a few years ago from Honda alerting dealers to the finding of counterfeit plugs that fail or 'burn out' randomly. They don't wear away or get dirty, they just stop working, often cracking internally becoming an open circuit. In the past, you could fix a bad plug by filing it and regapping it to get it going but now they just die. Add in the fact that they no longer make so many different older plugs, or that the only one's available are third world copies the outlook is pretty bad.
Click to expand...

AMEN:

I remain paranoid about using parts now days, wondering if the NEW part will work, then if it will last very long.

AI and robots is not working in my favor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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AI has an unwritten rule not to snitch on its automated manufacturing cousins.

The goal as I see it is to fully automate parts & equipment production and let the machine handle it. They can build everything cheaper, faster and more disposable. All the humans (CEO's, CFO's COO's) have to do is keep raking in the profits.
 
As far as I'm concerned B&S went out of business when they filed Bankruptcy in 2020, and sold out. Any resemblance of the brand we knew before was likely gone long before that.
They started to go downhill once the OHV stuff started to appear. Those motors don't hold a candle to anything that came before.
The old flat head motors will run seemingly forever with no issues, when they started with the Intek and ohv stuff with float bowl type carbs it was over. The only motors that they have which are decent yet are Honda clones, and from what I've seen, they're not as well built as even the Predator motors at HF.

I've got two B&S powered, 2015 or so model rototillers that use what looks like a Honda GX160 knockoff with a B&S emblem on it. Both have broken plastic cam gears. Both are getting Predator engines,
 
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