Carver Owners Forum

Hello all,

I have searched and search and read and read. Hall affect, HEI, photo eye etc. some I understand, some I dont. Most of the posts I have read are older. So I wanted to get a feel from the Carver community on the distributor conversion. Currently I have 2x crusader FWC 270's with original points etc.

My mech is recommending the Sierra 18-5296-2 kit. He is also going into the mechanical side of the dist and cleaning it up and replacing springs, weights etc.

I really would like to do the fully dist upgrade to this, but not sure it's worth if he can clean up my dist.

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/m20ProductDisplayView?catalogId=10002&langId=-1&productId=231062&storeId=10001

Has anyone done the Sierra conversion kit, what are you experiences good, bad or indifferent? Do you wish you did the conversion or the upgrade?

Just trying to make an informed purchase.

Thanks,
Jason

Also, the reason we are doing this work on the dist is, this engine will run great at lower RPM's but as soon as you get to a certain RPM when the engines start to "turn up" it bogs down and loses power, happens every time at the same RPM like 2500ish. The plugs are darker and starting to look fowled. So we are replacing those with MR44T's

Also lots of carbon built up in the intake in front of Cyl 1/3

Compression on a stone cold winterized engine is 160 - 170 psi. on all cyl's

I have 350hp Crusaders (454ci) on my boat and upgraded to Prestolite electronic distributors about 20 years ago. They have worked just great for me. I did replace the whole distributor, as I think there was some play in the old distributors so I left more comfortable with new bushings and mechanical advance. I don't remember if I verified the mechanical advance curve vs the stock one or the spec from Crusader, or if I just trusted Prestolite to get it right.

So is the tech saying the advance system is sticking and not advancing? On both engines?
Or is he guessing?

If in fact the mechanical advance is sticking, I'd rebuild the distributors and use a Pertronix (sp?) pickup instead of points, using the stock advance system.

But if you do decide to try something completely different, make sure it is marine engine room rated.

The things you get with new, depending on your choice are full easy adjustability ( advance curve etc ),new bearings ( no timing wandering due to climbing up the gear )....now if your guy has a distributor machine and can do bearings (bushings ) etc and get the correct marine advance curve in there, great, you may be ok imho.
My money for the cost would be new marine specific electronic.Perhaps that carbon at the end of your intake is only just timing related reversion........

waybomb wrote:Source of the post So is the tech saying the advance system is sticking and not advancing? On both engines?
Or is he guessing?

If in fact the mechanical advance is sticking, I'd rebuild the distributors and use a Pertronix (sp?) pickup instead of points, using the stock advance system.

But if you do decide to try something completely different, make sure it is marine engine room rated.

Thanks for the reply,

He is saying the advance is sticking just on the starboard engine, port is fine, he took the cap off and was twisting under the cap saying yeah they are sticky and possible broken spring. He has been a good friend and cert marine mech for over 30years at a well known marina, I would hand him my credit card and give him free reign, so I do trust him lol. He has a trojan 11m with identical engine and he will be doing the same to his engines once he does mine. whatever I order, I'm ordering 4 of, 2 will be his and payment for his services on my boat.

So you say go the conversion route using the sierra kit that is stamped Pertronix

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N9ZLD4/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=175269912379&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9696427624193418006&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008118&hvtargid=kwd-3668439973&ref=pd_sl_30il7ngmah_b

This would be the upgrade kit by sierra that has the Pertronix.

Yes I would fix the advance and change over to pertronix.
Springs are cheap if broken and rust is easy to clean up.
Make sure he checks the spring posts for wear and replace the parts of worn.
I'm a big fan of using as much oem as possible. In fact I use stock TBIV ignition on my 3 572s in Plain Vanilla. Only thing I changed was the modules and used V6-14 so I can dial in more initial advance for easier starting.

paboater76 wrote:Source of the post

waybomb wrote:Source of the post So is the tech saying the advance system is sticking and not advancing? On both engines?
Or is he guessing?

If in fact the mechanical advance is sticking, I'd rebuild the distributors and use a Pertronix (sp?) pickup instead of points, using the stock advance system.

But if you do decide to try something completely different, make sure it is marine engine room rated.

Thanks for the reply,

He is saying the advance is sticking just on the starboard engine, port is fine, he took the cap off and was twisting under the cap saying yeah they are sticky and possible broken spring. He has been a good friend and cert marine mech for over 30years at a well known marina, I would hand him my credit card and give him free reign, so I do trust him lol. He has a trojan 11m with identical engine and he will be doing the same to his engines once he does mine. whatever I order, I'm ordering 4 of, 2 will be his and payment for his services on my boat.

So you say go the conversion route using the sierra kit that is stamped Pertronix

You are very lucky to have someone like that , who you can trust, sounds like it will work out fine......

I installed a pair of first generation Pertronix conversion kits in a previous boat I had and ran it trouble free for about 15 years before I parted with her. Cost wise, they are a good fit. What you need to consider is the current condition of your distributors. The conversion kit will do nothing to fix a worn distributor or any of its perishable parts. If worn parts are being replaced, you're on the right path. Also consider the cost of the kits and the labour to install and set up if you're paying someone else to do it for you. If the cost is relatively close to to a set of new YLMs, it may make more financial sense to go new. While the conversions will be cheaper, the conversion will still cost and you'll still have a pair of 30 year old distributors. Not that that's a bad thing, some older gear will outlast the newer stuff! If you go with the YLM, ensure the right advance curve is set up. They're a good distributor.

You can't assume much about the carbon until you get a proper working distributor installed. You may also want to take a compression test under closer working conditions like getting the engine hot and retesting. I'd also hook up a vacuum gage, it can tell you a lot if you know how to read it. Are you burning any oil?