Carver Owners Forum

I am already planning how to spend some of my 2018 boating budget. I spoke with the mechanics at the new marina I am located at this year. I am pretty much certain that next year I will convert both my engines to electronic ignition and get rid of the points and condenser. They quoted me $1200 for both engines.

Got plenty of time to save up so I will run one more season on the old system then convert.

Hey rick, it ain't broke, don't fix it. Points work just fine for stock carb motors. From your posts, I don't think you are looking for increased performance. So unless you are having issues, points are cheap and easy to replace.
Your call of course...

Just want to make sure this didn't come across wrong. Unless you are looking to run your motors over 5000 rpm on a regular basis, I don't believe you will notice any difference between points and HEI. Other than the cost.

According to my owners manual these engines max out at 4400 RPM. They did achieve that last season. I won't be able to open up the engines until my rebuilt transmission is broken in. They told me no WOT for the first 6 hours then I can do as I please.

Both engines were tuned up just before I bought the boat. I have spoken with others who have made the transition to electronic ignition and they all say their boats run better after the conversion. I am not looking for more power necessarily but if I get better performance out of the conversion it will be worth it, I think.

You can just replace the points with modules but there are also whole distributors you can replace.

I went that route and got the Prestolite distributors. They came with new coils but it was a drop-in replacement. Just needed to set the timing and you're done. I think the distributors were $200 ea, but it's been about 20 years since I made that change. They have been great. For the first few years I kept the old distributors on board "just in case" but had never needed them.

I strongly doubt you will notice an actual difference in performance unless your current components aren't performing as they should. It's common after an upgrade is made though, that somehow it "feels" better to the operator. Will they provide a "measurable" difference? yes but not much and certainly not something you'll actually feel IMO. What you may notice right away, and has usually been my experience when installing these, is that you'll have quicker starts. So if you're replacing strictly for performance, spend the money on something else that really needs attention. Now, if your goal is to reduce component replacement, that's different because you won't have to replace points and condensers anymore. Having said that, the electronic versions, while they're pretty reliable, do have a failure rate. Once they fail, they fail, you're dead in the water. There's no tweaking or cleaning etc. like you can with a set of points to get you back home. For that reason, when you convert, be it the entire distributor or a points and condenser conversion kit, don't throw your old hardware away, keep it on board (more practical for conversion kit), it may help get you home one day rather than have to wait for replacement parts.

For those considering installing just the points and condenser conversion kits, you must remember that there is no sense installing these if your distributors are worn. They will do nothing to make up for that. Also remember that proper servicing wasn't just a cap, rotor, points and condenser replacement, a thorough mechanic would remove the entire plate when replacing the points, and inspect the advance mechanism. The problem with certain upgrades is that they eliminate or instill a lack of need to continue checking or going one step further and inspect the rest of the system as you would when replacing the regular maintenance version of that item. As a result, in some cases, critical things get overlooked because you never have to revisit the area again due to the upgrade. My point here (pardon the pun) is that I'm willing to bet your advance mechanism will never be checked again until you have a timing issue. The problem with that though, is that it may be too late for your engine then. After these kits or an electronic distributor is installed, you must ensure that servicing is a bit more than simply replacing a cap and rotor, the advance mechanism is still there and is the difference between life and death of an engine. You won't have to worry about that for a while with a new distributor but eventually the advance mechanism must become part of your preventive maintenance routine. The only way to get away from that, is to go electronically controlled advance so that there is no mechanical advance system/components to worry about.

My intent is not for improved performance. Everyone I have spoken to who has made the change to electronic ignition has said they would not ever go back to the conventional points system.

The mechanics at my marina said the kits they use contain a whole new distributor, rotor, cap and new plug wires. Easier starting is one of the reasons I want to make the conversion. Now, I do not have any starting issues since the boat was tuned up just prior to my purchase. All is well with it at this time.

Right now I am planning to make the change next year. Who knows, I could always change my mind.

Timing is critical, I can't stress that enough especially in a marine application, so any money spent on on replacing an old distributor is money well spent. Probably a non-issue but you never know these days; ensure they are installing marine units.

RGrew176 wrote:Source of the post My intent is not for improved performance. Everyone I have spoken to who has made the change to electronic ignition has said they would not ever go back to the conventional points system.

The mechanics at my marina said the kits they use contain a whole new distributor, rotor, cap and new plug wires. Easier starting is one of the reasons I want to make the conversion. Now, I do not have any starting issues since the boat was tuned up just prior to my purchase. All is well with it at this time.

Right now I am planning to make the change next year. Who knows, I could always change my mind.

Rick, if you are comfortable with the cost , then go for it.....there is never a down side to upgrading and optimizing any engine system you have........start performance, timing will be better, idle fuel burn with the timing should be better.....any small improvement will prove easier on the engines over time. All around improvement in my opinion. Unless you are the kind of guy that will be down there with a timing light and dwell meter on a regular basis.

The one caveat is , as been mentioned above, make sure they are marine distributors with the correct advance curves or you will hurt the engines ,....talk to your guy there I am sure he will know........