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cranberry521
04-30-2010, 08:01 PM
Can anyone give me some info on changing from points to an elctronic ignition in a 90 conbrio.

csuggs
04-30-2010, 10:50 PM
Piece of cake. Get yourself a kit from skidim - call to make sure you get the right one, then just follow the instructions. I did mine, cost about $150 and took an hour. Big improvement and worth the $$.

dshaff24
04-30-2010, 11:21 PM
When you say big improvment, What changed?

purple boat
05-01-2010, 02:26 AM
Check on Summit.com. Should be about 90 bucks. Again, make sure you get the right one. Pertronix makes several specifically for marine applications.

No more points to adjust or wear out, hotter spark, fewer misfires, the distributor stays cleaner, etc. I have yet to find a down side... And very easy to install in your driveway without pulling the distributor. Oh, and there is less fouling of your plugs because of the hotter spark. And it usually starts easier. Did I forget anything? I put mine in several years ago and have only pulled my cap to look in at the beginning of the year to make sure everything is still under there before I fire it up for the season; other than that, I pretty much forget about the distributor...

seeyaby
05-01-2010, 10:19 PM
Wonder which one my 1989 454 would take ?

saltare inverts
05-01-2010, 11:11 PM
Skididm will know exactly. They are extremely helpfull there. I asked them all kinds of weird questions and the never skip a beat then give a simple answer.

wotan2525
05-03-2010, 03:00 PM
I wonder if this is what I need -- I have a DEI electronic ignition on mine but I don't think it's a marine ignition. Seems like the contacts in the distributor get corroded once or twice a year and need to be replaced. Will a marine setup fix this?

87SunSportMikeyD
05-03-2010, 04:43 PM
Wotan I have been having issues with mine ever since I got my boat, I am replacing completly this spring.

wotan2525
05-03-2010, 04:46 PM
Wotan I have been having issues with mine ever since I got my boat, I am replacing completly this spring.

Let me know how it goes.... do you have electronic ignition at all? I thought your main problem was your carb??

87SunSportMikeyD
05-03-2010, 06:24 PM
I HAD elec ignit, but (long story - couple magnets fell out and hasnt worked the same since. Also not getting correct spark from two plugs) now I have points again (down time is unnaceptable!). They actually run okay, but we have some motor maitanence this spring that I am not really looking forward to lol!

We rebuilt the carb last summer, it seems to be doing pretty good but could still use some fine tuning by a pro...

Also gotta do throttle cable, possibly steering cable, possibly exhaust manifold gaskets, possibly valve cover gaskets (some kind of blowback noise, cant tell exactly where yet), the elec ignit, ... i think that's it

wotan2525
05-03-2010, 06:56 PM
You'll get there. I've done all of that stuff (several times for most of them.) I bought some thicker fel-pro valve cover gaskets last time. They are a lot more expensive but I was having an oil drip at the rear port side of my valve cover (think where we weight to surf) and figured it was worth beefing those up a bit. Now that I just replaced my tranny cooler I think the only part under my engine cover that is original is the transmission. Holy hell, I better knock on wood!!

csuggs
05-04-2010, 10:20 AM
How is it that you guys have "contacts" on an electronic ignition? Are you talking about the distributor cap and rotor? If that's corroding, then you probably have a crack in the cap.

wotan2525
05-04-2010, 11:27 AM
Yes, I'm talking about the distributor cap and rotor. There's little copper dots inside of the distributor cap and they tend to get a green/white corrosion on them. I've had to replace both the cap and rotor about once a year for the last couple of years. My best guess is that it's an auto distributor and a marine one would be better sealed from the elements?