Need help for dwell and poimts gap please

[diggerdan17]

I have a 1987 3.0 omc cobra and I would like to know the dwell and points gap.

I have a mechanic friend that is trying to trouble shoot my problems with this boat not going above 2800 rpm under load.

It has a new fuel filter and a cleaned carb and we just set the timing tonight in the driveway. It was off a fair bit.

We are going to drop it in the lake in the morning and try and diagnose the issues further.

I will be buying new rotor cap points condenser and plug wires as well as plugs next week if the problem still exists.

compression is 125 on all 4 cylinders

I'm not sure what else to look at?

maybe coil?

 

[Maclin]

Re: Need help for dwell and poimts gap please

I suspect that new points with gap set for proper dwell readings then a timing adjustment will fix your problem.

I am not saying yours has the problem I am about to describe, but.....Some older distributors had a points set that had a separate spring that looked more like an arcing flat ribbon of metal that went from one side to the other, and many mechanics or tinkerers that had only seen automotive style points would mistakenly not install it. That would cause the points to bounce and limit rpm at 2500-2800 rpm.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: Need help for dwell and poimts gap please

Points .019
dwell 31-34
Timing,89/fuel 4deg 86/fuel 1deg
The coil,check and see how hot it's getting?
You should be able to touch it without burning yourself.
Too hot to touch=bad.
Check the air vent line from the tank to the outside of the boat.
Wasps get in there and build nests and cut off the air.

 

[diggerdan17]

Re: Need help for dwell and poimts gap please

UPDATE

Just got back from the lake after adjusting the timing in the carport last night . It seems as if the timing being off was the root of the problem.

My tach now reads a WOT of about 4200 rpm and a speed of 35 mph( not sure how accurate the gauges are). It gets up and planes really quickly and seems to have all the power I could ever need in a boat.

Thanks for all the help everyone