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#196989
frankr
Participant

    hate to throw a WRENCH in all of this but if the points are both set to .020 then wouldnt they have about the same dwell.by changing the point gap to get them to open at the right time ,you change the dwell i think? unless its a very small amount i guess?

    What has the dwell got to do with it anyway? This is a magneto, not a car.

    Anyhoo, one last time, as the flywheel magnets pass by the coil’s laminated core, a voltage is generated in the coil. At a certain point in the magnets passing, the voltage polarity in the coil is reversed. It is at that TIME of reversal that the points just barely break as they first touch the ramp on the cam. That is what the timing fixture does—-ensure that the points break at the TIME that the voltage reversal occurs. If the points break at the correct TIME, you will get maximum efficiency and best spark. Once the points make that break it is all over till the next time. I don’t care if they open 20 thou or a half inch, as long as they open at the right TIME. Dwell has nothing to do with it, as long as they close again by the time the magnets come by again. Yes it will have spark and run if the TIME is a bit early or late, Heck, I’ve set the gap by eyeball measurement and gotten spark. The question is, do you want the best or will you be satisfied with “OK”.

    Now, go ahead and do it however you want.