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I want to buy an Autolite NOS breaker plate off Ebay. Will a condenser degrade over time? I figure the mechanics of the plate, points, etc are good but have reservations about the condenser. Any thoughts? '42 Desoto Custom
It might work and it might not, its a crap shoot. I would buy a new one at Napa.
Paul
Thanks! So the condenser is a replaceable item. I didn't know that.
The condenser is replaceable and I would definately replace it, even that is no guarantee that it will be good. I replaced the points condenser and rotor in my car and less than 500 miles later my points looked like they had 20K on them...burned. The faulty condesner made the car run poorly once the car was hot....I would let off on the gas to make a turn, then give it the gas ant it would either backfire or hesitate real bad. Thought it was the vacuum advance and it was the condenser.
-Chris
I want to buy an Autolite NOS breaker plate off Ebay. Will a condenser degrade over time? I figure the mechanics of the plate, points, etc are good but have reservations about the condenser. Any thoughts? '42 Desoto Custom
Yes they can. But, then again sometimes they are just fine. You really need a condenser tester to know for sure.
One thing is that the condensers are in the 25MF range. If you look at your new set of points after about six months you will generally see a transfer of material from one point to the other. If you change condensers up or down a couple of MF's you can balance the system. When done, this will allow the points to last several years!
The catch is that you need to get a bunch of capacitors and test them for their actual MF ratings. they all are only good to +/- 10% at best. It is a pain, but once done it is nice to have points that will last for years.
James
