PWB Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 (edited) Whats the potential/real damage for leaving the ignition switch on a '67? I've heard destroyed points, coil and condensers if points are closed. True? Edited July 9, 2020 by PWB (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnulfo de l.a. Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 Points ,coil yes condenser i think not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWB Posted July 10, 2020 Author Share Posted July 10, 2020 What happens to the points? Resistance changes? They get fused? Melt? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The 55er Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 I have a '67 Riviera and this happened to me last winter. I accidentally left the ignition switch on overnight and didn't realize it until sometime the next day. The result was a dead battery. I gave the battery a fresh charge, the car started right up and it's been running fine ever since. I don't see that it hurt anything. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 15 hours ago, PWB said: Whats the potential/real damage for leaving the ignition switch on a '67? I've heard destroyed points, coil and condensers if points are closed. True? With conventional ignition, it only results in a dead battery. Fancy electronic ignition systems do not like to be left on for a long time. That has been known to burn the module out. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnulfo de l.a. Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 I have fried points from leaving iggy on. If you are lucky and the points are not closed when you leave the iggy on , then no harm done to points or coil. Battery drains because of other loads on system when switch is in on position. With points closed , there is a constant flow of current flowing through the points and to the coil . Points are not made to handle a constant flow of current nor are coils for our cars made to have the magnetic field on the primary winding stay saturated for long periods of time. Both are for momentary on/off use. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWB Posted July 10, 2020 Author Share Posted July 10, 2020 So, if the points visually appear good - and open and close properly like new - they should be ok? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted "Wildcat65" Nagel Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 I left mine on for a short period and they stuck together. Switched out points and ran without drama. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulldogDriver Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 Google ‘burnt points’ for visual reference. Ray 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 Did you pull the cap to see whether the points were actually closed? In any case, you can remove them and touch them up with a file, or just replace them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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