Questionhow do you set dwell on (1959) 235 chevy?
is it possible for the motor to start right up and idle but not have a dwell.
Thanks
Paul
AnswerDwell means the proportion of time that the points are closed for each cylinder's cycle. For your engine, the spec is 31 degrees, plus or minus 4 degrees.
The dwell is set one of two ways. The precise way to set it is to us a dwell angle meter, but if you don't have one, you can also get close enough by using a feeler gauge to set the point gap to the specified distance, which in this case is 0.016" for used points (0.019" for new points).
No matter how you are measuring it, the way to adjust it is to move the stationary point contact closer (to increase) or further away (to decrease) from the moveable point, when the engine is stopped at maximum point opening. Unless you have the later style distributor with the window on the side of the cap, you need to take the distributor cap and rotor off and out of the way to make this adjustment. If you do have the window, the points can be adjusted with the engine running by sliding the window up and inserting the right size allen wrench into the adjuster screw, then turn until you get the desired reading.
Dwell is the time when the coil is being charged up to store energy to produce the spark for the spark plugs at the end of the dwell period. If there is no dwell, there is no spark, so in that case, the engine would not start or run at all.
Dick
