Wico XB Disributor Condenser

I was wondering if there's a difference between the Wico XB distributor K6977 condenser and the Wico XH magneto X5614 condenser. I was looking in the JD electrical service manual SM2029 and both of these condensers have (or at least supposed to have) the same microfarad rating .16-.20 if I remember right. I'd like to put a tune up kit in my Wico XB and I see that some sellers say the condensers are designed for the XB or XH only and some claim they they work in either one. I understand the XB isn't a desired distributor but the B runs pretty good considering I haven't replaced points or condenser yet.

If the old condenser in your distributor is still good leave it in there and only replace the points. I don’t trust the new condensers we get today any farther than I can spit.

I noticed there's a little metal transfer on the points going from the movable arm to the ground side so I figured it's about time I replace both the points and condenser.

The XB takes a special size in length and dia. to fit in it's spot properly.

Makes sense because if I remember right there's not a lot of room in there. Anybody know of a source for good quality condensers for this thing?

Perhaps find some "Sprague Orange Drop" capacitors in the correct capacity value and a 300 to 400 vdc rating.

I'm with fixerupper here except I can't spit very far at all.

Metal transfer is normal generically speaking, older Motor's Repair Manual (1967 shown below page 113) used to have a section describing how if the build up is on the negative terminal of the points for example you need a smaller capacity of condenser. Build up on the positive points terminal meant that you needed a larger capacity condenser.

<image src="http://photos.yesterdaystractors.com/gallery/uptest/a274387.jpg"/>

<image src="http://photos.yesterdaystractors.com/gallery/uptest/a274386.jpg"/>

The main point is that you can't buy larger or smaller capacity condensers in the first place because they don't sell them that way even in 67, and we don't even know where we are starting from, so we kinda stuck here. One could say that it doesn't matter about metal transfer other than it's a sign to get a new set of points in there. You can try a new condenser, but I would never throw a working one away with today's quality of five stinkers in a row being a real possibility. Trying a new one is also a shot in the dark as to actual capacity, you could be the same as before and without a fix just as easily as going the wrong way and making it worse too.

I've never been able to win this kind of lottery.

XH1042 magnetos alternate polarity with each spark generated - technically speaking then one should not have noticeable metal transfer there. Yet I seem to remember we do. So how far can we trust the above capacity advice in the first place?

Main take away should be the tried and true 'points and condenser' method of a 'tune up' was always wrong thinking and perhaps not the thing to do at all. Can you change? Points yes, condenser maybe not is my thinking today. They don't really wear out, but they are a man made device so they can not possibly be perfect, eventually they could fail.

They do make cheap capacity testers today, so we can at least measure them a lot more easily than before. The measured .13 uf handwritten in would have been the results of a cat's eye tube type tester I had back in the day when I was on fire about this issue. I measured it and wrote the results in the only location where I would be able to find it again. No idea at all what it was from, I certainly could 'do' nothing about it anyway. I was all in with just an actual measurement.

Thanks guys for the advice. I'll keep my old condenser and try my luck with another one.