points question..help please

[Mutineer]

On my LLS century the round points unit has two arms coming off it
One determines the opening and closing of the points
and the other seems to be a brush on a flat spring arm (cleaner for the crankshaft?)

Recently the "cleaner" arm broke off (causing alot of consternation on my part, thought the rings had gone west!)
discovered the nasty noise was in the flywheel..whew!
The engine runs without this but I'm guessing it'll be a problem down the road as goo or what have you builds up on the shaft affecting points gap
Yes? No?

I do have a couple other similiar vintage exact same villiers points units that have this arm that I could intsall instead
Good idea?
Do I need to take the flywheel off..or can it be snuck out the flywheel holes?
Thanks

[RickUK]

The 'brush' is just meant to have a few drops of oil on it occasionally to lubricate the cam and therefore the heel of the points arm.
You can do without it (I doubt that many ever got oiled) - just rattle the broken part out - I guess you already have- and bend the remaining stump out of the way if it is at risk of fouling anything, and if you wanted to, you could just put a smear of vaseline or similar on the cam area (that the contact arm runs on, and all without removing the flywheel) to lubricate the heel of the contact arm.

[Mutineer]

Thanks a lot Rick
I appreciate that and will try it as is and keep an eye on it (maybe a bit o' lubricant)
As it broke off flush with the points container
I wasn't looking forward to trying to shoehorn the points unit in and out of the flywheel hole
And I haven't taken a flywheel off yet..though I should try at some point
Hurrah and thanks again