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Equipment recommendations
https://slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=44703		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  61 V200 [ Sun Apr 24, 2011 6:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Equipment recommendations
It served me well for many years but I think it is time for some new equipment.

It's a meter with Hi/Low tach, dwell, voltage, etc.

I'm trying to dial in this 2 barrel and I'm just not trusting it.

On Lo tach I got about 500 RPM then switched to Hi I got 850.

I noticed the pointer wasn't zeroed out so I did that.

Now it reads 650 lo and 950-1000 rpm hi tach.

No way. I can tell when I shift into D that it is not idling that high.

Anyone have a favorite they can recommend?

I don't mind spending a few $$ as I don't expect to buy another in this lifetime.

Thanks
Author:  olafla [ Sun Apr 24, 2011 7:55 pm ]
Post subject: 
Hi 61 V200.
I mentioned a tool to a member asking for a timing light not long ago, and one of the reasons was that it had a lot of functions in one instrument. If you already has a dial-back timing light, this is probably not a tool you would consider, but I thought I would mention it. Equus Pro timing light
Quote:
I took a serious look at many timing lights a short while back, and if I had to buy a new one, this multi-function Equus Pro Timing Light would definitely be the one. It is also compatible with points, electronic, computer controlled, DIS and multi-spark ignition systems, and it is very practical, in that it show revs and lots of other info right there on the same dial as the retard/advance numbers.
It has Timing Light with 0-90° advance-retard function,Digital, LCD Readout, Measures RPM/Tach Advance, Dwell, Volts, Swivel Head, Xenon Bulb.

You can see the illustrated manual here. Summit and Jegs has it priced at $152.95. I haven't used it, so therefore I cannot recommend it, but I've put it on my list to Santa for next X-mas! It still may be a tool for you to consider.

Olaf.
Author:  SlantSixDan [ Sun Apr 24, 2011 8:20 pm ]
Post subject: 
Equus is notoriously poor quality junk from China. For the most part, those who recommend their stuff haven't actually used it, and those who have actually used it don't recommend it. If you don't want to spend big bucks for a high-endy new meter, haunt your local tool shops, pawn shops, garage sales, swap meets, and flea markets for a good used older one. Sears sold good ones for years, also Sun, Simpson, and the other usual American names in tools.

There's little sense buying a dwell meter — just change to electronic ignition and be done with all that hassle forever. All the basic electrical measurements (voltage, impedance, continuity…) can be handled with a digital multimeter. I really like my Micronta (old Radio Shack) unit, which has withstood two decades of abuse and still works flawlessly. I'll get the model number off it for you if you like, but it'll be about a month. I also really like my Fluke clamp ammeter (which also does voltage, impedance, and continuity); got a screamin' deal on it on eBay, would not have paid normal Fluke prices.

But yeah, a tachometer and a timing light are really important tune-up tools. My timing light is an old professional-grade chrome-housing one I bought used, made by Sun, gives no indication of failing any time soon. Don't recall what brand my tach is; I don't use it very often. Advice above (re good brands and bad junk) applies.
Author:  KBB_of_TMC [ Mon Apr 25, 2011 10:27 am ]
Post subject: 
I bought Harbor Freight's CenTech #95670 LCD Multimeter with Tachometer Kit - it was one of the most disappointing things I've ever gotten from HF; the tach & dwell features have never worked very well at all. HF's US General Xenon Timing Light with Advance #40963 has worked well so far and seems well calibrated.
Author:  ESP47 [ Tue Apr 26, 2011 12:13 pm ]
Post subject: 
Look on ebay for the Sears Craftsman Engine Analyzer kits. They are old but worth their weight in gold. I bought one for $50 total a couple years ago and it looks brand new. Came with engine analyzer, timing light, compression gauge and remote starter. Cheapest and most useful tool I've ever bought for tuning an engine.
Author:  olafla [ Thu Apr 28, 2011 1:55 pm ]
Post subject: 
Hmm, 300 million americans, the largest fleet of privately owned cars in the world, and nobody in US makes auto test equipment anymore??
How long do you think you can you get old stuff off eBay?
Wakey, wakey!!

Olaf.
Author:  SlantSixDan [ Thu Apr 28, 2011 1:58 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
Hmm, 300 million americans, the largest fleet of privately owned cars in the world
Not for long. China has surpassed the USA in new car sales volumes, and it won't be long before there are more cars in China than in the US.
Quote:
and nobody in US makes auto test equipment anymore??
How long do you think you can you get old stuff off eBay?
Wakey, wakey!!
Yeah, for sure. Good thing we can get Norwegian-made auto test equipment until the US "wakes up", eh!
Author:  Reed [ Thu Apr 28, 2011 2:16 pm ]
Post subject: 
But remember, how many Americans actually maintain their old cars anymore? Just because we have lots of cars doesn't mean that very car owner wants accurate diagnostic and auto repair tools.
Author:  SlantSixDan [ Thu Apr 28, 2011 3:12 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
But remember, how many Americans actually maintain their old cars anymore?
Exact. The dwell meter's newest application is a 1972 model; it was made obsolete when breaker points went away. The tachometer's function is incorporated in the scan tool that has been the standard diagnostic equipment for most cars made since '84 and all cars made since '88. It is now 2011. The used-tools market will serve the need amply.
Author:  61 V200 [ Thu Apr 28, 2011 4:50 pm ]
Post subject: 
I've got a decent timing light and several multimeters.

Both vehicles and my boat are electronic ign so no dwell meter needed.

I static time my Bonneville.

My old Dixco (analog) dwell/tach meter works, I'm just not confident it is calibrated correctly and there's nothing in the instruction book on the right way to do it. I just turned the adjusting screw until the dial was pointing to zero. But it seems like it is reading higher than it is actually idling.

I really only need the tach function.

Hmmm..The Dixco has a volt meter......I wonder if I could use a digital multimeter to get voltage off a battery and then adjust the Dixco analog to match the voltage the multimeter reads.

Make sense?
Author:  KBB_of_TMC [ Fri Apr 29, 2011 9:51 am ]
Post subject: 
You need a good dwell meter to adjust the A/F mixture solenoid duty cycle on my old computer feedback carb cars. Having tested a number of old dwell meters, I've found most not very accurate and have been considering building a device just for recalibration.
Author:  61 V200 [ Fri Apr 29, 2011 12:26 pm ]
Post subject: 
I adjusted the volt meter on the Dixco to coincide with my digital multimeter. Don't know how close it is as the Dixco only has increments of 25 and the multi reads to 1/100

After pondering a bit I decided I need to hook it up for tach function, turn the ign. key to on and then zero it out. We'll see where that gets me.

I've been looking online at meters but no way to tell if it is Chinese crap or not.
Author:  olafla [ Sat Apr 30, 2011 7:00 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
Good thing we can get Norwegian-made auto test equipment until the US "wakes up", eh!
Oh, very clever, good point, Dan, you really got me there!

The historical facts are, that we preferred american test equipment over here, up until the point where US companies started delivering low-cost chinese crap instead, looking exactly like the good old american high quality products, usually at the same prices as before.

It is a fact that long lasting, high quality chinese industrial machinery and equipment and tools, has been sold and installed in factories all over the world, lots of them in both Norway and USA, most of them bought by companies making good quality products.

It is also a sad fact, that the innards of most products you recognize as high-quality products - especially anything containing electronics, most likely come from China. On the other hand, making crap is not difficult anywhere in the world, and the chinese makes lots of it.

The major issue to remember, though, is that they usually only produce to orders, and then make the products according to their customer's specifications.

So the real problem may lay in the fact, that their customers - very often reputable US companies - actually specify cheap crap, very often cleverly disguised as quality products, in the hope of making an extra dollar. Short term profit making, without concern for the consequences, may be the reason for such behavior. And, as you should know, Dan, because you attacked me once before when I - obviously unaware of the facts - published a link to a company that actually advertised their chinese crap as pure american made products; they even lie about it! They still do, and can continue doing so, while seemingly making enough of a profit to keep them going.

And that is the situation you perhaps need to wake up to, instead of rambling along about chinese crap all the time.

Olaf.
Author:  61 V200 [ Sat Apr 30, 2011 7:38 pm ]
Post subject: 
So anyway, a buddy of mine pulled out an old Craftsman meter that he had tucked away. I'm going to calibrate mine to his and then go with it.
Author:  AHamilton [ Sun May 01, 2011 8:47 am ]
Post subject: 
I,ve had my craftsman for at least 20 years, built like a brick poo house. Don't forget Snap-on still makes the highest qualiety timing lights.
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