My 45 year old timing lights died , so looking for a new one.
Any recommendations for what are useful features over the simplest flash only guns?
Ones with a digital RPM display look like they could be a good benefit, but are fancy advance and dwell features of any use?.
Budget isn't open cheque book, say around £50, but could go up a bit if benefit is there.
Also what search term should I put in eBay for the inline electrical test widgets that go between HT lead and plug to see if you have a spark. I just can't get any hits.
Thank for thoughts / advise.
Tony
Best timing (Strobe) light
Moderator: Board Moderators
- MetBlue
- Senior Poster
- Posts: 1421
- Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2018 21:00
- Model: Elite 74 & Excel 92 (SEish))
- Colour: Metalic Blue
- Year: 1974
- Location: Northampton
Best timing (Strobe) light
What goes together.... Must come apart.
- Gray14
- Junior Poster
- Posts: 56
- Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2021 22:40
- Model: Eclat 2.2
- Colour: Monaco White
- Year: 1981
Re: Best timing (Strobe) light
Car Builder Solutions, www.carbuilder.com, list them in their catalogue, page 137, as “Ignition Tester” £4. I think these are marketed by Accuspark but last time I checked they were out of stock.
They also list a “12v Timing Light with bright LED Digital (rpm) Display” £42.
They also list a “12v Timing Light with bright LED Digital (rpm) Display” £42.
- Alan_M
- Senior Poster
- Posts: 1133
- Joined: Sat Aug 12, 2017 01:17
- Model: Excel SE, Excel SA, Elan SE
- Colour: Red, red, white
- Location: South Wales
Re: Best timing (Strobe) light
I bought my spark tester things at NEC. Think I got 4 for a tenner.
-
- Regular Poster
- Posts: 130
- Joined: Tue Aug 10, 2021 20:38
- Model: excel
- Colour: red
- Year: 1985
- Location: NL
- Contact:
Re: Best timing (Strobe) light
dwell is pointless with fully eleictronic ignitionMetBlue wrote: ↑Sat Sep 17, 2022 10:53My 45 year old timing lights died , so looking for a new one.
Any recommendations for what are useful features over the simplest flash only guns?
Ones with a digital RPM display look like they could be a good benefit, but are fancy advance and dwell features of any use?.
Budget isn't open cheque book, say around £50, but could go up a bit if benefit is there.
Also what search term should I put in eBay for the inline electrical test widgets that go between HT lead and plug to see if you have a spark. I just can't get any hits.
Thank for thoughts / advise.
Tony
Adjustable advance is only interesting on engines where you only have a single reference instead of a degree scale
- MetBlue
- Senior Poster
- Posts: 1421
- Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2018 21:00
- Model: Elite 74 & Excel 92 (SEish))
- Colour: Metalic Blue
- Year: 1974
- Location: Northampton
Re: Best timing (Strobe) light
The Car Builders light is an Accuspark SP8000 - badged.
I'd got this on my short, along with this one:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144653627289 ... %7Ciid%3A1.
I like the idea of the plugged cable on the Accuspark, and at least I know the lead length is 1.8M, even though won't be enough for the Excel direct from battery.
Thanks also for the "Ignition tester" clue. Have now found the little devils .
Tony
I'd got this on my short, along with this one:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144653627289 ... %7Ciid%3A1.
I like the idea of the plugged cable on the Accuspark, and at least I know the lead length is 1.8M, even though won't be enough for the Excel direct from battery.
Thanks also for the "Ignition tester" clue. Have now found the little devils .
Tony
What goes together.... Must come apart.
- MetBlue
- Senior Poster
- Posts: 1421
- Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2018 21:00
- Model: Elite 74 & Excel 92 (SEish))
- Colour: Metalic Blue
- Year: 1974
- Location: Northampton
Re: Best timing (Strobe) light
Fair point.. If you don't have 12v on the coil, you won't need a strobe
What goes together.... Must come apart.
- Alan_M
- Senior Poster
- Posts: 1133
- Joined: Sat Aug 12, 2017 01:17
- Model: Excel SE, Excel SA, Elan SE
- Colour: Red, red, white
- Location: South Wales
Re: Best timing (Strobe) light
Tony bear in mind the size of the timing light as there’s not a lot of space to get one in to point at the timing marks if you’re doing it with the bonnet on and have A/C.
The one you’ve linked to looks quite big.
Doing it with the bonnet off will be no problem of course.
I have a Gunson’s one that’s about 30 years old.
I either use a spare battery as power source, or earth strap at engine mount and positive to starter.
The one you’ve linked to looks quite big.
Doing it with the bonnet off will be no problem of course.
I have a Gunson’s one that’s about 30 years old.
I either use a spare battery as power source, or earth strap at engine mount and positive to starter.
- Tanz
- Senior Poster
- Posts: 2078
- Joined: Thu May 03, 2007 22:05
- Model: SE
- Colour: Calypso Red
- Year: 1988
- Location: Wolverhampton
Re: Best timing (Strobe) light
Regarding power source - I cut the crocodile clips off and connect a cigarette lighter plug. You can just plug it in the dash then and the wire is long enough.
Cheers, Phil
Never take life seriously, nobody gets out alive anyway!
Never take life seriously, nobody gets out alive anyway!
- MetBlue
- Senior Poster
- Posts: 1421
- Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2018 21:00
- Model: Elite 74 & Excel 92 (SEish))
- Colour: Metalic Blue
- Year: 1974
- Location: Northampton
Re: Best timing (Strobe) light
I got the Accuspark and did a quick test this afternoon.
Seems all as expected and the option to test 2 smokes could be useful if I ever return to motorbikes.
The RPM reading certainly looks useful.
As Alan predicted, looks pretty impossible to see the crank pulley with bonnet on, but then probability is the bonnet will be off anyway when doing this kind of works. Or maybe I'll find a way of positioning a mirror.
Tony
Seems all as expected and the option to test 2 smokes could be useful if I ever return to motorbikes.
The RPM reading certainly looks useful.
As Alan predicted, looks pretty impossible to see the crank pulley with bonnet on, but then probability is the bonnet will be off anyway when doing this kind of works. Or maybe I'll find a way of positioning a mirror.
Tony
What goes together.... Must come apart.
- Alan_M
- Senior Poster
- Posts: 1133
- Joined: Sat Aug 12, 2017 01:17
- Model: Excel SE, Excel SA, Elan SE
- Colour: Red, red, white
- Location: South Wales
Re: Best timing (Strobe) light
I’ve done the timing on the SA which has the extra stuff for A/C with the bonnet on - in the Mangreen’s car park