Dieseltiming explained?

[Bart F-350]

I'm thinking of buying one of these piëzo diesel timing adaptors, where you have the clamp which goes on the no:1 injector tube, and then has a little solid state box with a wire loop where to get the sensor of a stroboscope timing light. and so you can flash at the crank vibration damper to see at what timing your engine is.

My question; can you just use any timing light for that?
and is there to your knowing somewhere a nice video which explains how to do that ( I couldn't find one.)

 

[Jesus Freak]

The thread about timing in the tech section is pretty through and will have a bunch more information.

As far as the actual timing light goes, you have to have one with an "advance" on it.

 

[BeastMaster]

Note: Although I have never done this, I have looked into it. I have worked a lot with pulse electronics and think the concept of using a spark-plug timing light in this manner is sound.

What kind of pickup does your timing light have? Inductive? Capacitive? I dunno?

Most I've seen are inductive.

What you need is inductive.

The inductive pickup "clothespin" is looking for really quick changes in current flow in the wire ( may be a loop of several turns ) inside the magnetic pole of the sensor. Consider that as the primary winding of a transformer. The secondary winding is connected to the xenon tube trigger circuit of your flash gun via the lead from pickup to gun.

Just to make sure...if you have your light handy, power it up and clip a piece of wire in it.

Short out a AA or so flashlight battery with it. No hard shorts...just quick taps to mimic a short current pulse.

If you can trigger the light with the flashlight battery, well, the output of that piezo adapter is going to magnetically look a lot like what you just did - triggered by the piezo sensor.

The concern I have is polarity. It may make a degree or so difference which direction the current passes through the loop, that is, is it to fire on the leading or trailing edge of the trigger pulse? You may have to determine that by experiment; choose the earliest one.

The pulse may be so narrow the error is so small it can't be seen. Like I say, I have never done it, and only have book learnin' skill.

When one has actually done it, then he gets the street cred.

I don't have that yet.

 

[Bart F-350]

As far as the actual timing light goes, you have to have one with an "advance" on it.

you mean with a button (and maybe a screen) to flash earlier or later?

 

[Rdnck84_03]

They have an adjustable knob to set the timing degrees for use on a vibration damper that only has a single mark at 0 TDC.

James

 

[Rocknit4x4]

Timing Equipment | Design Technology, Inc., Home of Tiny-Tach

High quality timing equipment.

tinytach.com

The timing thread on this form tells you everything, I got this meter and it works well. The shop I bring my truck to even asks to borrow it from time to time to do work on other vehicles. The company is super helpful too.

 

[Jesus Freak]

you mean with a button (and maybe a screen) to flash earlier or later?

Yeah, a screen or a knob that you set to your desired timing and then you watch for the "0" mark on the harmonic balancer.

 

[Clb]

If you're not sure yet....
You need to advance the gun the 20 degree offset. Make sense?
Turn the knob, push the advance button till you get 20 degrees...

 

[franklin2]

This one has the adjustment dial. https://www.harborfreight.com/timing-light-with-advance-40963.html

 

[Bart F-350]

@ Franklin 2, they're cheap over there!
@Clb, to whom you're writing? I don't know why those 20*? is that the point at which our engine needs to be injected?

 

[Clb]

To you
It's been a ***** C O O N S age, but when I got the 88, I borrowed a snap on ? Timing meter from a friend and seem to recall setting up the advance to 20 degrees...
Here is the information on a j33300-A kent moore

 

[Bart F-350]

Ok, Thanks.
I think now I need to go and buy a new timing light.
Mine doesn't have the variable button.