Interesting diagnostic tools...

[tri5ron]

I thought I'd start a thread for tools that we find useful, interesting, or a complete sham.
It may be of some help to other members here, who might not know what kinds of things are available to them, or in helping to maintain or do work on their own equipment.


I picked this up the other day at Harbor Freight tools, for under $5 bucks.
I have not tried using it yet, but thought it was kind of interesting.
Just thought I'd share it here...

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n148/tri5ron/IMG_0337.jpg


here's what the instructions say about how to use it...

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n148/tri5ron/IMG_0339.jpg


If you have something that you find unique, interesting, or particularly useful, please add it to the thread.

Try to keep it focused on Tools, Diagnostic, and Maintanence equipment,...
rather than parts like mufflers, cams, pistons, carbs, cdi boxes's, magnetic fuel line strap-ons, Bryillium Crystal Fuel Super Juice additives, 35+ HP plug-ins, Pink vs. Yellow power bands, or the infamous "Tornado" intake vanes.

Lets see what you've got!

[wckedclownz69]

what if they are homemade.. have some nice gear holder tools home made..

[tri5ron]

Originally posted by wckedclownz69
what if they are homemade.. have some nice gear holder tools home made.. Heck, sometimes the homemade, or "modified for a specific purpose" tools, are the BEST !
That works for me !!!
Show us what ya got !

[jcv400ex]

Wow....they seen you coming on that one!

[tri5ron]

Originally posted by jcv400ex
Wow....they seen you coming on that one! maybe so, like I said, I have not tried it yet.

But the theory for detection is correct, and if it dosent show any difference between low, and max pressure, using a known weak sparkplug, it's always returnable.

no great loss either way.

[Guy400]

My question is: what does cylinder pressure have to do with problems with "points, faulty coils and bad sparkplugs..."? Nothing. The electrical system is a completely different system from the rotating assembly. It's like developing a tool that measures fuel pressure by reading the exhaust gas temperature.

I've read the instructions about 10 times and it makes no sense to me at all. If you want to test voltage in the ignition system use a multimeter. If you want to test cylinder pressure than use a pressure gauge.

[tri5ron]

Originally posted by Guy400
My question is: what does cylinder pressure have to do with problems with "points, faulty coils and bad sparkplugs..."? Nothing. The electrical system is a completely different system from the rotating assembly. It's like developing a tool that measures fuel pressure by reading the exhaust gas temperature.

I've read the instructions about 10 times and it makes no sense to me at all. If you want to test voltage in the ignition system use a multimeter. If you want to test cylinder pressure than use a pressure gauge. well at the risk of sounding like I'm trying to argue, (which I'm not), here is a simple google search on spark plugs performance affected by compression...
http://motorfactbook.com/content/view/22/29/

not quite the same thing as your fuel pressure by exhaust temp. parrallel.
I'm sure the subject could be debated on both sides till the cows come home, I simply said that in therory it method for detection could be accurate.

[Guy400]

Read the section "Higher Compression Ratios/Forced Induction." It simply says that higher cylinder pressures result in hotter spark plug tips which could result in pre-ignition and/or detonation. This is obvious as extreme cylinder pressures will cause detonation without any spark plug at all, dieseling. This diagnostic device shown claims to test the performance of the electrical ignition system in conjunction with some type of cylinder pressure. Here's the problem. A coil or spark plug is going to fire whether there's 200psi of cylinder pressure or 0. Take a spark plug out of a high compression race car motor and I guarantee that plug will fire outside the motor when you put the ground strap against some bare metal and crank it over. Same goes with a coil. A coil will fire without an engine at all.

Now, is it possible you have some type of ignition problem related to improper gapping, wrong heat range of plug, detonation, etc. Yes. However, this tester won't tell you any of that nor is it indicative of the performance of the coil, distributor, wires or spark plug.

[tri5ron]

Fair enough.
then it goes to the sham category.

[vett_09]

Originally posted by Guy400
Read the section "Higher Compression Ratios/Forced Induction." It simply says that higher cylinder pressures result in hotter spark plug tips which could result in pre-ignition and/or detonation. This is obvious as extreme cylinder pressures will cause detonation without any spark plug at all, dieseling. This diagnostic device shown claims to test the performance of the electrical ignition system in conjunction with some type of cylinder pressure. Here's the problem. A coil or spark plug is going to fire whether there's 200psi of cylinder pressure or 0. Take a spark plug out of a high compression race car motor and I guarantee that plug will fire outside the motor when you put the ground strap against some bare metal and crank it over. Same goes with a coil. A coil will fire without an engine at all.

Now, is it possible you have some type of ignition problem related to improper gapping, wrong heat range of plug, detonation, etc. Yes. However, this tester won't tell you any of that nor is it indicative of the performance of the coil, distributor, wires or spark plug.

Ok. First let me say that I'm not trying to justify the purpose of this tool, but I think I understand the way it's supposed to work. I think the only purpose of the pressure measurement is to estimate spark timing. The green zone on the guage is showing peak cylinder pressure - at or around TDC. So it's acting less like a compression guage and more like a timing light. If you get a spark when the needle is in the green zone, it's only telling you that your plug is sparking sometime close to when it's supposed to. When it's in the yellow zone, your spark is too far retarded and you're probably not buring properly, and the red zone is supposed to be a mis-fire or spark knock. Then the directions are telling the user to associate the color of the spark and the color on the guage where the spark occured to troubleshoot problems in the ignition system. So using their logic, if your plug sparks in the yellow zone, there's an ignition delay so check the points. It's just something that may point you in the right direction.

[Guy400]

Which I guess makes some sense but it's not telling you when your cylinder is at TDC. You're manually setting some type of independent cylinder pressure. I could see it working if there was a hose that you screwed into the spark plug hole where you could see your cylinder's pressure and then the timing of the light. Who knows...maybe I'm just old school:D

[vett_09]

No, you're right. I don't think it would actually work without some sort of cylinder pressure measurement. The top right corner of the box says the tool simulates cylinder pressure... I can't think of many diagnostic tools that simulate anything and work the way they're supposed to. :)

[mxduner]

I got what there accomplishing. But i do not know where to start to explain in a message board. Has to do with amps voltage and which components do which more... That tool woulda been nice to have when i was in high school lol. seriously

[Which 450?]

The tool does not check cylinder pressure!!!! It checks how strong the spark is. The voltage creates pressure and makes the gauge rise. No where does it say to screw it into the head.

[KevinAb]

Not for personal use, but my latest cool tool- http://www.nomis.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=144

For work I'm monitoring vibrations from blasting, right in the middle of a bunch of buildings where med research is going on. Blasting rock to construct a new building with 2 stories below ground, 6 stories up.

Project website-
http://planning.med.unc.edu/

edit- they should work now, oops

[mxduner]

Originally posted by KevinAb
Not for personal use, but my latest cool tool- http://www.nomis.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=144 (http://)

For work I'm monitoring vibrations from blasting, right in the middle of a bunch of buildings where med research is going on. Blasting rock to construct a new building with 2 stories below ground, 6 stories up.

Project website-
http://planning.med.unc.edu/ (http://) The url's did not work

sounds like a cool gig ya got