pcrussell50
Petty Officer 1st Class
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2008
- Messages
- 296
my 1959 super seahorse, 35hp, rds21b is running fine right now, but i always want a course of action already doped out in case i run into troubles. this thing has run well since the day i bought it, 9 months ago, and i almost feel as if I'm "cheating" or on "borrowed time" with it because it's 50 years old and i've hardly done anything in the way of maintenance besides install a thermostat, because the previous owner had removed it.
anyway, from reading posts around here, i've been sold on the idea of getting a spark tester, and why not, they're pretty cheap, too?
in shopping around, i've noticed two types:
1]inductive types that sense spark through the insulation, like a timing light
or
2]directly connected types, that you plug inline between the spark plug and the plug wire
as for the inductive type, i already have a timing light. what does the inductive spark tester tell me that my timing light wouldn't?
and finally the big question:
how do you "test" for adequate spark intensity? iow, how do you tell how "bright" and "hot" the spark is?
and if it turns out to be a weak spark, what do you change first?
guessing:
points and condenser first since they are cheap
then
coils, since they are more expensive
thanks
peter
anyway, from reading posts around here, i've been sold on the idea of getting a spark tester, and why not, they're pretty cheap, too?
in shopping around, i've noticed two types:
1]inductive types that sense spark through the insulation, like a timing light
or
2]directly connected types, that you plug inline between the spark plug and the plug wire
as for the inductive type, i already have a timing light. what does the inductive spark tester tell me that my timing light wouldn't?
and finally the big question
how do you "test" for adequate spark intensity? iow, how do you tell how "bright" and "hot" the spark is?
and if it turns out to be a weak spark, what do you change first?
guessing:
points and condenser first since they are cheap
then
coils, since they are more expensive
thanks
peter