#Ignition timing light manual

#Ignition timing light manual

(If you're not sure which is the 'Number 1' spark plug wire, stop! And get thee to a service manual or online owners' forum for your vehicle.) Lastly, you take the signal wire and clamp it directly to the Number 1 spark plug wire. With the engine off, you merely clamp the timing light's red wire to the battery's positive terminal, then the black wire to the battery's negative terminal. Getting your timing light ready for action is breathtakingly simple. That is, as long as your car runs and is connected to a working 12-volt battery.

One cool thing about timing lights is that unlike a flashlight, you never have to worry about running out of juice to power the light. Newer cars with distributorless ignition systems use a computer to control the ignition process.) (This information, by the way, applies to mostly older vehicles, which use a distributor to send electrical energy to the spark plugs.

More importantly, the more expensive the timing light is, the more likely it will be easier to read even in bright conditions. But most people would probably prefer the much cooler, ray gun-shaped, 'pistol grip' variety.because they're more ergonomic inside the close confines of a car's engine bay (yeah, that's it). The simplest and least expensive timing lights fit into a basic pen shape. And who doesn't want that?įirst, you should know that timing lights come in a few different shapes and sizes, and range in features from bare-bones functionality to lots of bells and whistles. Properly adjusted timing, in turn, helps to make sure your engine works at peak power and efficiency.

Simply put, a timing light helps to fine tune when the spark fires from the spark plug and ignites your car's fuel.