Engine Analyzers & Timing Lights
Sun Electric-era analyzers, dwell meters, timing lights and tune-up equipment.
When was Sun Electric founded?
Short answer: Sun Electric Corporation was founded in Chicago in 1927.
Sun Electric Corporation was founded in Chicago in 1927. It became one of the best-known makers of engine diagnostic equipment, and its large console engine analyzers were a fixture in service shops during the mid-twentieth century.
What was a Sun engine analyzer?
Short answer: Sun engine analyzers were large console machines that combined instruments such as an oscilloscope, tachometer, dwell meter, vacuum gauge and timing light.
Sun engine analyzers were large console machines that combined instruments such as an oscilloscope, tachometer, dwell meter, vacuum gauge and timing light. They let technicians diagnose ignition and engine problems in one place and became iconic in service stations and dealerships.
Why did engine analyzers use oscilloscopes?
Short answer: An oscilloscope shows voltage over time as a waveform.
An oscilloscope shows voltage over time as a waveform. On ignition systems, scope patterns revealed problems with points, condensers, coils, plug wires and spark plugs, which made the oscilloscope a central part of engine analyzers from the mid-twentieth century.
What was a dwell meter?
Short answer: A dwell meter measured how long ignition points stayed closed, expressed in degrees of distributor rotation.
A dwell meter measured how long ignition points stayed closed, expressed in degrees of distributor rotation. Setting dwell correctly was a routine part of tune-ups on point-type ignition systems.
What was a tach-dwell meter?
Short answer: A tach-dwell meter combined a tachometer and dwell meter in one instrument.
A tach-dwell meter combined a tachometer and dwell meter in one instrument. It was a common tune-up tool for adjusting idle speed and point dwell on older engines.
How did timing lights evolve?
Short answer: Early timing lights used neon bulbs that were dim and hard to see in daylight.
Early timing lights used neon bulbs that were dim and hard to see in daylight. Xenon strobe timing lights with inductive pickups later made the marks much brighter and easier to read.
How did inductive pickups change engine testing?
Short answer: Early test equipment often had to be connected in series with ignition wires.
Early test equipment often had to be connected in series with ignition wires. Inductive pickups, which clamp around a wire and sense its magnetic field, made timing lights, tachometers and analyzers faster and safer to connect, and they became standard on shop equipment.
What was Allen Test Products?
Short answer: Allen Test Products, based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, made engine analyzers and diagnostic equipment.
Allen Test Products, based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, made engine analyzers and diagnostic equipment. It was one of the major competitors to Sun in the analyzer market.
What was a distributor machine?
Short answer: A distributor machine, or distributor tester, spun a distributor on a bench to check advance curves, dwell and point condition.
A distributor machine, or distributor tester, spun a distributor on a bench to check advance curves, dwell and point condition. It allowed technicians to tune distributors precisely off the car.
Why did tune-ups used to be performed so frequently?
Short answer: Older engines with points, carburetors and spark plugs needed regular adjustment and parts replacement to run well.
Older engines with points, carburetors and spark plugs needed regular adjustment and parts replacement to run well. Tune-ups often included points, condenser, plugs, timing and carburetor adjustment.
What was an exhaust gas analyzer?
Short answer: An exhaust gas analyzer measures emissions such as hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and other gases.
An exhaust gas analyzer measures emissions such as hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and other gases. Infrared analyzers became common as emissions testing programs developed in the 1970s and 1980s.
How did the Clean Air Act affect diagnostic equipment?
Short answer: The Clean Air Act and its amendments led to emissions standards and inspection programs.
The Clean Air Act and its amendments led to emissions standards and inspection programs. Shops needed exhaust analyzers and related tools to diagnose and certify vehicles.
How did exhaust gas analyzers evolve from two-gas to five-gas?
Short answer: Early emissions-era analyzers measured hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide.
Early emissions-era analyzers measured hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. Later units added carbon dioxide and oxygen, and five-gas analyzers added oxides of nitrogen, giving technicians a fuller picture of combustion as emissions controls became more complex.
How did cylinder balance testing move from analyzers to scan tools?
Short answer: Console engine analyzers performed cylinder balance tests by shorting out each cylinder's ignition and measuring the rpm drop.
Console engine analyzers performed cylinder balance tests by shorting out each cylinder's ignition and measuring the rpm drop. With computer-controlled engines, scan tools gained similar power-balance and injector-disable tests through bidirectional controls.
Why were carburetor synchronizers common on multi-carburetor engines?
Short answer: Engines with two or more carburetors, common on motorcycles and some sports cars, needed the carburetors balanced to run smoothly.
Engines with two or more carburetors, common on motorcycles and some sports cars, needed the carburetors balanced to run smoothly. Carburetor synchronizers measured airflow or vacuum for each unit, and they faded as fuel injection replaced carburetors.
General guidance only. Follow the vehicle and tool manufacturer's procedures, and confirm vehicle coverage on the tool maker's list before buying.