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Things to Remember When Using a Timing Light
Looking to adjust your engines timing? Well, you could take your car into a mechanic, but who really wants to do that? All you need is a timing light and you can save money by doing it yourself. Sound intimidating? Dont worry. The process is painless. Just remember to perform the following actions and youll be fine.
Read the instruction manualToo often people get a product, tear the box open, thrust the instructions aside and get started. Dont do it. When youre dealing with something as intricate and potentially dangerous as an automobiles engine, you need to follow the instructions. So when you get your new timing light, make sure you read the instruction manual before you get near your cars engine with it.
Begin with the engine turned offDont try to start up your engine and then connect your timing light. Since youre going to have to find a few key interest points on your engine, as well as connect to the battery, you need to start with the engine turned off. Failing to do so could result in serious injury. And why risk an injury when its easily avoidable?
Clean the battery terminalsBattery terminals tend to build up all sorts of gunk. This buildup can result in an inadequate connection when using your advance timing light. To avoid this issue, simply check your terminals before making a connection. If theyre filthy, give them a quick clean. Make sure you dont touch it with your hands though. You dont want to get acid on them.
Make the correct connectionsYour digital timing light wont work if you dont connect it right. So make sure you connect positive to positive and negative to negative. Just remember that red always means positive, and black always means negative. Also, connecting red last is a good habit to get into. Finally, you should have a third clip that you need to connect to your spark plug wire. Do this one last. It should be the largest clip available. Remember, your engine is still off at this point.
Identify the correct markIn order to use your timing light, you need to identify a key mark–the timing mark on the crankshaft pulley. If its not easily visible, mark it with chalk. If youre not able to see it well, then you cant properly use your timing light.
Aim the timing light at the crankshaft pulleyOnce you get your engine started and everythings ready to go, make sure you aim the timing light down at the crankshaft pulley. As the digital timing light pulsates, it should reveal the timing mark that you highlighted with chalk. Basically, youre syncing the mark with the beat of the light.
Wash your hands when youre finishedIts always a good idea to wash your hands when youre done messing with your engine. Especially if you had to clean your battery terminals. This may seem a bit obvious, but its something thats easy to forget.
Using a timing light is a relatively simple process. If you want to give it a shot, you can find one at a good price from an online distributor.