Analysis Tool for near free.

Here is a neat tool that works every time.
Materials needed: About 7 feet of 22 gage stranded insulated door bell wire (single, not two conductor)
A neon mini lamp # NE-2 (available in electronics stores, possibly even Radio Shack, or on the internet) they are very cheap.
A medium sized alligator clip.
A good copper core coil wire that is long enough for all of your vehicles (that have coil wires).

Wrap 15 turns of the bell wire around the coil wire (use tight turns next to each other). Leave only one end free, about 5 feet long. Tape the wraps to the coil wire with black vinyl electrical tape. Next take the free end of the bell wire and solder it to one terminal wire of the NE-2. attach the other 2' of bell wire to the other terminal wire of the NE-2.
Put the alligator clip on the free end of that 2' wire.

USE:

Replace the normal coil wire with the wound wire.
Attach the alligator clip to a ground. run the engine. If there is spark the NE2 will flash continuously. if none it won't

JimN

Just to make sure I have it straight:

There is a neon bulb. One lead from the bulb goes through about two feet of insulated wire to a grounded alligator clip. The other lead from the bulb goes through about five feet of insulated wire and then winds tightly around the coil wire fifteen times and terminates at the last turn without any connection. Right?

Thanks --

Mark W.

At modest RPM, the flashes are easily distinguished. At higher speeds 1200+ they blend together some.

The NE-2 is not bright, and in direct sun it is moderately washed out. Putting the bulb down 1" in a piece of rubber tubing helps.

If there is a sparkplug with fouling shorting it out, the flashing will show a missing pulse in the series. Flash, Flash, nothing, Flash.

If there is an open plug wire, or a non-connected metal clip on a plug wire, that cylinder will show a brighter flash than the others. Flash, Flash, Bright Flash, Flash.

I believe this is one of the first ones like it here. Myself, I would like us all to post more of these kind of things instead of the old standby like how do I clean my fuel tank or how do I convert my tractor to 12 volt.