TheSamba.com :: View topic

Mon Sep 10, 2012 4:01 pm

This might sound stupid, as ive never tried this before.

I picked up a box of stuff the other day and there was an old fashioned strobe timing light in it. Just two leads on it, one goes onto the plug wire, one goes onto the plug.

My VW is not working at the moment, and my newer cars are all electronic with ignition packs, so Im not sure if it would even work in them. Can I just hook this up to a battery or will I blow it up? Any other way to test it? (besides hooking it up to a distributor car)

Could I hook it up to my lawnmower?

I just want to make sure it works before i keep it.

Mon Sep 10, 2012 6:06 pm

Yarkle wrote: Could I hook it up to my lawnmower?
Yes, give it a try.

Mon Sep 10, 2012 6:36 pm

If it fits inline between the plug and it's lead, then it's not a timing light. It is simply a test light to see if you are getting spark energy through that wire.

Mon Sep 10, 2012 8:12 pm

cdennisg wrote: If it fits inline between the plug and it's lead, then it's not a timing light. It is simply a test light to see if you are getting spark energy through that wire.
Not necessarily, old school timing lights (pre inductive) connected in series with a plug wire and didn't use the battery at all, savage but effective.

Mon Sep 10, 2012 8:33 pm

busdaddy wrote: cdennisg wrote: If it fits inline between the plug and it's lead, then it's not a timing light. It is simply a test light to see if you are getting spark energy through that wire.
Not necessarily, old school timing lights (pre inductive) connected in series with a plug wire and didn't use the battery at all, savage but effective.

HMM. Can't say I have ever seen that before. I kinda like that idea.

Mon Sep 10, 2012 11:26 pm

They work just as well. I still have a couple laying around somewhere. The only snag was the light was not very bright. And actually you would prefer to use them at night. Yes, they essentially were a test light but for the ignition voltage instead.

Tue Sep 11, 2012 3:58 am

ok, thanks! the box on this one says "NEW even brighter!"