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09-21-2021, 05:35 PM | #1 |
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Location: Conifer, Colorado
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Testing a Dwell Gauge
When you are out at a swap meet or garage sale and see a Dwell Gauge, is there any way to test the gauge without a car?
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09-22-2021, 03:35 AM | #2 |
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Re: Testing a Dwell Gauge
There is no way that I can think of
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09-22-2021, 07:23 AM | #3 |
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Re: Testing a Dwell Gauge
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09-22-2021, 09:55 AM | #4 |
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Re: Testing a Dwell Gauge
Those are always a "risk" buy. You never can predict how internal
electronic components will age. I have an Orbit Laboratories light/dwell/tach meter my Dad got in the early 70's. Still works fine. Nice, because I've seen some pretty pricey old stuff that didn't. |
09-22-2021, 10:21 AM | #5 |
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Re: Testing a Dwell Gauge
I guess there is a good way A dwell meter is a calibrated volt meter , carry a 9 bolt in a zip lock snd hook it up should have some needle bump from the battery ???
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09-22-2021, 10:40 AM | #6 |
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Re: Testing a Dwell Gauge
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09-22-2021, 11:36 AM | #7 |
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Re: Testing a Dwell Gauge
That's a great idea! At least you know that it "might work" . . . depending on whether or not it needs batteries or a power source itself (most do not).
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09-22-2021, 03:14 PM | #8 |
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Re: Testing a Dwell Gauge
Next, you might need to figure out a way to calibrate it.
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09-22-2021, 04:28 PM | #9 |
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Re: Testing a Dwell Gauge
The setup to calibrate is fairly simple. Just hook it up on an engine alongside a known good meter and see if the two compare the same at various rpm's.
Adjusting the calibration is a whole other can of worms. Usually not cost effective on cheap meters. |
09-22-2021, 05:14 PM | #10 | |
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Re: Testing a Dwell Gauge
Quote:
Now we know why guys have multiple meters, some marked good and others marked bad, when you go to a garage sale. Never did find an article on how to calibrate them. |
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09-22-2021, 08:02 PM | #11 |
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Testing a Dwell Meter
If you dig around the intertube pages, you should find what you're looking for. A standard voltmeter can be used to check dwell if you understand what you are looking at, a dwell meter isn't very sophisticated as far as test equipment goes, notice this feature was typically included with simple analog voltmeter/tach units. "Engine Analyzer" they called them. Advertising, I suppose.
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