Timing Light Woes
 

As I'm tuning my crankfire, I seem to have a problem with the digital timing light. It works fine at idle, showing RPM and advance properly. But as I increase the RPM, it starts to shutoff (not display RPM, not strobe). I'm wondering if the length of my #1 wire is to long (I put the appropriate end on a stock length wire repacing the end that goes into the cap). The motor runs fine, no indications that its not fireing. A old school (one which does not have the rpm readout) seems to work fine (other than I loose the ability to see the RPM on the light). I think the digital light is flaking out.. But figured I'd see if anyone else has seen similar problems in the past.

I want to make sure all works right and set a baseline timing before I go to a dyno and spend money dialing it in. (I need to do a dyno run for NASA anyway, so while there I figured i would dial in the advance properly)

Hi,

Some digital timing lights do not work on wasted-spark ignitions and require a separate box to strip away one of the coil firing impulses. Older analog ones do much better with these things.

The Snap-on MT-255 distributorless ignition adaptor makes it work.

Thanks. this acutally makes sense. I think I'll just sit my wife in the car and tell her to hold the RPM's at the tach, or i can probably pull the display unit for my Traqmate out far enough to see it