29 replies to this topic

[can whlvr]

so i broke down and purchased an rpm tester yesterday,i couldnt tell how fast my new rebuilt engine was turning(or any of the others for that matter)tried it out and it said she was only running at 3000,im going to speed her up to 3500 tomorow and check the others,maybe the 312 will have a little more power then,ill post pics of it tommorw

[Kelly-(Vendor)]

What kind did you get??

[squonk]

I got a cheapie infared tach from Harbor Frieght. It works quite well believe it or not. The hardest thing is getting the reflective tape to stick good. Brake cleaner works wonders.

[wheelhorse656]

squonk, on 10 February 2012 - 06:07 AM, said:

I got a cheapie infared tach from Harbor Frieght. It works quite well believe it or not. The hardest thing is getting the reflective tape to stick good. Brake cleaner works wonders.

I have the same one but mine is not the infared its the one you have to put on the crank workes great I love it!!

[can whlvr]

sorry that ive got no pics today,wify took the camera today when she was meeting some freinds for dinner,tommorow,its a cheap one too kelly,its called power fist,which is from a company we have here that is an auto,farm,welding,all kinds of stuff store,its called princess auto,they sell mostly chinese junk,but they do have some good stuff also,this rpm gauge is chinese,but for the 2 or 3 times a year i will use it it should work,i adjusted the newly rebuilt 12 magnum and what a difference 500 rpm makes,shes got a fair bit more power and seems to run even better,i tested my 1989 414 and it was 3550,and it sounds just right at that,i hope im not over turning the 312 because of the hydro drag on her,i bet if i took the belt off shed be spinning faster than 3500

[gregg'shorses]

Princess Auto is the Canadian equivilent of Harbor Freight.

[massey]

Is it this one?

http://www.harborfre...image_16378.jpg

[Martin]

ive got one of these tachs and when i first used it it was ok. it doesnt always read the tape accurate even when you put the tape on a really non reflective surface. its a cheap chinese one as well, i guess i shouldnt expect too much, not even sure what i paid for it now but it was really cheap. the display jumps around quite a lot trying to determine a reading and after a while i just get frustrated with it and give up. i dont like the hassle of the tape either......
i left a really nice one back home with my brother when i left oz, it was a 12v and clamp on the spark wire deal and you would just set a dial to single, 2,4,6 or 8 cyl. it was fairly old, something my dad had for years before i was around. should have been one thing i brought over with me. guess i will end up getting something similar if i can find it. or get my brother to ship it to me......

[Hydro]

I want to get my M16 checked out. I was thinking of installing a tach but not sure what to use. One I found on the net was for the K series with the exposed coil. Since mine is a Magnum not sure if it would work or where to hook it up. I have no problem with basic nuts and bolts and maintenance things, filters, oil, bearings and the like but beyond that I'm just smart enought to be dangerous.

[HorseFixer]

I use one of those knock off tiny tachs off of fleebay they also are an hour meter. The only problem the Battery only
lasts 5 years but there are guys who have got around that,

~Duke

[wheelhorse656]

have this one http://www.harborfre...eter-66400.html

[can whlvr]

mine is a bit different then those but the same principal,it was 75 bucks,for a chinese poj,it better be somewhat accurate,like i posted earlier by ear my 414 # 2 sounded perfect,ive had a wheelhorse for almost 30 years so ive listened to a kohler before,the 414 was right where it should be,but the 12hp was way low,so im happy to get this tool,it will be handy,i promise pics tomorow,no time today

[can whlvr]

heres some pics of the tester,dont know who makes it,as gregg said its from a place like harbour freight

[MaineDad]

Guys:

I use one of these;

http://www.treysit.com/16.html

Very simple and easy to use...

[Martin]

where did you purchase one of these, MaineDad?
im interested in finding out a little more about it.

[73-18 automatic]

Sometimes they are also called vibratach

[amcrules00]

The price seems right. Is there any way built in, to test or confirm their accuracy?

[Martin]

just been doing some more reading......
found this thread on the old site, interesting reading....
http://whtractor.15....?showtopic=7664

[sorekiwi]

The Sirometer is the one I usually use.

I have a Snap-on electronic that plugs into a multimeter and plugs onto the spark plug lead with an inductive clamp as well. Somedays it gives me good results, other days it jumps around so much that its useless. The Sirometer gives good results every time.

[rmaynard]

From an earlier post:

rmaynard, on 13 April 2011 - 08:12 PM, said:

I have a laser tachometer. Cost me about $8.00 on Amazon.com



http://www.amazon.co...duct/B001N4QY66

[Martin]

rmaynard, on 12 February 2012 - 09:29 PM, said:

From an earlier post:

rmaynard, on 13 April 2011 - 08:12 PM, said:

I have a laser tachometer. Cost me about $8.00 on Amazon.com



http://www.amazon.co...duct/B001N4QY66

bob,
thats the exact one ive got. purchased off amazon as well. i think thats what i paid as well..
im glad thats all it was as i wasnt real impressed with it, display jumps around and makes it hard to get an accurate reading. also the tape is a pita. it stopped working about a month ago, had it about 6 months, i guess. you might have had more luck than me, though........

[WheelHorse_of_course]

I like the sirometers too. I have also used mine on my 3-cylinder EFI cushman. Even if it had a traditional ignition I have yet to see an electronic tach that will work with a 3 cylinder!

[Kelly-(Vendor)]

I bought a small engine tach from a tool truck and I hate it the digital display jumps all over, useless to me. I plan to try a Vibratach from Briggs

[Buckshot 1]

I also have the laser tach from Amazon. I checked it with my Tiny Tach. on two different engines and it was within 5 rpm's. Like it was stated, shiny surfaces, it wanted to jump around. I painted the pto shafts flat black and the installed the tape and got a steady rpm. I too take the battery out after every use.

[pfrederi]

I use white paint from a paint pen instead of the tape with my cheapy. ( I use the white paint pen to mark the date and hours on the hydro filters.)