• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Timing light not working

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anfoman76
  • Start date Start date
A

Anfoman76

Guest
Hi everyone. This site has been a true blessing. The carb gurus helped me imensly.
So I'm trying to check my timing on a 1981 gsx400. My timing light will not pick up the signal. I have connected to a separate 12v battery and still nothing. If I hook it up in my truck it works just fine. I read elsewhere it could be protected plug wires. Well mine still has stock coils and the wires are permanently connected so I can't even try a different wire. If this has been covered before I'm sorry the search function was little to no help.
Thanks for any and all information
 
Last edited:
Might just be your light. :-k

The inductive (clamp-on) timing that that I use works just fine with the stock coils and wires.

Your light might not be as sensitive.

.
 
That's strange. It is an inductive clamp on Snap on that I've never had issue with before. It is old but works fine on all the cars and trucks around here.
 
Back in the 1970s when cars & bikes had points, car coils were so much better than some bikers would install car coils.
My Craftsman inductive timing light is from the 1970s works fine on bikes, but it hasn?t seen much use.


Maybe your timing light is only sensitive enough for the more powerful car/truck coils. Perhaps because of its design, or because its seen better days.

Do your auto parts stores have free loaner tools? If so, you could try their?s for free.
 
It would seem to me that it is probably not getting a trigger to fire the coil. You can get a holder or make one that you ground to the motor so you can physically check for a spark with the plug out of the motor. If you can't see one it's time to start looking elsewhere.
 
Last edited:
I can't answer because I have an even older strobe that connects between plug and lead and works fine....but
I read elsewhere it could be protected plug wires
Click to expand...
..interesting, but these aren't protected wires...they have a resistance in the cap to suppress spark noise and increase "reluctance"(?)

Idea? You MIGHT check/replace your spark plug for the test. Often these are ALSO radio suppressing. (there's an L in the number. NGK DR8ES-L? so find a DR8ES differnet brands might have a different letter for suppression U?) The L's work ok but if you put a non-suppression plug in in might make the difference...ie you might have too much suppression in the line IF you still have the oem plug caps.

But there's not much you can do on a GSX400 per timing anyways unless you start filing away at the sensor plate or something...
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top