quickie tach for checking engine speed?

somewhat on-topic, but I have several lawnmowers I need to check and set the full-throttle engine speed on. Is there some simple tach available that I can buy and use to check the speed?

So which one are you?

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Not quite as glamorous. More along the lines of this one:

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I know that when I get my emissions tested, they put an inductive tach on my ignition wiring. There must be something like that on the home market. For crying out loud, a timing light does it.

Google is your friend.

Less than 60 bucks.

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But Nick how fast can you count?I use to have an inductive pickup timing light with a 2/4/6
scaled tachometer on the back but its been broke and then gone for years.Going to my
garage.
Jim Gordon

onetwothreefourfivesixseveneightnineteneleventwelvethirteenfourteen . . . never mind.

The one Crovo posted up is the only one I know of. Never used one myself though, from working on these small engines for so many years I can tell by the sound if they are at the right speed.

If it goes BOOM it was too fast.
Jim Gordon

Don't know what RPM you are looking for but if it is close to 3,600 you can use an old incandesent light bulb. Just put a single white mark on the flywheel and when its stationary under the light your engine is at 3,600. Paint 2 marks, 180 degrees apart and you get 1,800, 4 and you get 900.

Old trick but it works.

Bill

Damn Bill I know that trick has been around since the internal combustion engine came into
being,but it still amazes me with its simplicity and ingenuity.Had completely forgotten about
it until you mentioned it.
Thank You
Jim Gordon

You mean a fluorescent light bulb, right?

sherlock9c1 wrote:

You mean a fluorescent light bulb, right?

No. Fluorescent won't work, especially the newer ones, they cycle at 10KHz. The nature of the beast produces a continuous glow and doesn't cycle up and down with the AC sine wave. Once struck and stabilized, a fluorescent will stay lit. Has to be the older incandescent, if you can still find one.

Bill

These are slick, just uses reflective tape to count rpm's.
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Mike

toomanytoyz wrote:

Google is your friend.

Less than 60 bucks.

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Just getting back to this, but wanted to let folks know that this part is mis-advertised. It's only an hour meter.

Update again - I contacted the folks at PartsBuggy to let them know and they have since corrected their website. SenDec does make tachometers.

I have an aftermarket ODB2 reader that shows RPM

I have a Scanguage on it full time and it does rpm and a lot of other data collections including fuel mileage. Works very well. Plug it in the port and set up the settings and good to go.

On your lawnmowers?

Rev Bob wrote:

On your lawnmowers?

Good call, I didn't look at the entire thread
, just the latest post, and assumed, incorrectly, that an rpm question on a longwagon forum would be about cars. My bad.

On the correct topic, I like this style as it is non contact and works on most everything that you can get to a rotating part on, usually the end of the crankshaft that has a fan, and/or cover on it that rotates at crank speed.

Most of the time, you can also find a place to read blade rpm or hydraulic pump speed in zero turns or hydrostatic drives.

Hes,, I missed the lawn mower part of the question