Older vehicles with distributor-based ignition systems need their timing checked on a regular basis, otherwise you can have a host of problems. Starting becomes difficult, idling will be rough, ...

“Runs good!” You’ve seen that a lot of times looking at Craigslist ads for cars and motorcycles, especially older ones. But what does that even mean? Why wouldn’t it “run good,” anyways Shouldn’t ...

It's all in the timing, they say. Well, other adjustments also play a big role in how your motor runs, but firing the spark plugs at the correct time certainly helps performance. Most 'wheelers simply ...

Most any hobbyist familiar with engine tuning can relate to the usefulness of an inductive timing light. It consists of a strobe that's triggered by the electrical impulses passing through a ...

Ignition timing is an often-misunderstood concept that has a big effect on performance. An air/fuel mixture burn rate doesn't increase in direct proportion to engine rpm. Therefore, the faster the ...

Ignition timing is like seasoning: some is good, but too much ruins the results. Bumping up the ignition timing on pushrod 5.0s is a time-honored trick to wake up the under-hood lump. The EFI system ...

A useful timing strobe can be constructed using high-brightness LEDs and a few common components. Ignition pulses from the number 1 cylinder high-tension lead are used to trigger the circuit via a ...

A stroboscope is not the most common tool, and while they can be purchased fairly inexpensively from various online stores, they are straightforward enough tools that plenty of us could build our own ...