Maintenance Tachometer

[OldDiyer]

So, Thanks for all the replies and I went with an inexpensive Tach/Hour meter from Ebay. I didn't want to go super nuts so thought this would be OK for what I needed it for and the use I will be giving it. The only thing is you are supposed to wrap the pickup 5 times around the plug wire to get a reading. I seen on you tube ware a fellow added a clamp instead to the wire and seemed to work without all the wrapping and he did show a sample with two units one clamped and the other wrapped and they both showed the same so hoping this may work for me as well. I have the unit and put on the clamp but a bit to cold out to go to the shed and try it out but will later this week when it gets up to 40. Thanks, again for taking the time to reply.

 

[Glades Cat]

I used a tie-wrap to hold the pickup wire on the spark plug lead. It works well.

 

[OldDiyer]

Got a little warmer so tried out the Tach/Hour meter, Like I said I seen the hack on YouTube about the small clamp instead of wrapping the wire and it works just fine, now all I do is clamp on the plug wire and it's good to go. I had the clamp from some other fix it job so was just a time thing, and you don't do anything but loop the wire thru the clamp and your done don't need to solder or anything just bend the clamps retainers to hold the wire on.

 

[wekjo]

I do my own lawn equipment motor repairs myself. So lately I have been thinking and it would be good for me to have a good means to check the rpms on some of this equipment. I know I can buy an Ebay or amazon tach that you wrap the pickup around the plug wire but not sure if this is the correct way to go. So, question is what do you real world repair people use? If you all feel that the inexpensive ones are good enough than I would go that way, they just seem to be hokey. Because of having 2 and 4 cycle plus single to twin cylinders the inexpensive ones you have to keep changing the info to get the proper rpm readings. I don't think I would need to spend $300.00 to get something that would work for my use. Thanks Maybe I am just over thinking this.

Thing which bothered me is that the commonly used Echo shop tach, or its clones, do not have a replaceable battery. You can't always place one of those vibration disks on the crank, nor can you always put a shiny piece of tape on it to use one of those types. You can however almost always get to the plug wire, and replace the battery on a cheap 9 dollar ebay inductive wire types.

I do my own lawn equipment motor repairs myself. So lately I have been thinking and it would be good for me to have a good means to check the rpms on some of this equipment. I know I can buy an Ebay or amazon tach that you wrap the pickup around the plug wire but not sure if this is the correct way to go. So, question is what do you real world repair people use? If you all feel that the inexpensive ones are good enough than I would go that way, they just seem to be hokey. Because of having 2 and 4 cycle plus single to twin cylinders the inexpensive ones you have to keep changing the info to get the proper rpm readings. I don't think I would need to spend $300.00 to get something that would work for my use. Thanks Maybe I am just over thinking this.

 

[rdedrick]

I uses this one. It seems to be accurate. You need access to a rotating part to affix a piece of tape or paint stripe to. It also works on anything rotating, like a lathe or ventilation fan,

https://www.amazon.com/gp/slredirect/picassoRedirect.html/ref=pa_sp_atf_aps_sr_pg1_1?ie=UTF8&adId=A0009411EEJPXBKW4NIM&qualifier=1675855123&id=1835755636537089&widgetName=sp_atf&url=%2FTachometer-Tester-Digital-Handheld-Wireless%2Fdp%2FB0B99NNRYF%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1_sspa%3Fcrid%3D109ZI36WORUTF%26keywords%3Dtachometer%2Bhandheld%26qid%3D1675855123%26sprefix%3Dtachometer%252Caps%252C102%26sr%3D8-1-spons%26psc%3D1

 

[STEVES]

I use Standix Model 1082, just hold spring against wire & good to go! Don't foget rod adjusting tool.

 

[Rivets]

A VibraTach is not placed on the crank, but can be placed anywhere on the engine.

 

[BobInHopkinsMN]

I have an app for that. It is $9 on iPhone and $7 on Android. It listens to the sound of the engine and calculates and displays the RPM from that sound. The app is called "Engine RPM" in both stores, by Real-Time Specialties (that's me). I should warn you though that it has limitations. The sound must be clear without too much noise. For example, a lawn mower with a belt-driven blade may create sound comparable to the engine, but at a different RPM. Also, the app requires you to specify a narrow range in which you expect the RPM (+/- 30%) for reliable result. Otherwise it might register twice the true RPM or half the true RPM. I mention all these limitations because I don't want any negative reviews from people who bought the app thinking it would be a drop-in replacement for a hard-wired tach. It isn't.

 

[biff.org]

I installed one of these cheapos on my Exmark last year while resetting my TPS. I had to have a tach. And once I told it I had a twin cylinder four stroke, it was dead on. Can't argue with the price, as I can just leave it installed. I would bet those other tools are more accurate, but for my purposes, this worked fine.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PMJH7QV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Smithsonite]

I've got the same one Steves has. 12 years, zero issues. I use it mainly on generators, but it comes in handy for lawn equipment if the RPM sounds a bit low. Those I can usually tune by ear.