Sealey TL85 User manual

Instructions for: TIMING LIGHTS
Model Nos: TL84 & TL85
Thank you for purchasing a Sealey product. Manufactured to a high standard this product will, if used according to these instructions
and properly maintained, give you years of trouble free performance.
1. SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY. NOTE THE SAFE OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS, WARNINGS & CAUTIONS.
USE THE PRODUCT CORRECTLY AND WITH CARE FOR THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH IT IS INTENDED. FAILURE TO DO SO MAY CAUSE
DAMAGE AND/OR PERSONAL INJURY AND WILL INVALIDATE THE WARRANTY. PLEASE KEEP INSTRUCTIONS SAFE FOR FUTURE USE.
DANGER! - BE AWARE, LEAD-ACID BATTERIES GENERATE EXPLOSIVE GASES DURING NORMAL BATTERY OPERATION. FOR THIS REASON IT IS
VERY IMPORTANT TO READ AND FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY, EACH TIME YOU USE THE TIMING LIGHT. Follow these
instructions and those published by the battery manufacturer and the maker of any equipment you intend to use in the vicinity of
the battery. Remember to review warning marks on all products and on engines. ,
1.1. PERSONAL PRECAUTIONS
3Ensure there is another person within hearing range of your voice and close enough to come to
your aid should a problem arise when working near a lead-acid battery.
3Wear safety eye protection and protective clothing. Avoid touching eyes while working near battery.
3Have fresh water and soap nearby in case battery acid contacts skin, clothing, or eyes.
3Wash immediately with soap and water if battery acid contacts skin or clothing. If acid enters eye, flush eye immediately with cool, clean
running water for at least 15 minutes and seek immediate medical attention.
3Remove personal metallic items such as rings, bracelets, necklaces and watches. A lead-acid battery can produce a short-circuit current
high enough to weld a ring or the like to metal and may cause severe burns.
3Ensure hands, clothing (especially belts) are clear of fan blades and other moving or hot parts of engine, remove ties and contain long hair.
7DO NOT smoke or allow a spark, or flame, in the vicinity of battery or engine.
3Remember that a flashing timing light freezes rotating components. DO NOT be tempted to touch an apparently stationary component
which is, in fact, rotating.
pWARNING! When ignition is on DO NOT touch any ignition components - very high voltages are present.
1.2. GENERAL SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
pWARNING! When running an engine in an enclosed space ensure adequate ventilation or ducted exhaust. Exhaust gases kill.
3Keep children and unauthorised persons away from the working area.
3Ensure vehicle transmission is in Neutral (manual) or Park (automatic) and the parking brake is applied.
3Ensure the ignition is switched off before attaching the power clamps to the battery.
3Keep tools and other items away from the engine and ensure that you can see the battery and working parts of engine clearly.
3If the battery terminals are corroded or dirty, clean them before attaching the timing light clamps.
7DO NOT dis-assemble the timing light for any reason. The timing light must only be checked by qualified service personnel.
pWARNING! DO NOT allow metal tools or equipment to accidentally touch battery terminals since this may produce sparks or a short circuit
resulting in an explosion.
7DO NOT cross-connect leads from the timing light to the battery. Ensure positive (+) (RED) is to positive and negative (-) BLACK is to negative.
If symbols cannot be distinguished, negative terminal is normally the one directly connected to the vehicle bodywork (check vehicle hand-book).
7DO NOT allow inductive pick-up, or leads, to contact exhaust or other engine parts as the heat will cause damage.
7DO NOT pull the cables or clamps from the battery terminals.
7DO NOT use the timing light outdoors, or in damp, or wet locations, and DO NOT operate within the vicinity of flammable liquids or gases.
7DO NOT use the timing light for a task for which it is not designed.
3When not in use, store the timing light in a safe, dry, childproof location.
TL84 AND TL85. Composite cased Xenon timing light with inductive impulse pick up. 8000rpm Maximum. Supplied with 1.5 mtr of coiled 12V
power supply lead, complete with female 4 pin socket that plugs into the timing light handle, Inductive coupler and operating instructions.
TL85 Measures timing advance range 0 - 60º BTDC.
Specifications: TL84 TL85
Ignition Advance 0°- 60° BTDC
Max rpm 8000 8000
Operating Voltage 12V 12V
2. INTRODUCTION & SPECIFICATIONS
3. WHAT IS TIMING?
In order for an automobile engine to function, three things are necessary: air, fuel and a spark to ignite the air/fuel mixture and create an
explosion. The precise instant of the explosion must be timed so that maximum force is delivered to the engines piston. This is timing. Each
engine manufacturer tells its factory the exact timing necessary for various engines so that every possible amount of power is obtained from
each litre of fuel. As normal engine and ignition systems wear, the timing can change, thereby reducing both power and mileage. With the
TL84 or TL85 Timing Light, you can reset the timing to the manufacturers standard, regain lost power and increase mileage.
Timing is given in Degrees Before Top Dead Centre (BTDC) or After Top Dead Centre (ATDC). In order to completely burn the air/fuel mixture
in the cars cylinders, most timing is such that the spark occurs at a point several degrees BTDC (for example 4°BTDC). This ensures that the
full power of the explosions obtained (see fig 1).Two additional terms used when describing timing are Advanced and Retarded.
As shown in figure 1, when the timing is advanced the spark will occur BTDC. On some late model cars equipped with various emission
control devices, the timing is retarded so that the spark occurs ATDC. Timing is changed by adjustment of the ignition distributor.
In order to allow setting and adjustment of the engine timing, timing marks are provided on each engine during assembly. In most cases,
these marks appear on the engine vibration damper or fan pulley at the lower front of the engine (figure 1). On some early engines, this mark
was shown at the rear of the engine on the flywheel.
TL84 & TL85 - 1 - 151003

4. OPERATING PROCEDURES - NORMAL ENGINES
Figure 2
Figure 1
Figure 3
4.1.1 Locate engine timing mark (see figure 1) and use a rag to
clean all grease and dirt from the mark and the pointer. It
may help to use chalk or white paint on the marks to
make them more visible.
4.1.2 Check manufacturers specifications for correct timing of
the engine being serviced.
4.1.3 Start and run the engine until normal operating
temperature is reached .
4.1.4 Stop the engine
4.1.5 If specifications require, locate the vacuum line going to
the ignition distributor vacuum advance, disconnect it and
plug the line. A bolt or pencil may be used to seal the line.
4.1.6 Connect the timing light as shown in figure 2.
4.1.7 Start the engine and operate at normal idle speed. Aim
the timing light at the timing mark as shown in figure 3
4.1.8 Trigger the timing light and observe the reading from the
timing mark.
pCaution: Use care when working around a moving
engine. Keep hands, tools and timing light clear of
moving fan, belts or other moving parts.
4.1.9 Compare reading obtained in step 4.1.8 with the
manufacturers specifications. If timing is not as
specified, readjust as described below.
4.2 Checking the idle timing (TL85 only)
4.2.1 Set the knob to the 0 position as in figure 4
4.2.2 Follow steps 4.1.1 - 4.1.9
3.1 When To Check Timing
The instant of spark plug firing is determined by the
closing of the distributor ignition breaker points and will
change any time the point gap or dwell angle is changed.
In addition, normal wear on the breaker point rubbing
block will change the dwell and affect the timing. Cars
equipped with the new breakerless electronic ignition
system will not normally change timing since there are
no breaker points. For these vehicles, the Timing Light can
still be used to note changes in timing caused by troubles
in the ignition system as well as for resetting timing when
components are changed.
3.2 Timing Specifications
As noted earlier, timing requirements vary from engine to
engine. The engine manufacturers specifications should
always be referred to before making any adjustment.
These specifications can be found in the cars owner
manual, on the under bonnet decal required on all cars
manufactured since 1968 and in various automotive
publications.
Figure 4 Figure 5
4.3 Checking the Centrifugal Advance and Vacuum Advance (TL85 only)
4.3.1 Follow steps 4.1.1 - 4.1.7 under Operating Procedures but increase the
engine speed to 2000 rpm. Trigger the timing light and rotate the knob
clockwise slowly and stop when the timing mark moves to TDC or0°.
4.3.2 Observe the reading from the advance scale as shown in
figure 5
4.3.3 Compare the reading with the manufacturers specification.
4.4 Adjusting the timing to specifications
4.4.1 Loosen distributor locking bolt located at the base of distributor enough so that
the distributor may be rotated back and forth. Do not over loosen or remove
bolt, but leave it tight enough to prevent distributor turning by itself.
TL84 & TL85 - 1 - 151003

4.4.2 Start and run the engine.
4.4.3 Direct the timing light flash at timing marks and slowly rotate distributor right and left until the marks are aligned with the pointer (see figure 3)
4.4.4 Stop the engine.
4.4.5 Tighten distributor locking bolt taking care not to alter the position of the distributor.
4.4.6 Start the engine and recheck the timing.
4.5 Testing the Centrifugal advance
With the timing light still connected and with the vacuum line disconnected, speed the engine up slowly and watch the timing mark. It should
remain stationary until the engine reaches the manufacturers specified speed. The timing should then move steadily and without jerking
(see figure 3). If the mark does not move, or moves erratically, the centrifugal (automatic) advance should be serviced as necessary.
To check the maximum advance, it is necessary to mark the harmonic balancer with the maximum degree per manufacturers specifications
and follow manufacturers procedures.
4.6 Testing Vacuum Advance
The vacuum line to the distributor must be connected to make this test.
4.6.1 Set the engine speed to 800rpm or at the speed necessary to apply vacuum to the distributor.
4.6.2 Aim the timing light and note the position of the timing mark.
4.6.3 Disconnect the vacuum line. If the timing mark does not move, the trouble could be a plugged line, a leaky diaphragm or a frozen distributor
plate. If so, the distributor should be serviced as required.
4.7 Checking Distributor Cam Wear
This check is done after the timing has been set and the timing mark lines up with the reference pointer for 1 cylinder
4.7.1 Connect the timing light to the wire directly opposite (180º) 1 cylinder on the distributor cap (see figure 6).
4.7.2 Start engine and aim the timing light towards the timing mark. The reading should be the same as when connected to 1 cylinder. if
not, the probable cause is a worn out distributor shaft. Repair as required
5. OPERATING PROCEDURES - SMALL ENGINES
The timing light can be used on any combustion engine with impulse ignition, magneto ignition (motorcycles, lawn mowers, outboard motors
etc) or any time there is a high voltage spark used for ignition. When 12V DC is not available from the engine being tested, an external 12V
battery must be used.
5.1 Connect a ground from the negative (-) post of the external battery to the engine.
5.2 Connect the red clip to the positive (+) terminal and the black clip to the negative (-) terminal of the battery.
5.3 Connect the adaptor lead of the timing light to the proper spark plug.
NOTE: It is our policy to continually improve products and as such we reserve the right to alter data, specifications and component parts without prior notice.
IMPORTANT: No liability is accepted for incorrect use of product. WARRANTY: Guarantee is 12 months from purchase date, proof of which will be required
for any claim. INFORMATION: Call us for a copy of our latest catalogue on 01284 757525 and leave your full name and address including your postcode.
TL84 & TL85 - 1 - 151003
Figure 6
All timing lights are tested 100% before they are shipped from the factory and improper operation is usually caused by
incorrect hook up. Please observe the trouble shooting procedure if the timing light fails toperform satisfactorily.
6. TROUBLE SHOOTING PROCEDURE
SYMPTOM PROBABLE CAUSE SOLUTION
Switch in OFF
position.
NO
FLASH
NO FLASH
BUT
DOUBLE
CHECK
INDICATOR
IS ON
LIGHT
FLASHES
INTERMIT-
TENTLY
Battery clips connected
backwards.
Poor connection of
clips.
Move switch to ON
position.
Make sure the clips
are connected to a
clean battery post.
Reverse the battery
clip connections.
Wrong direction of
inductive lamp.
Toward the arrow
on clamp to # 1 plug.
Weak ignition
or spark plug.
The gap is to close.
Connect to other
plugs or spark plug
wires. If flashes then
repair the plug or gap.
Faulty lamp Replace it
Timing light high tension wire
lying on or to close to the other
spark plug wires.
Place the high tension
wire in good order so it
is routed away from the
other spark plug wires.
Xenon Lamp Replacement
If procedures outlined in Trouble Shooting do not correct the failure,
the most probable cause is a defective Xenon lamp.
The lamp may have a black spot around the anode, this is perfectly
normal. However, if the lamp is completely black it has reached its
end of life and should be replaced. (see figure 7)
Figure 7
01284 757500
01284 703534 [e-mail]
Sole UK Distributor
Sealey Group,
Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.
www.sealey.co.uk
Web
email