Where Attach Tachometer Test Meter to Hpnda 50?

[PeteC]

I am try to adjust the idle on my Honda 50. I Don't know how accurate the pedestal tach is, so I want to hook up my fluke 88. I know this will require some adjustment to the readout to get the correct value for the 3 cylinder Honda.. I don't have the Fluke inductive pickup attachment so I need to use the test leads.

Has anybody used an external tachometer on this engine? Where do you attach the test leads?

Thanks

[aya16]

the rpm gauge on the Honda should be as good as anything else. But any tach meter should have some directions with it. Is there a problem with the factory set Idle? messing with the air mixture screws on the carberator can get people into trouble without proper tools to do the job, the carbs need to be synchronized, they were at the factory and should still be fine. But you can hook it up to the same wire that goes to the Honda tach, but I bet you get the same reading as the original tach.

If you are talking about the throttle cable adjust for idle, the Honda tach should be just fine to set the idle with. But basically your engine idle should be set to where, at the time you shift into gear that the engine doesnt clunk into gear, it has a smooth transition when it shifts in and out of gear. We shouldnt mess with the little air screws on the side of the carbs, even if we rebuild the carbs, theres no reason to mess with those screws.
Mike

[Hardcrab]

If your Fluke meter is a model that can read frequency in hertz, a 3 foot piece of wire, and a calculator, and I'd think you are in business.
Wind the wire around any one of the plug wires to make a "secondary winding" of a transformer.
10-15 turns tightly spaced ought to do fine.
Each end of the wire plugs into the meter.
You've imitated the Fluke Inductive pick-up.
Set the meter on AC and HERTZ.
Start the engine and read the frequency of the AC voltage/signal induced by the turns of wire.
(Add more turns if needed to get a higher voltage, but I wouldn't think so).


Multiply the frequency by 2 to get engine RPM for your four stroke, or directly read if a two stroke.
Actually, if the RPM's read seem right before multiply by two, then then plug is also firing at the top of the exhaust stroke.
Some engines I've seen do that.
This trick might not work if the carbon radio supression type wires are used.
In that case, wrap the wire around the plug boot the best you can.
It should pick-up the magnetic field there.

Not much cost or grief in trying this method.
Results will be very accurate.

Good Luck.