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Page 7

CAUTION

To avoid personal injuries and damage to the instrument carefully inspect the

spark plug wires, distributor cap, ignition coil , ignition module, and all other

ignition system parts for damage or leaks, and avoid using this instrument in

case any damage or leaks are found. Never touch the capacitive pick-up or

ﬂ exible probe during a test. Wear insulating gloves when working around high

voltage, and hot parts, and keep away from moving parts (fan, drive belts, etc)

and hot objects (exhaust manifold and pipes, mufﬂ er, catalytic converter, etc.)

3.4 Measurement Procedures

3.4.1 TA500 measuring functions

The TA500 has specially dedicated modes for use in the diagnostics and

troubleshooting of Coil on Plug and Coil near Plug ignition technology, and for systems

using spark plug wires. These special modes compensates for differences in signal strength

and waveform patterns between ignition systems.

The TA500 can measure the following:

• Engine RPM,

• Spark burn time, and

• Spark KVolt (relative measurement).

3.4.1.1 Engine RPM

Measures engine RPM in 2, 4 cycles and DIS engines, and it can be used in

combination with spark burn time and spark KVolt measurements, to evaluate the ignition system

performance at different engine speeds.

3.4.1.2 Spark burn (! ring) time

The spark burn time, also called “ﬁ ring time”, is the measurement of the time period from

the moment that a spark is initiated up to the point when it is extinguished, and is the most

indicative measurement of performance of the ignition system. Abnormally long or short

burn times may indicate some problem in the ignition module, spark plug, fuel mixture,

cylinder compression, etc.

3.4.1.2 Spark KVolt

Spark KVolt values are relative measurements, useful to compare the performance of the

ignition system in each cylinder. Comparing spark KVolt between cylinders may be used

to diagnose common problems like misﬁ res, broken spark plug wires, etc. However spark

KVolt values may vary widely, are less consistent and not always indicative of a properly

working ignition system.

3.4.2 Measuring Coil on Plug and Coil near Plug ignition systems

1- Turn the instrument on.

2- If not already in COP mode, select it by pressing the ‘Ignition System’ button.

3- Select the number of cycles for the engine under measurement by pressing the ‘Engine

Cycles’ button repeatedly until the display shows the correct setting.

General TA500 User Manual

Questions and Answers: