A special meter is useful to track down ignition faults.
I now have two of these Actron KAL Equip 2969 three way ignition testers
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kal-Equip-Spark-...509&vxp=mtrI bought the first one used for about $60
and after using it a few times decided that
a second one to compare two cylinders simultaneously,
or to compare an all cylinders average to one suspect cylinder would be helpful.
The second cost about $40.
These give you:
peak Kilo Volts to initiate the spark,
average milliseconds of spark duration also called "burn time"
and the lower "burn" level KV after the spark starts
If you hook the pickup clamp around the coil wire it gives you the average of all 8 cylinders.
The length of burn time gives a hint about the air fuel ratio mixture in the cylinder.
I believe this A/F ratio effect can be compared more dependably if you swap in the same special long ignition wire and iridium tip spark plug to the cylinder you are measuring.
I would rather own one of the Sun Machines
with the big 8 cylinder at once screen
like I had in the 1980s
but these KAL Equip units are a cheaper and more portable alternative.
