57 replies to this topic

[Sphinx]

For the folks that use them, do you have a brand preference?  How do you have it wired up?

[FTodaro]

I use this, its cheap an all you do is twist a wire around a spark plug wire. simple solution.  Hardline

 

https://www.amazon.c...aps,165&sr=8-26

[Dave D.]

No real preference to brand, but I wire them up to the fuel pump circuit so that it is only receiving power when the engine is running.

[ChrisA]

No real preference to brand, but I wire them up to the fuel pump circuit so that it is only receiving power when the engine is running.

Or pumping out the tank..

 

I think mine is the same as the one Frank linked.

[av8tor]

use the $35 model that you wrap around the spark plug wire. You glue it to the engine side of the firewall. Easy peezy, it only counts hrs when your making a spark, this one even has a tach so you can set your idle bypass screw.  https://www.motospor...A003T-X001-Y001

[Brandon]

No real preference to brand, but I wire them up to the fuel pump circuit so that it is only receiving power when the engine is running.

 

I like this idea to capture hours on a fuel pump.

[MPR22]

Forgive me for being obtuse but, what will an hour meter on a SM engine tell you? 

[Dave D.]

Forgive me for being obtuse but, what will an hour meter on a SM engine tell you? 

Not sure.........I guess it's for the ones that think they own a real race engine,and like to track the hours used . I don't use them, just track the days on track and service items at needed intervals.

[Dave D.]

Or pumping out the tank..

 

I think mine is the same as the one Frank linked.

For the 5 minutes it takes this to happen, it will hardly register on the hourmeter.

[Sphinx]

Exactly, age and whether it's time to do a service of some kind.  Not something I'd do on a street car, but definitely with a built motor.

 

 

Forgive me for being obtuse but, what will an hour meter on a SM engine tell you? 

 

 

Not sure.........I guess it's for the ones that think they own a real race engine,and like to track the hours used . I don't use them, just track the days on track and service items at needed intervals.

[tynor]

I use a $10 meter - https://www.amazon.c...f/dp/B00A43PKLW wrapped around a spark plug wire.  Helps me remember when I'm due for a oil/filter change.

 

No complaints - "just works".

 

[Steve Scheifler]

Exactly, age and whether it's time to do a service of some kind. Not something I'd do on a street car, but definitely with a built motor.

“Built”, in SM? You flatter your engine.

[Sphinx]

“Built”, in SM? You flatter your engine.

 

You know what I mean.    A reputable SM engine builder's motor that costs 2X a crate motor - that one.

[Tom Hampton]

“Built”, in SM? You flatter your engine.

Now you're just being obtuse.  :-) 

 

Most people have peroidic maintenance schedules--some of which are NOT engine related.  The frequencies of those schedules may be debated, but that's less important than the need to do certain things every now and again.  EG: We probably don't need to change our engine oil/repack our hubs every weekend, but we do need to change the oil or repack at some point. 

 

Many gravitate to a "weekends" metric for the various things that need to be done, with exceptions for things like "rain", and "offs."   And then there's the "annual" / off season type of stuff.  I've contemplated an hour meter based approach in the past.  But, then I realized all I was doing was coming up with a conversion factor between "weekends" and "operating hours" to equate to "time on track" (6 operating hours = 1 race weekend).  I couldn't really figure out how I was better served by "engine operating hours." 

 

I liked the idea of the race car tracking website that was around for a couple of years.  It would automatically read data system (traqmate and aim, I think)files, and tally time-on-track/distance/etc and auto-notify you for needed maintenance.  You could setup your own maintenance cycles, etc.  Its gone now, though.  I think the concept was better than the execution, and I'm guessing the ROI just wasn't really there. 

[Steve Scheifler]

No, not obtuse. Annoying yes. But he was making a clear distinction between a street car engine and his SM engine, which I found amusing. But although our engines are milder “builds” than most stock engines today, I certainly recognize that they are pushed much harder per hour. Still, I’m not going to stop and do anything mid-weekend because the timer hits x hours, and I have an adequate sense of when it’s time to do what, these aren’t exactly old Cessnas or new fighter jets.

[Tom Hampton]

No, not obtuse. Annoying yes.

 

ob·tuse

/?b?t(y)o?os,äb?t(y)o?os/

adjective

adjective: obtuse

1.   annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand.

"he wondered if the doctor was being deliberately obtuse"

[LarryKing]

Be careful who you call obtuse.

[Tom Hampton]

Be careful who you call obtuse.

Video link... No worky worky.

[Steve Scheifler]

ob·tuse

/?b?t(y)o?os,äb?t(y)o?os/

adjective

adjective: obtuse

1. annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand.

"he wondered if the doctor was being deliberately obtuse"

Thanks for proving my point. The emphasis in typical usage is the part about “slow to understand”, yet clearly I understood him completely and chose to be deliberately annoying (not insensitive) in spite of that, which by itself is not a synonym for obtuse. In your definition “annoyingly” is an adverb of insensitive not it’s own adjective.

[av8tor]

Forgive me for being obtuse but, what will an hour meter on a SM engine tell you? 

 

Either he is not bright or just a dick. Last time I checked, machinery lasts longer when proper inspections and Preventative Maintenance (PM) is performed.