Mark Birks <PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU> wrote:

> what, actually, is the dwell and how is it measured ?
>
> Basically I want to design/build an add-on for my DVM to help with
> tuning the car.....

Mark:

Dwell is the time that the distributor points are closed; it's
measured in degrees of distributor rotation.

To measure dwell with a DVM, hook your meter across the points and
measure the average voltage while the engine's running.  To convert
from average voltage to dwell angle, use this formula:

                  Average Voltage        360 degrees
    Dwell Angle = --------------- * ----------------------
                  Battery Voltage   # of distributor lobes

The number of distributor lobes is usually equal to the number of
cylinders.

-Andy

=== Andrew Warren - fastfwd@ix.netcom.com
=== Fast Forward Engineering - Vista, California
=== http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/2499