New project: Allen Engine analyzers, restoration?

HWYCRZR

Old Man with a Hat
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I picked up a couple of Allen engine analyzers from @Polara_500. They were taking up space in his garage and I thought I needed a new project. I am not sure yet who the winner is. :rolleyes:
They are now taking up space in my garage. My desire is to clean them up / restore and get them working. I don’t know much about engine analyzers so I guess it is time to learn.
Models 15-110 and 16-130.
The 15000 has an exhaust sniffer
We believe they are early ‘70s. I did find a pdf version of the operating instructions and a training course on E-bay. It would be nice to find a service manual.
If anyone has more knowledge about these units I would be interested to hear it.
I plan to do some research before I tear into them too far.
They Don’t have the bright colors of the Sun analyzers, but I am going for function over form for now.

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I love stuff like that myself. Have two automotive oscilloscopes and one sun distributor tester. You need to be good with electronics to keep them running. Typically they need to be re -capped. Kinda funny but most of my cars I can’t use them on as I have updated/changed out the ignition systems.
 
The 16-130 is mid-eighties. We had one at the shop that I worked at for many years. In fact, they still have it, but I'm sure it's been some time since it was last used. A very nice and useful machine up until everything went distributorless ignition.

Jeff
 
I just did a quick google search and came up with the following website:

Allen Test Products - Information, parts & accesories
530-417-6784
He says the Allen Test Products brand is currently licensed to SPX but support is non existent.

There's also a yahoo engineanalyzers group you could join.

The site says last updated 06/02/2019.

Good luck restoring these machines.
 
Thanks, When I did some googling I ended up with mostly medical test equipment.
This will at least help get me started.
 
I just did a quick google search and came up with the following website:

Allen Test Products - Information, parts & accesories
530-417-6784
He says the Allen Test Products brand is currently licensed to SPX but support is non existent.

There's also a yahoo engineanalyzers group you could join.

The site says last updated 06/02/2019.

Good luck restoring these machines.
Nearly a kiss of death... SPX is awful to deal with even if they support a machine. BTW, you all know who they are, their brands include Miller Specialty Tools (Mostly Chrysler), Kent Moore Tools (Mostly GM, sometimes others), OTC (Ford and several others, and a separate aftermarket division... not fun trying to buy factory stuff from them) and Robinair (A/C machines and tools). They support very little as machines become obsolete, and they can be tough to deal with on current stuff too.
Thanks, When I did some googling I ended up with mostly medical test equipment.
This will at least help get me started.
If you can get the scopes working, you have a useful tool. Treasure the leads you have, they are often the difference between a working tool and garage art. Good luck with your tinkering.
 
Tonight I followed some advice from an electrical guy on testing the voltage meters. I asked he had any test advice as I didn’t want to fry the gauges. Of course I showed him pictures of the voltage meter. He said jus apply voltage to it to check if it reads or moves. I applied 3 volts to it. It pegged the gauge so hard the needle shattered into 3 pieces. Oops.
So I started to take it apart and see if I could replace the needle. I am not so sure I can. Anyway after I got it out of the glass I found some printing that said fs=1ma. So I started googling. I believe fs is fuser which is the gauge type and uses resistance to read multiple scales. 1ma mean 1,000 ohms of resistance per bolt. The 20 volt scale requires power to go through a 20K ohm resistor. And the 40 volt scale should use a 40K ohm resistor.
Now I need to find a new gauge. I am not sure what the needle is made from but it crumpled to my touch.

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What’s left of the needle.
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I just did a quick google search and came up with the following website:

Allen Test Products - Information, parts & accesories
530-417-6784
He says the Allen Test Products brand is currently licensed to SPX but support is non existent.

There's also a yahoo engineanalyzers group you could join.

The site says last updated 06/02/2019.

Good luck restoring these machines.
I did contact Bob. These were too old for him. He does the digital versions. He did give me a name and a contact of another guy that was into older ones, but no response.
I need to try again.
There is also a repair sticker on one of them fro Minneapolis. I will have to try and see if the number is still in service.

All I really need /want is an electrical schematic. A full service /test manual manual would be awesome.
 
I did contact Bob. These were too old for him. He does the digital versions. He did give me a name and a contact of another guy that was into older ones, but no response.
I need to try again.
There is also a repair sticker on one of them fro Minneapolis. I will have to try and see if the number is still in service.

All I really need /want is an electrical schematic. A full service /test manual manual would be awesome.
You'd think there would be a site from where you could get the manuals, good luck with your search, I hope it'll be successful.soon.
 
One possible source of advice is a guy named Paul Carlson in British Columbia who has a YouTube site named Mr Carlson's Lab.

He restores all kinds of electronic equipment and could possibly advise you where to obtain your needle from, maybe even where to obtain the manuals you require or who to see/how to proceed.

Look it up and send a message if that's possible- hope he can help you.
 
You'd think there would be a site from where you could get the manuals, good luck with your search, I hope it'll be successful.soon.

For $9.99 I can get every operation and training manual for Allen and Sun analyzers it seems. But nothing on Service or schematics. I will keep digging.

I do have two machines and also a bottom gas analyzer that likely uses the same gauge with a different face, but there is not much I can do until I understand the machine a little better. I have connection from all the probes into the machine and the Oscilloscope works. But it is like there is a hidden fuse or relay or something that isn't getting the information to the gauges.
 
that sucks. i think if you had touched it with an ohm meter, the juice from the ohm meter would have swept it. with some things, you can't be delicate enough. if that meter was failed, the failure would likely have been visible as physical damage. the back of that looked beautiful and i wouldn't have touched it.
 
Some of the circuitry may be faulty, let alone wiring? Paul Carlson often finds capacitors faulty, maybe your issue.

I did a quick Google search and found the following Ebay item number 254459446960 seller is mnnorthwoods from Minnesota. Now, this may not be your model but perhaps the seller has information where to obtain the right manual for you?
 
I found him (Northwoods) as well. L Actually I ordered my operator manual from him but didn’t see any service manuals. I contacted him through e-bay and he said he had a service manual listed for the 16,000 series (blue one) listed. I even searched with his terms and still didn’t find it right away. He said he also had the 15-000 service manual but hadn’t scanned it yet. I offered to buy the actual manual, but haven’t heard him this weekend.
There is hope.
 
that sucks. i think if you had touched it with an ohm meter, the juice from the ohm meter would have swept it. with some things, you can't be delicate enough. if that meter was failed, the failure would likely have been visible as physical damage. the back of that looked beautiful and i wouldn't have touched it.
live and learn I guess.
Hopefully the service manual will help start tracking it down. All the buttons work the oscilloscope works, even the lights by the gauges light up. Has to be one thing that affects all the gauges.

We will see what I get from Northwoods on E-bay. Hopefully it is helpful.
 
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