I need to purchase a new timing light and was wondering what type have you guys been using and how has it held up? Anybody using one of the new digital types with the built in tach, etc.?
Buy a Ferret, best in the buisness, MSD relables them as thiers. I have several of thiers and I really like the self powered one, and they are a must if you are running a MSD box.
New Craftsman lights are all digital and the "dial bacK' doesn't work on MSD, as Old Guard says. Old Guard, where can I find those "Ferret" lights? Read your post above, Googlrd rerret and all I found was pagea and pages on those little furry guys! Dave
Craftsman no longer stands behind the product, and they no longer sell parts to repair the tools they sell. I had a really nice dial back self powered timing light I bought for tuning at Bonneville. I made the mistake of laying it down on the salt instead of balancing it on the fender of a running car. Even though it was cleaned when I got home, the salt fumes got into the dial back switch and its junk. Sears wont even sell me a new switch. Moral of the story, take a table to the salt, and go as fast as you can!
I've used Snap On lights for years. My last Snap On suddenly stopped working so I had to use my Craftsman light. My car just didn't seem to perform like before after timing it with the Craftsman light. So I borrowed my buddy's Snap On light and found that the craftsman light was 3-1/2 degrees off. Anyone wanna buy a fairly new Craftsman light? PM me! B.T.W.: You cannot use an adjustible or digital light with any MSD system. Per MSD you will not achieve proper timing. I tried it and MSD is right!
I have Ferret adjustable with dwell meter and non adjustable self powered for the MSD ignitions. Dirty Old Man, try this link, https://www.google.com/search?hl=en....,cf.osb&fp=3023993c17fdb6f3&biw=1024&bih=551
All you have to do it listen and engine will tell you what it wants. But I do have 3 timming lights that I have never used that i will probably need to use when i go deaf.
I use an old Snap On with dial back.......has served me well for 20 years. Works well with Pertronix.
Too many hours of flying in OH 13's and too many machine gun bursts later makes my hearing out of wack for telling if the timing is right on an engine anymore. I've got two Craftsman lights one with the dial back and one standard and usually use the dial back on the standard setting. Not to say that I wouldn't love to have a new SnapOn if I could get a deal on one.
Ive had a Snap On dialback for many years & still works great. Also,I remember when Crafstman was MSDs light of choice,,,,a long time ago.
Hey not trying to hijack but who repairs timing lights? That Snap On I mentioned that suddenly stopped working is like my right arm. Where can I get it fixed besides Snap On dealer that will want my right arm to fix it.
I don't want another craftsman. I had an old one that worked for years then stopped, I have been using my brothers dial back until we found out it isn't even close to be right. I have been using a vac gauge but still want a timing light, I am really looking for one with a built in tach since all the new tachs are adjustable to get them accuate.
Advance it till it pings then back it off till it stops? I've got a fancy dial back for checking advance curves, but my old standard Craftsman gets used more often.
This one. http://www.jegs.com/i/Sunpro/885/CP7519/10002/-1 Its big, its heavy, and if you burn up the pickup wire on a header of a big block Ford trying to time it at 3am after a day of thrashing and it melts...its modular and can be replaced easily.
I think my Mac tool unit is still in the bottom drawer of my tool box but I haven't used it in 20 years.
I have an old Snap-on timing light from the early 1970's that I have always used and never let me down . I would trade or sell it for anything ! One of the best investments I ever made ! Retro Jim
Here are some Engine issues that my timing light told me about . Well, not by barking like Lassie, but let me see were not "right." Spark scatter due to badly worn distributor shaft with points ignition. (Dwell meter would have pointed this out too,) Upside down centrifugal advance weights. Worn centrifugal advance mechanisms. Seized mech advance mechanisms. Pooched vac advance canisters ( with mityVac pump). Outer damper ring slipping. Vacuum advance canister installed where a pressure retard canister was called for ( Turbocharged Corvair). Adjusting a few centrifugal advance curves. Testing coil wires, dist cap and rotor in No spark at plug situations. Testing for spark in intermittent electronic ignition module failure situations. Setting ignition timing of aftermarket CDIgnition on dirt bike that required repositioning the magneto rotor and running key-less. As far as accuracy, it's always a nagging worry. The best I have is comparing 2 lights, after a wary informational static timing check when possible, since worn components can allow several degrees change when running. The old self powered orange Xenon light my dad gave me over 40 years ago seems to be pretty consistent so far.
Do any of the new ones still work with 6 volt? Not trying to hijack the thread but looking for a light as well.
Daddy never used no fancy timing light neither. LOL Seriously though...just screwed with the timing until it sounded right.
Each to his own, I guess, but I like to know just where my timing is and at what rpm it reaches full advance as well as advance @ idle. On a high compression engine with a fast curve, all in at say 1800/2000 rpm, it is possible to get mid range detonation that will destroy the engine in short order. And with loud pipes you may not hear it. But you WILL hear the engine when it starts coming apart! Since I run MSD unit (concealed under dash) I use a non dial back light, since the digitals won't work on MSD, and a timing tape to plot curve. and BTW, always use the positive stop method to first find TRUE TDC. Tuning articles all over the web and in mags will tell you how much @ what rpm for all sorts of engines and builds from dyno tests. Those guys with the dynos can figger out just what the engine likes better than my ear, and the closest drag strip is 60 miles away, makinf that method inconvenient at best. So I value a good timing light highly. Dave
These coming from my brother with the bum timing light!!!!! Your junk timing light started this whole thread so I feel you owe it to us all to go buy the best one on the market and report back how I, opps, I mean YOU like it!!
I still have all 5 I have bought over the years, my first was at age 14, my local napa had the big cabinet with all the models and I saw the really cool "gun" looking one that was chrome and HD looking cables with it! WOW! Cool! But I could not afford it....BUT, I was able to buy the "flashlight" style with 2 spark plug looking cable, that went in between the Ignition cable and spark plug! Had to shut the hood on a bright day to see the light! I still have it in my tool box as reminder of those days....
I still use my old Craftsman from the 70's. But as a backup I have an old "Heathkit" timing light I build as a kid. Too bad they aren't around anymore.
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