TheSamba.com :: View topic - Who sells an actual good quality timing light?

Mon Feb 15, 2021 6:49 pm

I want one with advance and a tach. I bought the high end Innova and it failed after like 5 uses (even though it's 3 years old... I don't time on the daily). Now it shorts out the ignition when connected. To confirm it wasn't the car, I plugged in an ancient one, worked great. Of course, it's old school.

I'm looking around and pretty much all we have are bottom feeder Chinese garbage, Innova, and Acton. None of those have consistently good reviews over time. The latest rape van timing lights are just rebadged versions of those.

I've been looking at eBay for some vintage Sun and Matco stuff, but they only have advance, not tach.

Does anybody make something of decent quality? Or should I give up on the all-in-one and get an old Sun?

Mon Feb 15, 2021 7:13 pm

You can't really go wrong with an old Sun timing light.

However, I found out after burning up an Acton. an old Sears Penske, and three HF timing lights. I was using the VW as a power supply.
For whatever reason, the charging circiut was causing the timing light burn out on the first try at timing the engine. Fn pissed me off!

So now I use a cheap HF timing light.
Sorry, no tach on that POS. But it does have the timing advance feature. I just watch for the mech advance hit full advance and adjust from there.

The trick I use is to use an auxiliary battery, not tied to the vw charging system and an inductive pickup. It's been three years since killing a timing light.

Mon Feb 15, 2021 7:21 pm

Hmmm... That's an interesting thought.

My jumper pack crapped itself and splooged battery acid all over a while back. I bought on of the little 18650 based lithium packs, but they don't stay hot very long. The circuitry shuts them off after a few seconds, then you have to reset.

I DO have a 120v-12v brick. Hmmm...

Mon Feb 15, 2021 7:30 pm

A buddy of mine was trying a lawn tractor battery. It didn't work very well.

I have an Optima deep cycle (Yellow Top) I use for the power supply. It never fails to get me through the engine timing task.

I even use it for bench starting fresh engines.
Much like you're gonna need one soon! :D

Mon Feb 15, 2021 7:44 pm

I still need to find a bellhousing so I can bench start the new engine.

Gene Berg will be done with my case this week. WOOT!

Tue Feb 16, 2021 7:24 am

Decades ago, I was given an old Craftsman timing light. Last summer it started acting up, and beyond my knowledge base/pay grade to fix it.

I bought a $20 xenon timing light through Amazon, don't think it has advance feature, and know it has no tach feature, but for my own usages, it's fine. I would generally use like once every two years.

Tue Feb 16, 2021 7:40 am

I do have my homemade clamp on tach (https://youtu.be/28rKUm4S51o) but it was handy to have it built into the timing light.

I think I'll get one of the 80's Suns on ebay. Maybe find a way to connect my tach to that so I don't have multiple big stupid clamps on my coil.

Tue Feb 16, 2021 8:39 pm

Bought an ESI self powered timing light. Good quality, made in USA. Just used it today. Nice light, Runs off batteries in the body of the unit so it can go anywhere. Some say the light isn't as bright as conventional ones, bright enough to do the job IMO.

Tue Feb 16, 2021 9:53 pm

buy this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Snap-On-Tools-Computerize...SwYR9gIg3U

been rock solid unit

looks like the inductive pick up got too close to someone's header :lol:

if you end up with it let me know, i have the original case and manual.

Wed Feb 17, 2021 6:10 am

skills@eurocarsplus wrote: buy this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Snap-On-Tools-Computerize...SwYR9gIg3U

been rock solid unit

looks like the inductive pick up got too close to someone's header :lol:

if you end up with it let me know, i have the original case and manual.

Thanks, I saw that one, but wasn't sure if it was from the bad old 90's or good old 80's.

Wed Feb 17, 2021 8:06 am

I bought one from Napa, seems to be of good quality and works well.

Sat Feb 20, 2021 9:53 am

I compared about 8 light all at the same time and seperatly on the same engine....about half read the same some were up to 4 degrees off.... so witch was right?the 4 that read withen 1 degree? or one of the other ones??? find the one that you like and works good and is repeatable. the actual timing numbers mean squat.the engine can not read.tune it for what it needs and wants, not what the guy down the street says is best.( unless he is the tuner and knows what he is dong. then remember what it needs to be.right it down too. then...if you change something this also may change...also weather may affect it too...as can fuel......learn your engine. those numbers are reference points nothing more.

Mon Feb 22, 2021 6:28 pm

I use SnapOn - the big digital kahuna. Not cheap but the very best I have used. You can look up some on Ebay.

But any other cheaper ones will work too.

Thu Feb 25, 2021 7:01 pm

I have the innova 5568. Been using it for about 10 years now with no problems. Very convenient to be able to check voltage, dwell, timing, advance, and tach.

Thu Feb 25, 2021 8:16 pm

I have a Ferret . Model 88, I think. Digital , advance , dwell ... All you will ever need, but expensive. Have mine for 20 + years. All USA made when I bought it.

Fri Feb 26, 2021 5:03 am

bnam wrote: I have the innova 5568. Been using it for about 10 years now with no problems. Very convenient to be able to check voltage, dwell, timing, advance, and tach.

I’ve been using that one for several years now as well. The dwell function actually works like it should even though it’s digital.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EVU8J8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Fri Feb 26, 2021 2:49 pm

I use my expensive snappon also.... I bought a mac because it was cheeper... but it wouldn't work.... :? the mac guy told me it wasent for electric ignition :shock: apparently it was for diesel. 2 more mac tools were bought and were totaly fucking useless in about 2 months or less. and the mack tool man was band from walking through the door or stopping out front. any moneys owed by anybody at the shop was no longer owed. as per ME!!! a month or so later the matco guy got the same talking to by ME.... as for the snapp on guy...he was welcome till the day he died and I miss him.( I dont miss the $$$$ every week he received from me.but any time day or night I could get whatever I needed that was on his truck weather he was there or not. I just wrote down the tool and all was cool. keys to the mans candy store fro sure.

Fri Feb 26, 2021 3:58 pm

Wow. I've always had good experiences with Matco and the driver I dealt with at the body shop I used to work at.

Never a fan of SnapOn, never dealt with Mac.

Fri Feb 26, 2021 4:05 pm

The professional grade lights snap on, Mac, Sun, etc are meant to get banged up and still work. Occasionally the xenon bulb would go out but that’s not often. Most often the wire leads get jerked around by the fan belt. So I took the cheap way out and bought used on eBay.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Snap-on-Timing-Light-/393142789317

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Snap-On-Tach-Advance-Timing-Light-PB103B-/174647691374

Sat Feb 27, 2021 9:55 am

my snappon had a life time warranty...no mater what... after about 4 or 5 replacements they started a exchange program for a fee....wasent much.but it also was retro active but should not of been. snappys responce well that isant the orignal light you bought :shock: and I cant argue with that. we checked the newer digital snappy agnist my new replacement dial addvance snappy...about 4 degrees differance...hell we found that with the cheep stuff. but witch was right???? I never did like that digitail one any way.Ill stick to my trusty dial addvance snappon. I dont know if they still make it or not.my last one is probably 25 years old.