My trusty old Sears timing light finally bit the dust.

[turbohunter]

Would like a quality replacement suggestion.
I have never used these new fangled advance lights and don't really think/know if I need one.
I could be convinced if y'all think they are worth it.
I here that some lights have a problem with MSD boxes. All my stuff is MSD fired.
My Sears light had no problem till I dropped it.
Thanks in advance for your time.

[machoneman]

I'd never use a modern light, dial-back or not, on my MSD equipped cars. They for the most part don't work right, likely due to a.) a lack of shielding in the light from stray electrical signals from the box or b.) the wires leading to the coil or c.) the frequency modern lights work on is way too close to the box's frequency. Tried it and they did not work.

E-Bay for an old Sears heavy duty, chromed light like mine?   

[rcodecj]

I dropped my old Sears (chrome)  light too and it became intermittent. I took it apart and looked for damage, just resoldered a few connections, still works great.
I found a 2nd one at a yard sale exactly like mine except it obviously had rarely been used, so I bought it for a spare.
The guy said he only used it once, and it did look mint. I paid $5 for it.
First one is still going strong though.

[rcodecj]

This is the one I have:
Shouldn't have told you what I paid! 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sears-Craftsman-Model-No-161-213400-Vintage-Inductive-Timing-Light-12V-In-Box-/152038123406?hash=item23662da78e:g:90cAAOSwGOxW~0XY&item=152038123406&vxp=mtr

[machoneman]

That's the kind I have with a slightly different look to the case as Sears did modify the die casting over the years. No matter what one pays, you gotta have it with MSD's and likely other spark boxes. 

[turbohunter]

That's a good idea to see if I can fix it.
Love that old light.
BTW that link wouldn't work for me. I'll go look for it manually.

[turbohunter]

Got the link to work.
There was a real nice one for 35 bucks so I bought that.
I'll try to fix mine also.

[turbohunter]

You know it's funny to me.
I got online and was checking out all kinds of lights.
I cannot believe what these guys want us to pay for a light.
165-200 bucks for super snazzo hot shot lights with all the bells and whistles.
Are those things even close to worth that?
Also, does anyone run a battery powered light at the track?

[FirstEliminator]

For the longest time I had a Chrome Sears Dial-back style timing light. Last year, it disappeared. Not sure where it went. I used to bring it to car shows along with other tuning tools to help out friends.  It was a great light. Couldn't find it and I needed another, so I ended up buying Snap-On's best. It was about $400. But, it is really nice and shows a lot of info. Digital display and has push buttons to move the timing up and down for the advance. I kinda miss using my teeth to turn the knob on the Sears light while one hand holds the light and the other works the throttle. Wish I knew where that Sears light went to.

[turbohunter]

I understand wanting quality and thinking "I'll pay what it takes to get it". You figure it will last forever. And all the bells and whistles would help in certain situations.
Mark do you feel like the Snapon light is worth that kind of money?

[turbohunter]

Got my light. It is in beautiful shape. 35 bucks.
Has the original box, packaging and manual.
Went to time the 441 this morning and found that the light didn't shoot straight.
It shot out the side at about 35 degrees.
Opened it up to check out why and found the problem.
The board its on is a bit curved and has no screw to hold it down. I assumed from a bit of age it has bent at the front end which puts the element off center.
So I figured no problem I'll just put a screw in and wallah, straight light.
Nope.
I went to screw it all back together and realized that the front hole is used for one of the main body screws. Since the main screw passes through the board there is nothing to hold the board straight. So put a nut on the main screw that would tighten against the board as you tightened it thereby holding the board straight.
Worked like a charm.

[Qikbbstang]

I believe it was Circle Track magazine that had an article comparing the accuracy of inductive power timing lights. Some were seriously off. You got to say FAIL when you have a tool that does one thing and it's off.  If I recall here were some scary models/brands out there..


The first timing light I ever bought back in the 60s was an economy (like a couple dollars). It was wired directly in line: remove plug wire plug one feed into the boot and the other wire from the light to the spark plug. I used that cheap (orange flash) on everything from motorcycles to muscle cars.
  Full ignition voltage goes through the timing light and lights the bulb. Back in the points ignition days you needed to check the timing in full shade or better yet at night and use bright timing marks to better see the flash. I know one thing when the "spark" makes flash directly hard to imagine that being off.
Figure "modern" high energy ignitions likely would cast more light, and maybe zap you as well!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Timing-Light-Automotive-Tool-/121954380840?hash=item1c650c2c28:g:5lQAAOSwJMhXDYrJ&item=121954380840&vxp=mtr

[FirstEliminator]

I understand wanting quality and thinking "I'll pay what it takes to get it". You figure it will last forever. And all the bells and whistles would help in certain situations.
Mark do you feel like the Snapon light is worth that kind of money?

    Hey Marc,
   Sorry I didn't reply sooner. I like the light and it has all the features one could think of to put on a timing light. The one thing I can say is it's a pain if I disconnect it from the battery, I have to go through and select the type of ignition, cylinder count and mode all over again. The light with the dial was just a light with a dial. Hook it up and pull the trigger. The Snap-On is nice and I've envied lights like this for years. It has features I will probably never need. I miss my old Sears light. It's not very often that I lose things and that bugs me more than it being gone. All in all, you can find a light that does all you want cheaper than the Snap-On. Owning a shop and accepting the fact that I will probably be giving Snap-On a weekly payment forever makes me lazy enough to not ask price and just say "fork it over". Don't know if the quality is any higher---it says Made in China.

    For $400 you think they'd have a better description that this:
https://store.snapon.com/Timing-Lights-Timing-Light-Digital-Tach-Advance-P651145.aspx

    If I gave myself more chance to think about it, I would have probably gotten another Sears Advance Light or this OTC:

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/otc-tools-equipment-3365-P112630.aspx


    thanks,
          Mark
p.s. Wish I knew where that Sears light went to. I probably loaned it to someone. What comes around goes around....I had borrowed my neighbor's step ladder 5 years ago and still have it.

[chris401]

I have an eight year old Ferret that is on the blink. When working it is nice to dial in your advance/retard and keep your eye on the more visible TDC mark. It works fine on late models but I have never used it on an MSD system. I also have an old chrome Penske sold by Sears & Roebuck that was grandpa's. The leads are spiced in and it bites.

[Rory428]

Can`t speak for the current Snap On timing lights, but in the early 80s, I spent over 250 bucks for a Snap On dial back timing light, and I still have it. It has never had any issues, and although it rarely gets used anymore, for the 1rst 10 or 12 years, it was used daily at work, and occasionally on weekends at the track. Can`t complain about the light, but at the time, it was serious money.