My Snap-on timing light took a dump a few years ago. I sent it back thru the local dealer, it came back and worked for a while, then quit again. I went back to using my old Sears with the advance dial on the back. It also has quit. What are you guys using? Anyone have a self powered one and do you like it. Thanks for any info, Gene.
Over years I have had Snap & Mac go south , I pick one up @ autozone been using for 5ish years 2& 4 stroke , tac & volts works both ways 0& avance, Long leads , I believe was around $75
I've been using my Sears light since the 60's. It never occurred to me that it might stop working someday.
I have an old 1960s Sears with no advance or anything, but it works. I just got a new Innova like the one pictured above and it is great! I figured put I only have 16 degrees of mechanical advance, now that I have a fancy timing light! Some distributor reworking is in my future.
I had an adjustable Mac timing light for 15 yrs until some idiot stole it. I have an adjustable innova now for 4 yrs. Prefer to have my old Mac back. No problems with the Innova just liked the dial and the feel of the Mac better. .
I have a few timing lights , pick them up at garage sales and swap meets for a few bucks , kinda like tach/dwell meters . For 5 bucks why not !!! I have the inova one pictured also , bought it probably 10 years ago at princess auto and I’ve used it a bunch at work . Unless I was working on old cars exclusively for my living I could not justify the cost of a new snap on or Mac timing light . distributors have gone the way of the doo-do even on equipment and heavy machinery .
In the ‘early 80’ I bought a Sun, heck, didn’t have to use it much, dang bulb burnt out. Then bought a Sunpro, came with a dwell meter. Both have worked fine for over 30 years. Misplaced it and bought one at AutoZone a few years back that looks like the one pictured, don’t recall the brand. Of course when I went to put the AZ one away, immediately found my Sunpro. I seem to always end with with two of everything eventually…
Get a decent one, Innova makes quality products (I have timing lights and scanners). My 90s craftsman with advance is at work and my 80s Snap on advance died (wiring, but I'm too lazy to fix). I went for the cheaper non self powered Innova 3568 ($74) as I wanted the tach, display and advance features. You can go bare bones and get the 3551 ($38) or the 3555 has a dial advance ($55). I like my old ones and plan to repair the Snap On someday, but man are these Innovas bright. ***EDIT*** Looks like Autozone sells the base 3555 Innova around here for $50. I still like the advance feature so I don't have to see all the numbers, I just need to find zero.
I recently picked up a used MAC dial timing light at a swap meet in Indiana for $25. I was skeptical if it worked but, yup, works fine and now I have a "dial back" timing light like I lusted after for years! I just wish my trigger finger and thumb had enough coordination and dexterity to work the light's switch trigger and timing knob one handed so I could adjust the distributor with the other hand, but that's OK. Lynn
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