dbreese Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 My trusty Sun Pro Actron timing light of 20 years met its demise today. I had just installed a new MSD 85551 distributor. Got the car fired up and went to check the timing. To my surprise I was fairly close @ 39 degrees (locked out). I went to turn the distributor to pull the timing back to 35 degrees but it was hold down bolt/clamp was a little tight. I set the light down and was not aware the wires from the plug wire inductor clamp came in contact with a header tube and melted….bad! Well after I loosened the bolt I went back around through the light on and was no showing 100 degrees BTDC. I checked and saw where the wires had melted and gave me the screwed up reading. It was a great light and was made in the USA. I'm looking for a good light. Don't need all the bells and whistles. Suggestions? Thanks, David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Sheean Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 I have an old craftsman that is about 40 years old, still works fine, I've melted the wires a bit but not through, yup I did exactly what you did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbreese Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 Would love to find a bare bones light made in the USA if possible. The old Craftsmans are great lights. Thanks David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyDavey Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 I have one of these...works great and is simple...probably made off shore though...if you have a multi spark ignition make sure whatever you get is compatible with that... http://proshop.summitracing.com/parts/ino-3568/overview/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbreese Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 I have one of these...works great and is simple...probably made off shore though...if you have a multi spark ignition make sure whatever you get is compatible with that... http://proshop.summitracing.com/parts/ino-3568/overview/ Hey Dave, Yep I do have a 6al. Thanks, David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
footballubet Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 This is the one I bought last year. http://proshop.summitracing.com/parts/anm-cp7528 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbreese Posted June 7, 2014 Author Share Posted June 7, 2014 Went to my local Auto Zone yesterday and picked up a new light. It was a no frills Actron http://www.actron.com/product_detail.php?pid=16313 model that was on sale for 29.99. It didn't surprise me that it was made of shore but I thought I would give it a shot. Got home hooked it up and and cranked the car up. Set the timing at 35 degrees at idle. Had the wife come out and sit in the car to monitor the tach and told her to take it to 3500 rpm( she hates that car LOL) to take the MSD 6al out of the equation. Timing remained dead on at 35. So this light will work with MSD boxes. Quality was ok, about what you would expect for something in this price range. It does have a metal inductor clamp which is a plus. One last thing you have to worry about melting. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daryl Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 I gotta tell on myself. I did the same thing but caught it before any real damaged occured or so I thought. When I started to rebuild my Monte, that was the first I had worked on a non computer controled engine for 15 or so years. When I got to the point that I was ready to set the timming on the new motor I could not get a steady light. I figured the light was bad. I doubled checked my connections and all my wires to be sure, yep it was the light. Asked around and finally borrowed one from a friend. Still the same thing. Did some reading and found out MSDs don't like certain lights. This was the first time I ever had an ignition box. Checked again with another timing light and still no go. Light signal was erratic. I checked everything again, nothing! Just when I was ready to drop the money for the the MSD light I came across a chat online with a guy having the same amount of fun as I was setting the timing. One guy chimmed in and asked if he had the inductor facing the right direction as most older lights will only work facing a certain way. Lightbulb came on! Oh yeah, I forgot about that. All that time looking for a problem and I just had the inductor on backwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallaby Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Hmmm...A nice "Buck Rogers" timing light would be nice. They should make something a little more retro; more ray-gun looking with modern features. I'd get one even if I didn't need it. LOL Or come to think of it, why not a permanent setup with a LED or tiny strobe mounted just above the timing tab? Never fumble with cords again! No more storage or hookup issues! Just plug & play! See your timing whenever you open the hood! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7tonemonte Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I like that idea Mark! Patent it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallaby Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Oops, too late. Summit has these, made by Proform. Just 40.00. Billet timing tab w/self-powered LED. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.