Old school timing light vs. the fancy scan tool

Remember when you could set timing by ear and a $20 light? Last week I pulled out my Snap-on scanner on an 89 F150, chased a ghost miss for 2 hours, then grabbed my old timing light and had it dialed in 15 minutes flat. Anyone else still keep the dinosaur tools around for the older rigs?

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nancyn6923d ago

The old tools still have their place for sure. I keep a basic timing light, vacuum gauge, and a dwell meter on the shelf for anything pre OBD2, and they get used way more than people would guess. Scan tools are great when there's a real code, but on those older trucks half the sensors barely talk to the computer anyway, so you end up chasing stuff that isn't there. A timing light and a vacuum gauge will tell you more about how an engine is actually running than a live data stream full of lies (ask me how I know). Keep the dinosaur stuff around, it'll save you hours every time.

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