That $89 coil pack tester I bought last month paid for itself in one job

Diagnosed a random misfire on a 2014 F-150 in about 20 minutes instead of swapping parts blindly, which would've cost the customer triple. Has anyone else picked up a cheap tool that just made their life way easier?

2 comments

2 Comments

miles_burns1mo ago

I saw a thread on a mechanic subreddit last week where a guy was saying the same thing about his cheapo smoke machine, and it got me thinking that sometimes the low budget tools are the real workhorses. The coil pack testers have gotten so affordable that it's almost dumb not to have one in the drawer, especially with how common those Ford misfires are. I remember reading an article about how most diag time is wasted on guesswork, and tools like that just cut through all that noise. It's funny how one decent tool can pay for itself faster than the expensive stuff that just sits there. What was the brand you picked up?

phoenixw111mo ago

Nah @miles_burns, cheap stuff usually breaks right when you need it most. I’ll pass.