marcapra Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 I bought this primitive thing back in the 80s and it didn't work then, but I tried it again at night with all the lights turned off. I don't know the correct name of the type of timing light, but it works by disconnecting the no. 1 spark plug cable and connecting this light between them. It produces an eerie red strobe light, but you can't really see anything with it. What is a good timing light today for a 6v pos. ground engine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgeman Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 Until I found an old one that worked on a 6 volt system I used a modern one that I connected to a 12 volt battery. I use a lawn tractor battery. Another option is to use a vacuum gauge and set timing to the highest vacuum. You will probably have to back off a hair to prevent detonation. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee H Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 That’s similar to my first timing light I got as a kid. It uses a small (neon?) tube that flashes due to the high voltage spark crossing it. You need a very dark garage, but they sort of work. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABear Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 Get an inductive pickup style timing light, uses a inductive clamp that clips around your spark plug wire so you do not have to disconnect your spark plug. Once you use a inductive light, you will never want to go back to the direct connect to the spark plug wire type ever. For 12V inductive timing lights, you can temporarily borrow a 12V battery (or a small 12V power supply) to power the light and with inductive pickup no need to connect that battery or power supply to the vehicle. Small 12V power supplies in the 3A to 5A range are cheap and easy to find.. Like this.. https://www.amazon.com/Facmogu-Switching-Converter-5-5x2-5mm-5-5x2-1mm/dp/B0711Q5B49?th=1 You can cut off the connector on the power supply and connect it directly to your timing light (observing proper polarity). They do make "self powered inductive timing lights" although rather pricey at $85, found one here.. https://www.amazon.com/ESI-130-Self-Powered-Timing/dp/B00063WM1Q Uses two "D" cells for power source.. I do not know how the quality is or how bright it may be but might be worth a try.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee H Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 If you can find one of these used, they work on 6v, even if they were never marketed that way. Inductive, decent brightness. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 Just now, Lee H said: If you can find one of these used, they work on 6v, even if they were never marketed that way. Inductive, decent brightness. Also sold under the Sears and Penske brands. Works well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee H Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 Didn’t know that! Anyway, it’s been my go-to for 30 years or more. Dropped countless times. I use it a little less since I broke down and got a dial back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 9 hours ago, Dodgeman said: Until I found an old one that worked on a 6 volt system I used a modern one that I connected to a 12 volt battery. I use a lawn tractor battery. Another option is to use a vacuum gauge and set timing to the highest vacuum. You will probably have to back off a hair to prevent detonation. The vacuum gauge method is great. Just be certain to use manifold vacuum. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABear Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 1 hour ago, Larry Schramm said: Also sold under the Sears and Penske brands. Works well. Interesting to know. I have a 1980s Sears brand inductive timing light in the tool box, never had the need to try it on 6V yet.. I suspect other 12V inductive lights might also work on 12V although they do not advertise as such, seen one listed on Amazon which stated 9V to 16V which is a bit of a odd voltage range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ply33 Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 36 minutes ago, ABear said: Interesting to know. I have a 1980s Sears brand inductive timing light in the tool box, never had the need to try it on 6V yet.. I picked up one of those new back in the 80s. I’ve used it on my 6v positive ground car by powering it with a 12v battery. My '33 is supposed to have the timing set statically so a timing light isn’t needed. But the light I got has a variable delay/advance knob on it which allowes me to check if the advance curve on the distributor is working correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcapra Posted August 20 Author Share Posted August 20 I also have a big 12 v timing light that I bought in the 80s from Kragen Auto Parts. I think that store is no more. The brand is Equus. Today, I even found the cables for it. Haven't used it in decades! Can I just hook up the battery cables to my 12v battery charger? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c49er Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 Yes connect it to your charger...if no worky, connect to a real 12v battery. That's how I use my 12v timing light. Simple, fast and easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 14 hours ago, marcapra said: What is a good timing light today for a 6v pos. ground engine? The one I mentioned twice in your other thread LOL. Another good option these days is the battery powered one ABear mentioned, but I don't think that gets you dialback, and the price is probably similar. 14 hours ago, marcapra said: I don't know the correct name of the type of timing light, but it works by disconnecting the no. 1 spark plug cable and connecting this light between them. It produces an eerie red strobe light, but you can't really see anything with it. It's a neon timing light. I have two of them. That's how it was done (if a light was used at all) when your Desoto was new. Yes, they suck. Yes you have to use them in the dark. And they work on anything, even cars with no battery. 3 hours ago, marcapra said: I also have a big 12 v timing light that I bought in the 80s from Kragen Auto Parts. I think that store is no more. The brand is Equus. Today, I even found the cables for it. Haven't used it in decades! Can I just hook up the battery cables to my 12v battery charger? My guess is you would have better luck with a 12v car battery sitting on the ground, but the light will most likely work fine. That's how I used to do it. A battery charger with no battery attached is quite a bit more than 12v, and is extremely dirty electrically. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABear Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 3 hours ago, marcapra said: Can I just hook up the battery cables to my 12v battery charger? No, don't do that. Old school battery chargers output is unfiltered and unregulated DC voltage, would not be good for the electronics inside the timing light. Most new smart chargers do not put out any voltage unless they see at least 9V-10 on the leads but they are filtered and regulated voltage, but for this purpose without a 12V battery they still wouldn't work. The 12V power supply like I listed at Amazon is the best bet, but if your light is the old school direct connect to plug wire, you may need to connect a grounding wire to the power supply Negative for negative systems or positive of the power supply for positive ground systems. You could even pull a vehicle with 12V system close to your 6V vehicle and use jumper cables from 12V vehicle to power the light. Many possibilities.. But if you are playing with a direct connect to the plug wire light, might want to consider upgrading to a induction version sometime, so, so much nicer! The direct connect can be hung on the wall as decoration. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemi Joel Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 They are not cheap, but MSD sells a timing light with an inductive pickup that is powered by internal batteries. I like it because it doesn't care what voltage or polarity the car is, it works well with the MSD digital ignition boxes, and because it only has the 1 wire to mess with. Model 8991 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank DuVal Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 2 hours ago, ABear said: 6 hours ago, marcapra said: Can I just hook up the battery cables to my 12v battery charger? No, don't do that. Old school battery chargers output is unfiltered and unregulated DC voltage, would not be good for the electronics inside the timing light. Right! At least put about a 50 mfd electrolytic capacitor across the battery charger leads, set on lowest amp charge and check to make sure the voltage then is not over 15. Same with wall wart power supplies. It may say 12 volts, but measure to make sure, some are over 16 volts unloaded because they are "cheap"... At least they do not need an extra capacitor. If you save these, one might be great for this application. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcapra Posted August 21 Author Share Posted August 21 Instead of the MSD timing light for $250 how about a motorcycle 12v battery for $25 to power my old Equus timing light? https://www.ebay.com/itm/292031398267?_nkw=12+volt+battery&itmmeta=01J5SPMG4W0TNQY9G8ESM3F1VV&hash=item43fe6d817b:g:TfgAAOSwwnZhbZM~&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKmpFUS6d1hj9rXoiXNfU4WMBc5rj99Ihp3hMznQ1u8ps8VLraeK9KLMsqnt07sXiH4gifLXCs8MEtwIrzqiV27vWGHKIoeZCfx2Qx7DoLlpSRzVLrcapEby%2FwtuBidPypMEXe7SWEK9SDyt1z68kHS11o%2B0HLqAck%2FGzJEzsaElicAlQxZvGZKHe44yOZi4oLgCM6301XULM8snqiC1Q7GJm%2FH0hhxuFtI6mxxK8m5HLPScbvfYdVUZMZoM%2B0L9ujET2gC0x9GJlRDmKa%2F02rz0uapAeJDUmKq2YxGUWY904A%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR8KC0rauZA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-mman Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 30 minutes ago, marcapra said: Instead of the MSD timing light for $250 how about a motorcycle 12v battery for $25 to power my old Equus timing light? Instead of buying a motorcycle battery that you will rarely use (unless you have a motorcycle) how about parking your 12 volt daily driver really close to your 6 volt car and connecting the timing light leads to it? Or connect (long) jumper cables to your 12 volt driver, string them along the floor and connect the timing light leads to the jumper cables? All you need is a source of 12 volts to power the timing light bulb. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcapra Posted August 21 Author Share Posted August 21 Number one I can't park close to the 48. Number two, I have a Kia Optima hybrid. It has a very tricky battery set up in the trunk and I don't want to mess with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c49er Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 All this just to get a timing light to work....time to snooze. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABear Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 7 hours ago, marcapra said: Number one I can't park close to the 48. Number two, I have a Kia Optima hybrid. It has a very tricky battery set up in the trunk and I don't want to mess with it. Ok, you don't have a small lawn tractor, quad, side by side, snow mobile, kids electric ride on vehicles either that has electric start or electric motor? Surely you have something around that has a 6V or 12V battery in it.. Or even another 6V vehicle which you can hook that battery together in series to get 12V? You only need another 6V battery that can be connected in series with the existing battery but just for only the timing light. Kind of old school now days but you can still buy 6V lantern batteries, buy one and hookup in series for just the light to get 12V? Or buy 2 connect them in series to get 12V. Not super expensive at $5-$10 and might be able to find one at Lowes or even in sporting goods sections of stores.. Heck, even 8 AA, "C" or "D" dry cells connected in series will get you 12V and you can cobble up a holder with a few random pieces of wood, some nails/screws to hold them in line or even a plastic tube/pipe.. Time to get creative/resourceful if you really want to make this happen.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank DuVal Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 2 hours ago, ABear said: Ok, you don't have a small lawn tractor, quad, side by side, snow mobile, kids electric ride on vehicles either that has electric start or electric motor? Surely you have something around that has a 6V or 12V battery in it.. Like one of the many battery tools? And two clip leads* (you have to buy them in 10 packs) I know, most today are 18 volts and up.... I would suggest a cigar lighter plug and 25 feet of wire, but lots of vehicles today just have USB (5 volts) receptacles.... I like the adding the extra 6 volt battery! You can use the clip leads mentioned.😉 Even a 7.4 volt lithium ion battery from a quad copter controller or other toy would work. * example: https://www.harborfreight.com/18-inch-low-voltage-multi-colored-test-leads-66717.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12169054043&campaignid=12169054043&utm_content=125548916868&adsetid=125548916868&product=66717&store=322&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIleP6gcCGiAMVvGNHAR0VzxwOEAQYAyABEgKDLvD_BwE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABear Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 Not sure why this is so difficult, making it a lot like this.. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABear Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 OK, see if the attached picture makes sense.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemi Joel Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 There's lots of ways to skin a cat. The collective experience and wisdom of the members here provide a lot of options for the op to consider. That's a good thing I think. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcapra Posted August 21 Author Share Posted August 21 I think I like the two lantern batteries hooked together. Sounds cheap and effective! Thanks, I've learned a lot about batteries here. And maybe I have a 12v outlet in my Kia that I could use! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABear Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 45 minutes ago, marcapra said: I think I like the two lantern batteries hooked together. Sounds cheap and effective! Thanks, I've learned a lot about batteries here. And maybe I have a 12v outlet in my Kia that I could use! Yeah, lantern batteries would be easy and effective, basically you just need a temporary power source and dry cells can provide that many different ways. I would go that route over buying a rechargeable battery like for motorcycles especially if you have no need for that type of battery.. Anything rechargeable you would have to remember periodically to recharge them or they will go bad. Dry cells (non rechargeable 6V lantern batteries fall into this category) are relatively cheap and can have a pretty good shelf life of 5 or a few more yrs more than 5 of sitting around before the need to dispose of them. If you choose an independent power source for the light, and it is a direct connect light (not inductive pickup) you will want to make a ground connection between the light and vehicle.. Failing to do that most likely will result in you getting zapped with high voltage at a bad time with rotating items like fan belts, pulleys and fan blades.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcapra Posted August 22 Author Share Posted August 22 After looking at prices, I think I'm going with a rechargable 12 volt battery. It's cheaper than going with lantern batteries, $25 vs. $30, and I can make a direct connection with the timing light instead of messing around putting the 6v batteries in series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oz Dodge 4 Posted August 22 Share Posted August 22 Have you actually "tried" a 12 volt inductive pickup light on a 6 volt battery? I have one I was given about 15 years ago, (probably about 25 years old now), and it "works" on 6 volts! It's not as bright as it is on 12 volts, but it's a lot brighter than the old mans "neon" light. When I used that, it had to be at night. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcapra Posted August 22 Author Share Posted August 22 Good idea. I'll try it. what scares me about the neon timing light is the light is so short and light is so dim, I'm afraid of putting my fingers in the fan and losing them in a bloody mess. I don't know about you, but i've grown attached to my fingers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcapra Posted August 23 Author Share Posted August 23 I tried it, but my old 40 years old Equus timing light failed to work with the clips on my 6 volt battery. Looks like I'm going to be looking for a used timing light. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank DuVal Posted August 23 Share Posted August 23 6 hours ago, marcapra said: what scares me about the neon timing light is the light is so short and light is so dim, I'm afraid of putting my fingers in the fan and losing them in a bloody mess. I don't know about you, but i've grown attached to my fingers! Yes, spinning things should be given clearance. If all you are doing is setting the timing, you could take the fan belt off (assuming there is just one) and then only the balancer/pulley/whatever is moving and that is what you need to illuminate with the neon light.😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcapra Posted August 23 Author Share Posted August 23 I tried the old Equus timing light with the 6 v battery and it was dead. So I'm ordering a cheap $20 timing light on ebay. I also ordered a cheap Mighty Max 12 volt battery for $17. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted August 25 Share Posted August 25 (edited) I'd be tempted to borrow the battery off an electric drill or other small tool. You would have to rig a way to connect to your timing light but once you make this adapter you can use it forever. And other than that, there would be no cost. Edited August 25 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcapra Posted August 29 Author Share Posted August 29 Today, I got my $20 timing light and hooked it up to my $17 Mighty Max 12 volt battery. So for just $37 I can time my ignition accurately. That Might Max battery small as it is packs quite a punch. When hooking up the timing light clips, the rubber covers slipped a few times giving me a zap. But it worked well, and I was able to time my engine to fire at TDC. I saw that my engine was timed at 2 degs. past TDC, so I took the vacuum advance off, so I could turn the distributor and got it right on TDC. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c49er Posted August 29 Share Posted August 29 With todays fuels you you could advance your timing 2-4 degree's for best pick up and overall performance....as long as the engine does not ping under heavy loads say going up a long steep grade or accelerating hard. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcapra Posted August 29 Author Share Posted August 29 I did notice that when I advanced the timing the engine started to run faster. I'll try that. Thanks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee H Posted August 29 Share Posted August 29 It may not make a difference, but if you are still running positive ground, I believe you should flip the inductive clamp so that the PLUG arrow is actually pointing to the distributor. And that’s good advice from c49er about advancing the timing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFitz Posted August 29 Share Posted August 29 On 8/20/2024 at 4:27 PM, Lee H said: If you can find one of these used, they work on 6v, even if they were never marketed that way. Inductive, decent brightness. That's like what I use but it's a Sears Craftsman I got new back in the early 1970's. It was sold as a 12 volt but works just as bright on 6 volt. I sometimes see them at yard/garage sales. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFitz Posted August 29 Share Posted August 29 As for using a 12 volt-only light, just park your modern car near enough to the antique, open the hood and hook up to its battery. Paul 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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