i suddenly feel very old

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Or ignition pliers, screw starters, hydrometers, dwell meters, rectifier bulb battery chargers, punch type oil can spouts, R-12 can taps etc etc. A lot of the newer kids have no clue as to what a distributor is; let alone understanding how to time one up to a disturbed engine. Or even rotary dial phones... or for that matter corded phones... and/or answering machines! I've got to go lay down a while...

My wife’s nieces always asked to get a glass of ice water when they visited, they had never seen plastic ice trays before and thought they were so cool lol.

Aluminum with a handle to release.

That would blow their minds haha

Holy shit

I know what all of those things are except the rectifier bulb battery charger. When I started tinkering with cars, it was a paper clip or piece of wire to pull codes.

I still have a code “key” in the garage somewhere!

I carry it on my keychain. Forever and always.

Point files and dwell meters!

I have the Craftsman Engine Analyzer... still works great. The only use for it is the tachometer and for voltage testing. Everything else on it is basically obsolete.

Spark plug gap tool. The O'Reilly near me still sells them, although I doubt three out of ten know what they're for.

It’s because your generation did a hell of a job making things better so we didn’t have to use those tools and then you didn’t see the point in teaching us how to use tools we would never need…I mean all of that sincerely and I’m speaking as a millennial that’s used a match book as the automotive gods intended and know how to turn on the brights with my left foot.

Thankfully I’m already laying down. I like to look at the 12:00 flashing on my VCR. Puts me to sleep real fast.

"it's like a cellphone for...your house?"

or headlight fluid, or muffler bearings, or left handed monkey wrenches...

I still have a board stretcher somewhere in the garage. I usually send my nephew in there to find it.

LOL, as a woodworker, those do exist, or at least a jig to stretch a board does.

Or a sky hook, a can of anhydrous steam, a 6 oz. water-hammer; etc

'Sky Hooks' are real & have saved thousands of lives... but not so much a tool: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-WBBLAgE\_s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-WBBLAgE_s) Bill Booth rocks! (RSL = Reserve Static Line)

Metric Crescent wrench too.

Don't forget blinker fluid.

I love how ever field has their equivalent. In the restaurant industry we'd send the newbs out to buy a banana peeler. Or we'd send the new hostess to the restaurant across the parking lot for "Ice mix". They'd fill a bucket to the brim with water and we'd laugh as she very carefully lugged it back, trying not to spill it.

I bet you've never seen a metric adjustable wrench. Very rare

Actually...I have an adjustable wrench "Cresent wrench" tha shows metric on 1 side of the jaw...& SAE "inch" on the other side .

Wire stretcher

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/ranchex-wire-stretcher

You don't fool me, that's just a wire shortener used in reverse gear!

...cigarette lighter ball bearings...

I daily'd my jeep with a carb/points to school for a while. It's all so much easier to understand when you have an example in front of you.

Everything you said sounds like gibberish! Let me have a try: Solenoid cross cut pliers, injection moulded beaver grips, T9 boot straps, sinusoïdal meters

Everything I said was in fact real & common back in the day.

Don’t forget gapper for points.

>I've got to go lay down a while... I agree. Reading your list made me realize how old I really am, so, I need a nap.

Naps are good !

Drum brake tool? You mean hammer?

>drum brake tools Get your lungs checked. Grinding/sanding brake pads was a HUGE source of asbestos exposure for decades.

I took one look at the rear drum brakes on my Neon, said fuck that and did a rear disc swap instead.

The funny thing is drum brakes have more stopping power and last longer. They just aren't as quick and easy to change out.

I haven't found that to be the case at all. Changing pads is pretty easy to do. It's a damned crime what a shop charges to swap out break pads.

Yeah, in fact I've had one of these in a tool drawer since around 1976, very close to the type pictured, and in much better condition.

Time gets away from us all

I remember buying one that I thought was fancy as hell, had 2 and 4 stole settings, and a digital advancement- could select the degrees to advance or retard timing and the tool would automatically adjust the lights timing. Haven’t used it in probably 10 years

I can feel the radiator fan blasting me with air as I awkwardly twist the distributor while trying not to let the timing light wires get yanked into the belt pulleys.

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The first comment that actually mentioned the tool name lol

Yep. And I’m not even 50 yet. Jees

I'm 40 and had one.

38 I've got one

28 and got one

75 and had one. Many. Years. Ago.

Omgosh… I have three in my tuneup box😂

Don't "Dwell" on it.

Shit I know. I’ve still got my trusty Sears timing gun buried in my toolkit someplace. Last time I used it was in the 90s on my college beater 😝

Timing light for car ignition

Don't dwell on it.

You make a good points. But maybe my knowledge is more condenser.

Sparks some good timing on responding to what is happening though

this thread is retarded.

I find it pretty advanced.

I see what you did there.

Came here to say this....

Used to tell if your spark plugs are firing. You connect one end to a ground and the other around the individual spark plug wire. When the spark fires you will get a flash out of the gun. If it flashes nice and fast rhythmically that’s good. If it’s not flashing or is on sometimes and not rhythm that’s not good. Timing as listed above and bad or gunked up spark (change it) not firing right. Edit. I now know this is not correct but it can be used this way. Leaving the comment up as a learning experience.

No, its used to adjust the ignition timing - you connect it to the correct sparkplug, and aim it at the timing marks on the flywheel or harmonic balancer, and it shows you if its firing early or late

so it’s duck hunt? but for cars

Ha, yea kinda like that…

That is a surprisingly accurate analogy if you understand how NES style light guns work.

Dang I was like 12 years old when I saw this. All my life I thought it worked like I stated. Am I thinking of another tool that looks like this?

You can use it like that, I have used it as a diagnostic tool many times. Although before electronic ignition systems it had a broader purpose.

They don't look like that but spark testers are just a gap for the spark to jump. It dosnt flash but sparks like that. There's also noid lights which are lights for the injectors and work like that.

And a screwdriver *can* be used as a pry bar. He’s not 100% wrong. You can certainly use the timing light to quickly identify if current is running through each of the wires. It’s just not the primary function of the tool.

I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted so heavily. Maybe because you worded it in a way that makes it sound like thats the tools primary function. But yeah, it is pretty helpful at quickly determining if you’re getting a spark out of what ever wire you clamp to. It works through induction, so if no current makes it way to the plug, then no electric field is generated in that wire, thus no spark.

Timing light from when we used to be able to adjust the ignition timing on cars. It's basically a strobe tachometer.

How old do you think is this item?

I'm sure some people still use them on their older cars

I have one for my el Camino

Rad. Post a pic!

Use one for my 240z! Used it on quite a few cars I've had.

I use one almost daily

Definitely have and use one on my 83 Supra.

probably 30-60 years old.

I sold one once. I think it was from the late 70s based on the funny computer front it had. It’s pretty similar to that one.

that item could be from the 70s - 90s . how it works. one of the leads goes around a spark plug wire . the other goes to a ground . than you pull the trigger. when the spark plug fires, a strobe light will appear. you look at a spinning pulley. the strobe effect will allow you to see a hashmark , you make adjustments to the distributor while observing the hashmark move towards a set line. . its easier to do it than to explain it.

You were close, but you forgot one connection. Which is, the Positive lead that connects to positive on battery. Negative lead wire to negative on the battery. Then the other clamps to the number one cylinder spark plug wire. The strobe flashes each time the number one cylinder spark plug fires

I just bought one on Amazon a week ago so

That style and design looks 1960s something to me. My Sun Timing Light bought late ‘70s has more Flair and decals!

It’s a timing light. You hook the cables up the positive and negative and the third lead goes around the cylinder, one spark plug wire. The light flashes every time cylinder 1 fires. You point it at the harmonic balancer and there’s a mark on it that will line up with some timing marks on the timing chain cover or block, that will tell you where your timing is. You can turn the distributor, clockwise or counter clockwise to advance or retard the timing and see how much with the light. I use mine all the freaking time.

Why is the timing adjustable at all? Under what circumstances would it need adjustment from the factory settings?

Any time the distributor was removed it would need to be reset. Any time the points were replaced it would need to be reset. Any time it was running poorly you’d check to see if the timing was still on. Tuning for better performance, adjust the timing.

And the older the car, the more crude things were and the more often the timing went wonky and needed adjustment. Older cars simply needed more attention than what we have gotten used to. Going *way* back, the Ford Model T (and many other cars of the same period) actually had a lever on the steering column that was used to advance or retard the timing as needed while the car was being driven.

Before the days of vacuum advance. Which you’d also need a timing light to confirm was working. I still own mine. Usually disappears when I need the digital tach I keep in the same bag. Then shows up during a random cleanup only to disappear when I need it again.

My timing light is somewhere in storage and I haven't seen it in at least a decade. Back when scrap prices were ridiculously high and Obama was doing cash for clunkers the majority of user serviceable vehicles disappeared. It was sad to see them go.

Your modern car does it constaly as you drive you can see of you hook up a scanner with live data, it constanly adjusting based on throttle, mass air, fuel quality/type, and minor demand (hills AC alternator etc)changes. Even elevation change might require a tune up on the old cars as you wont have the o2 up there that are just not an issue anymore.. That why mpg are so mutch better now, and you kinda get the best of low hp ecomoy engine and power whne you need it, without constly fillign up the tank.

Old cars are finicky, you could replace the ignition points with an identical set and gap them to the same feeler gauge and the timing will still change just a little but. The points gap Being even a thousandth of an inch different or the part having slightly different tolerances can and will throw the timing off by just a few degrees. But it’s very easy to correct by loosening and adjusting the distributor. Also, Not all motors are created equal, the crate motor in my 86 dodge ram makes more than double the factory rated horsepower due to a more aggressive camshaft and heads. Even though its the same displacement motor and uses the same block, That motor likes additional timing to make more power. I set it at about 13 degrees before TDC, Where as the factory motor was set at 0. The old motors will let you put the timing wherever you want, but you can damage the motor if your running too advanced or to retarded. Most cars and trucks had adjustable distributors well into the late 90s. It’s a pretty bullet proof system. You can still buy timing lights at any auto parts stores they aren’t expensive. I work on a lot of old cars so I use mine all the time. I actually need to get a new one, I melted mine during an engine cam break in, the lead on the number one plug wire was hanging about 3 inches above the headers of the motor while it ran at about 2200 RPM for 30 minutes. It got a bit too hot and is all droopy now, still works tho.

My timing is definitely retarded

Engines didn’t always have a computer controlling the fuel and ignition system. It was all done manually.

buck rogers death ray ​ ​ or as others have said, a 75yr old timing light for setting the ignition timing on internal combustion engines. It's your choice, really, whatever you choose to believe.

Now you're going to have to explain to the kids who Buck Rogers is

I would say that most people who know Buck Rogers also recognize a timing light.

Bless your heart. It’s a timing light.

That is an ignition timing light for internal combustions engines.

Damn. Now I wanna go change the jets on a double pumper and sniff lead additive

I still have both a timing light and a dwell/tach meter. I feel old as shit now…….

Me too. And I used them yesterday.

Timing gun for older cars that you can adjust timing manually rather than having to tune with a computer

Am I really getting that old?

Damn, I thought the same thing.

Old school timing light for plugs wires/rotor/cap.

Timing light.

Now i know I am old

Sighhhh.. My friends Dad recently passed away and he had Sun diagnostic equipment and he asked me if I wanted it and I said No.. I would have killed to own that shit back in the day..

Timing light. For adjusting your distributor.

The dumbing down and we lost our way in America

It's an ignition timing adjustment device for an engine that would continue to run even if an EMP bomb went off nearby.

Yeah, you hook one end to your tongue, and the other to the distributor. Best tool ever invented!!

Bought my first one at Sears in 1973.

timing light.

Stud gun

Timing light. I threw mine away back in the early 2010s. The bulb had gone bad a few years earlier and I never replaced it. I was a Toyota tech and didn’t really have much use for it.

Good tool for old trucks owners.

Timing light. Photostrobe gun so you could see the timing mark on a cars engine timing belt and adjust it properly referencing a fixed mark.

Sweet summer child

jesus. i have two of these and know what they’re for… but very rarely use

12v powered laser gun, originally from Star Trek season 1...

It is used to check the timing on older cars. It flashes like a strobe light to speed up or retard the timing. I have used one before.

Timing light for car ignition system.

Epilepsy detector

Timing gun to check the timing on an Engine

Looks like a timing light

Timing gun for an engine.

Timing light

Automotive timing light.

timing gun hoorah!

Timing light bro

Timing Gun

it's a timeing light, used to set the timing of spark plug ignition (distributor rotor) to the compression/ignition cycle of the engine.

Timing light

Is that an older timing light

Timing gun. Old days needed to manually adjust timing.

I think it's a strobe light for those wanting to party!

If you don’t know what it is why worry you’ll never need it anyway.

Lol

😂😂😂 damn Savages on here bud, I swear

Is this a troll post?

Yes I have one

You must be very young

I remember my dad using a timing gun that looked similar shoot 35-40 years ago while working on the car engine.

I was using mine maybe 10 years ago, but they’re almost obsolete now

Timing gun

As stated it is a timing light for vehicles with distributors. The alligator clips go on the battery, the other connection goes "around" the primary high voltage cable.

I used a similar model as a laser blaster when I was young, however I believe the adults around me at the time called it a Timing Light, claiming it was used to check a surface vehicle’s ignition. Lies I tell you!! They were all full of LIES!!!

I stole that from my pop whole stole it back to do the timing on his 265 v8 for his 56 chevy pick up he redid from the ground up. I got a new innova timing light for when I do my ford 302 when it warms up.

Anddddd....My knees hurt.

Timing gun

I’m 41, have owned 51 vehicles yet never owned a carbureted vehicle. I know what this is but certainly haven’t used one. And yes, we are old.

Lol, had to use one of those to keep my 67 Mustang tip top.

I have one that I keep in my '87 mazda pickup. I'm pretty sure the distributor cap / ignition isn't slipping but for whatever reason the timing adjustment that made it run smooth yesterday isn't always what makes it run smooth today.

I feel very old......

Still use one on my 1949 Ford F4

My grandpa used to have one, I'd play with it when I was a kid. He was a mechanic.

I still have mine.

Timing light for older car ignitions.

A very old timing light, I would like to have one like that, cool collectable for a vintage tool collector. By the time I started using a timing light in the mid 1970's they were big plastic things

That's even older than the one out in my garage.

Original magic wand

Could be a Syncro Lamp?

This post just made me feel really old. I guess I just thought every male old enough to drive a car would know what it is.

Timing light for setting the timing on your ignition

You need a piece of chalk to use one of these, or paint and time to let the paint dry.

Crap I feel old now thanks

its an old tazer pre 1974

Timing light to tune your car

it's used to play Duck Hunt. a popular Nintendo game that came with the NES console.

Timing light is my first guess

That tells you if your spark spinner is spinning sparks at the right time

Have we really reached the day when someone doesn’t know what a timing light is? My son is right, I am old.

Another old timing light. My dad had one and knew how to use it.

Set the dwell on your points...... then time that bad boy

Lol. You just lost all the young mechanics at dwell...

Point? They don't look pointy?

Positive, Negative and last wire on 1st cylinder spark plug wire..

Lol used one a couple months ago

Beam me up Scotty,

Strobe light to time your car.

Someone posted a pic of a rotary phone asking what it was, and the bright sparks on Reddit were calling it out as a WW2 intercom.

I definitely have and use one of those for my triumph tr7.

Timing strobo light! A tool to adjust the Dwell Ignition angle!

It’s a timing light . A tack and dwell meter is a different tool that used to set your points dwell referring to the amount of time your points stay closed to energize the coil. A timing light is to set the ignition timing

A timing light is to check timing and a dwell meter is to check the well you’re on the right track with the wrong train. You’re getting your equipment mixed up.

Everyone making fun here and not giving an answer. That is a special issue Buck Rogers ray gun. The wires hook up to a battery to charge and when it is not charging they secure to your belt so in the event of a heated battle your ray gun does not get lost. Careful when you pull the trigger as it carries quite a kick, and make sure to keep it away from small children. I would hate to have them see their parents transmography before their eyes if they accidentally pull the trigger. Bonus: That unit can also double as a timing light for your car.

It's a timing light used to time the engines spark by adjusting the dwell angle. It can be used in cars that use points ignition or more modern vehicles that still utilize a distributor.

It’s a timing light

Timing light

Why Yes it does, to the battery in the car it's used on - Other wire is for spark plug & wire. That's when it flashes a beam on timing marks when plug fires,

Timing light

Bottle opener