Mine I cant set base timing, and the electronics are wigging the crap out of the timing reading

Basically I cant tell if Im 10 or 50 degrees at idle, and it goes stupid crazy past 3000

I have the sunpro- looks like the far upper right chrome one in Challenger1’s pic. It’s a dialback with a knob and no readout. Seems to work fine with msd 6al but I trust it more for total than initial.

Amen brother, bought one of these POS's from Summit...junk...wasn't bright enough to see the timing marks on either the GTX or Dakota, both were in the shop. Poorly made, cheap (over priced) junk...took it back same day.

I bought a Flaming River light because everyone at the time was saying that was the way to go. Pray for cloudy weather when you need to use it in daytime. I still have an old Craftsman dialback but never bothered to check if they show different readings.

I just bought a like new Ferret model 84 and the instructions are extremely vague, anybody know how this thing works?

Well, looking at a picture looks like use the mode button to set it up for 4 stroke. Use UP and DOWN to adjust the number of degrees from zero. I.E. if you want to set timing at 38*, plug 38 into the back of the light and the timing marks should line up a TDC when the timing is at 38. Set to zero to use as a regular light to set with the marks.

Ok, thanks

The problem with the dial back lights is....... they can read inaccurately....... and you don’t know it.

I’ve had a couple of customers torch pistons as a result.
Verified faulty light operation after the fact by comparing their dial back light vs a non-dial back light.
One of them was off about 17-18deg at high rpms.
Showed 38 deg at 6000rpm....... was really 55deg with a non-dial back light....... hence the burnt pistons.

I have one of the cheap red Actron non-dial back lights Jegs used to sell for $39.
I had a nice old chrome Craftsman non-dial back light I bought in like 1980 that disappeared one day, and the Actron is what I got to replace it.

are the dial back lights ( have an old chrome actron i think) inaccurate if you turn the pot to zero and use it as a regular non dial back light??

The test I did was with the dial back at zero.
That doesn’t remove the dial back electronics from the circuit.

The first time I ran into this was with my old school Snap On dial back light on a motor with a crank trigger.
Revving the motor would just show the timing gradually retard as the rpm went up.
And not like one or two degrees either......... like 10-15.

I knew nothing was physically moving since it was a crank trigger, so it had to be either in the electronics or the light. This was the first time I had ever seen anything that made me suspect the light was reading incorrectly.

I called MSD, they said........ try another light without a dial back.
I said, but I’ve never had an issue with this one....... they said, yeh.... but try another light.
Tried a non-dial back light...... and the timing didn’t move at all.

That led me to trying both lights on several other motors at the dyno, and I never could get it to repeat what it did on the motor with the crank trigger........ but from then on, I knew I couldn’t be “sure” the dial back light was reading correctly....... so I stopped using it on the dyno.

It was a couple years later when I did the test with the light from the guys with the melted pistons.

So the only modern day option is flaming river, so long as it isn’t daylight when you need to use it. There are two Ferret Industries on eBay, are they not the correct units?

I see the Actron non-dial back light CP7527 is still available from several vendors.

Probably not as nice as a Ferret, but it’s another option.

I still use a digital Snap-On unit and I checked it against the Flaming River unit and they were both dead on the same marks.
I used to use an old dial back Snap-On and I always trusted it but it quit and they don't repair them anymore. So I traded up to the Digital push button back around 18 years ago and it still works perfect.
Gus

I have that same Snap On light that I can not use with my MSD ignition. Timing mark is all over the place. Bought the cheapo Flaming River and the problem was gone.

ive been lookin for one as well. I think if I can get the MSD 8991 or 8992 from jegs might be okay.

here's a ferret 86 on ebay but don't know if this is the right one.



https://www.ebay.com/itm/FERRET-86-DIGITAL-TIMING-LIGHT-TACH-ADV-DWELL-VOLTS-TIMING-LIGHT-MADFE-IN-USA/282743245127?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131231084308%26meid%3Dab290307e0e9428d9d4060183ee729e3%26pid%3D100010%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D323389559167%26itm%3D282743245127&_trksid=p2047675.c100010.m2109