I used to think the old school timing light was fine, but a scope changed my mind

I had this 2005 Civic with a weird misfire that wouldn't show a code. Spent like two hours with my basic inductive timing light, checking and rechecking, and everything looked okay. My buddy loaned me his four channel scope for a day, and we hooked it up. Seeing the actual secondary ignition pattern showed a weak spark on cylinder 3 that the light just couldn't catch. Fixed it in twenty minutes after that. I mean, the light is still good for basic static timing, but for real diagnosis, the scope is just on another level. Anyone else made the jump to a scope and been surprised by what you find?

3 comments

3 Comments

reeseperez15d ago

Scopes show you the ghosts in the machine.

wadem8910d ago

Ever have one of those days where you just know something is wrong but your tools are telling you it's fine? I've been there, chasing my tail on an old truck with a light that showed perfect timing. Borrowed a scope and saw the injector pulse was all over the place. It felt like going from a blurry picture to a clear one. That moment when you finally see the real problem makes all the frustration worth it.

hannahm3915d ago

But is a scope really needed for most jobs? Seems like a lot of money for a ghost hunt.