Engine Analyzer

[v8ford70 98]

 

Interested to know if anyone uses an engine analyzer, & if so what type is worth while to start with. Any info will be much appreciated. I am only slightly mechanically minded but willing to learn. There are so many on ebay to pick from. Are the ones that also have the attachment that clips around the spark plug leads any better? Is Sears a good brand (made in US ).Has anyone used a SEARS 28 21423 Engine Analyzer .

Cheers Phil

[Brian Conway 264]

Phil I think your best bet is to get a set of, in your case, 1970 Shop Manuals.  They contain trouble shooting tips and the methods used to repair your car.  Much better than any electronic whiz banger.  Brian

[Mach1 Driver 560]

Hi Phil, at first I wondered why you would want a code reader for a car that didn't have a computer and couldn't spit out codes. That's a cool old analyzer. The thing you have to remember about electronics is that it doesn't last forever. If it has any electrolytic capacitors in it, they will have dried up by now and if it works it won't be accurate.

If you're worried about checking the electrical system, most of it can be done with a little hand held VOM- volt/ohm/ammeter. The things I've used the most in the nearly 50 years I've owned the car are (in no specific order): VOM, compression gauge, vacuum gauge, timing light, remote starter, and a tach/dwell meter. The dwell meter is really more useful on a Chevy where you can lift up that little door on the side of the cap and dial in the dwell instead on a Ford where  you have to set it with a feeler gauge and then be disappointed when you check it with the dwell meter ;) These are really very simple machines made complex by the number of parts. Have fun with it.

[GypsyR 32]

I agree with posters above. I'd skip it and invest in the same tools the list. I had ones of those and got rid of it. Also I even gave away my last tach/dwell meter, I never used it to speak of. I use the crap out of a 12 volt test light so much I had to invest in a couple of fairly high end ones. IE, ones that don't fall apart the second time you use them.

[barnett468 418]

On 3/24/2018 at 6:33 PM, v8ford70 said:

Interested to know if anyone uses an engine analyzer, & if so what type is worth while to start with.

Why do you want an engine analyzer?

[v8ford70 98]

I thought one of these might be handy for what it says it can do,but it seems to be that no one uses them.Barnett 468 have you ever used one & if so what for? Cheers Phil

[LoneWolf2U 136]

Yes I have one and use it on the older vec. Will not work on newer models with computer controls.

Have used it for all of the items listed on the box.

 Useful tool for old school working engines even single bore lawn mowers.

[1969_Mach1 333]

A long time ago, when I was still in high school I had one of those Sears engine analyzers.  It was handy for things like setting dwell, reading alternator output voltage, reading engine RPM, and measuring resistance in wiring, etc.  This was before the days of digital volt ohm meters.

These days, get yourself a good DVOM (Digital Volt Ohm Meter) Fluke is a good brand, a good timing light with built in advance, and a small tach-dwell meter if you still have points (if your car still has points type ignition, a dwell meter is good to have).  For timing lights, don't get a digital timing light if you are using something like an MSD ignition system.  The interference from MSD type ignition systems affects some digital timing lights. Lastly, like Brian mentioned, get a set of the reprinted Ford service manuals.

If that Sears tool is inexpensive, you can still get some use from it.  Obviously, the volt and ohm measurements will not be as precise as a DVOM.  But it will read more amperage than a DVOM which might be useful at times.

[barnett468 418]

4 hours ago, v8ford70 said:

I thought one of these might be handy for what it says it can do,but it seems to be that no one uses them.Barnett 468 have you ever used one & if so what for? Cheers Phil

Yes, I used one around 5 times in nearly 50 years when I first started working on cars. It's a decent "All in one." tool too have for a novice, but the tools 1969_Mach1 mentioned are more useful, however, they will cost a lot more. If your engine has a miss or runs poorly and the problem is caused by an electrical issue like spark plug wires or low compression, the Analyzer can help determine which cylinder or cylinders are affected. and then different tests need to be done on the affected cylinders like trying known good spark plug wires and if that doesn't fix item check the plug condition and if those are good do a "dry" and "wet" compression test etc. If the problem is caused by incorrect ignition timing or the carburetor, the analyzer won't help much other than telling you what the dwell is of your points if you have points.

 

 

[v8ford70 98]

Thanks everyone so far for your input (you can PM me if you prefer), I haven't the experience that you all have that's why it's great to get your views & opinions.My engine (302 Windsor) is stock with points etc. & hope to keep it that way for now.I'm just an OLD non mechanical novice willing to learn. This site has great info & I'm learning a lot from your inputs in the Technical Forum.Much appreciated.Cheers Phil