# Anyone need a dwell meter? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [February 2, 2021, 3:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694 "2021-02-02T03:12:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 3:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694/1 "2021-02-02T03:13:00Z")
I have a lot of old stuff in the basement I want to list in ebay. I was surprised at the prices for old dwell meters. The sold auctions are about $30 and up. Thought it would be garbage. ---
**Author:** ![old\_mopar\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/6bbea6/32.png) [@old\_mopar\_guy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/old_mopar_guy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 5:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694/2 "2021-02-02T05:05:28Z")
When I found no takers for mine, I donated it and a bunch of other tools and equipment to one of the old car clubs in a member of. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 7:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694/3 "2021-02-02T07:20:29Z")
I don’t know what to do with old crap, ancient cast iron wrenches, bud says get a dumpster, but that is a shame. I dont mind donating, found a guy who did ww2 reenactment and museum and road show, gave him maybe 1k of stuff to use from my dad in the 99th ---
**Author:** ![PvtPublic](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/pvtpublic/32/13089_2.png) [@PvtPublic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PvtPublic)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 10:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694/4 "2021-02-02T10:20:49Z")
I still have one on these some where. Can’t find it so I snatched this pic off the web. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/5/9/5919aae67ccd174e162e60492d17ce2f5e32a181.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 1:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694/5 "2021-02-02T13:21:43Z")
I still have… two dwell meters, I think. Ebay is a good place to rid yourself of stuff. List itas free shipping with the postal rate being the reserve price. If it bids below reserve, at least it won’t cost you money. ---
**Author:** ![Beancounter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/59ef9b/32.png) [@Beancounter](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Beancounter)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 1:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694/6 "2021-02-02T13:56:23Z")
Now that is one “spiffy” dwell/tach. from when Craftsman meant quality and sold state meant rugged “transistors”. This probably cost at least $100 back when a new car could be had for $2,000. (For the kids out there, a transistor was something about the size of the tip of your pinky, of which thousands are incorporated in a modern IC). Having an old car with a “distributor and points” that need to be reset every couple of thousand miles I still use one, cost about $30, about 1/10th the size and nice big display screen but it’s still nice to see an old one. If only to remind me how much things have improved since the “good old days” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 2:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694/7 "2021-02-02T14:32:31Z")
Somewhere in my home shop I have one of these > **[MAC TOOLS ET 985 CYLINDER BALANCE ANALYZER (MB1021454) | eBay](https://www.ebay.com/itm/183948964323)** > > UNTESTED, AS-IS. INCLUDES CABLES, INSTRUCTION MANUAL, AND CARRYING CASE. HAS NOT BEEN TESTED, SOLD AS-IS AND MAY NOT FUNCTION. If you are not satisfied for any reason, send us the item back and we will send your money back. that dates back to the mid 70s. It was likely obsolete by 1980 and I have no idea why I haven’t tossed it. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 2:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694/8 "2021-02-02T14:40:31Z")
I have that EXACT one in my basement. I used it a lot when vehicles had point. Did yours come with the timing light that sits in the back? ---
**Author:** ![PvtPublic](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/pvtpublic/32/13089_2.png) [@PvtPublic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PvtPublic)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 9:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694/9 "2021-02-02T21:12:10Z")
To be perfectly honest I don’t remember, I put that thing somewhere “safe” back n the 80’s I think. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 10:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694/10 "2021-02-02T22:36:59Z")
My memory says I have the same one, no timing light included. I have a couple of timing lights also, have to look at ebay and see if they are selling. ---
**Author:** ![marcojung50\_172905](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@marcojung50\_172905](https://community.cartalk.com/u/marcojung50_172905)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 10:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694/11 "2021-02-02T22:39:59Z")
where are you from. do you send them to Italy too? ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 10:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694/12 "2021-02-02T22:46:37Z")
I had/have the Target special. About $15 back in 1974 for dwell, timing light, remote starter, and compression tool. Burned the switch and timing light out but still use the compression tester but only on my lawn mower. Taking bids on the dwell meter still in the Styrofoam package, but a little greasy. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2021, 12:18am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694/13 "2021-02-03T00:18:11Z")
Had to find shipping to london, 2lbs $72 I doubt it would be worth the postage. Would like to get back there again but the covid has us leery of travel. ---
**Author:** ![JoeMario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@JoeMario](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoeMario)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2021, 1:15am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694/14 "2021-02-03T01:15:53Z")
I too had that exact model Craftsman Analyzer. I also bought a timing light, but it was not packaged with the analyzer. About 15 years ago I gave both of them away to the teenager next door who was very interested in fixing cars, (and still is). ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2021, 1:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694/15 "2021-02-03T01:34:15Z")
> [@Barkydog](#): > > Would like to get back there again but the covid has us leery of travel. Plus they likely wouldn’t let you in anyway. They are closing the borders due to the new strain. You can’t even drive into Canada. Not that I would want to in the Winter time. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2021, 4:46am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694/16 "2021-02-03T04:46:07Z")
I still have 2 dwell meters; an old Sears and much more expensive MAC that looks similar to the Engine Analyzer that is shown. When the MAC guy came around again and asked me how it was working I just posed one question, How do you get it and the cables back into the case it came in? He said he got that all the time and no one, including the muckety-mucks at MAC HQ could figure it out either. So the meter stayed in the case and the cables hung on a tool box handle. I use a dwell now and then on a couple of old cars I have around with contact point distributors but other than that I haven’t used them since the 80s. Back in the 80s a dwell meter was used to adjust the duty ratio on CIS fuel injection with a frequency valve; or Lambda control. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2021, 7:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694/17 "2021-02-03T07:13:05Z")
Oh I know the pain of not being able to get everything back in place, have a dvm, nice case but cannot get the cables and leads back in, so there I was a couple of weeks ago and one of the tester probes was busted off, carp. ---
**Author:** ![Engineer\_Cliff](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/engineer_cliff/32/16248_2.png) [@Engineer\_Cliff](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Engineer_Cliff)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 12:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694/18 "2021-02-04T00:05:47Z")
“a transistor was something about the size of the tip of your pinky, of which thousands are incorporated in a modern IC” Thousands? Millions? Try Billions on current processors. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 1:40am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694/19 "2021-02-04T01:40:03Z")
Trivial question remember pnp vs npn for transistors? ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 8:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694/20 "2021-02-04T08:09:25Z")
> [@Barkydog](#): > > Trivial question remember pnp vs npn for transistors? Vaguely. I learned about testing them in the Army and tested a few after I got out but it’s been 50 years. I don’t know how you would go about testing a billion of them on a chip though. Maybe a magnifying glass. [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/anyone-need-a-dwell-meter/174694.md?page=2)