I thought buying a $90 timing light was a waste, then my truck died in the O'Reilly parking lot on 41st

Parker Kelly · 2026-10-07T03:10:03.450843+00:00

I always set my timing by ear and thought a light was for guys who couldn't hear an engine. Last Saturday my 1989 F-150 started backfiring on 41st and I had to coast into the O'Reilly lot. A guy named Daryl came out with his own light and showed me I was 14 degrees off, not the 6 I swore I heard. We set it right in ten minutes and the truck ran smoother than it had in a year. I went back Sunday and bought the same $90 light he had, plus a $12 vacuum gauge. Now I'm wondering what else I've been guessing at under the hood. Has anyone else had a cheap tool prove them wrong right in a parking lot?

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I thought buying a $90 timing light was a waste, then my truck died in the O'Reilly parking lot on 41st | Busted But Not Broken - Rigidtalk