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I bought the INNOVA timing light probably 18 months ago because I wanted an accurate reading on a new rebuild. Well the aligator clips were very difficult to attach to the side battery terminals but finlally managed to get it done. By the way the included instructions were a joke. Then I found out the lead on the gun was way too short, so now I have a nice state of the art dust collector.
I don't think you need to attach the leads all the way back behind the seat to the battery. Granted, the instructions might say BATTERY, but they are assuming that most cars have the battery in the engine compartment. All you need to do is find a positive wire under the hood somewhere and a good ground, like anywhere on the engine. I have that light and it worked fine. Just my experience.
I agree with the above for attaching it to the alternator. Much easier and closer than the battery.
I attach the red clip to the positive stud (the red one in the picture, yours will probably have a boot over it) and the black one to the negative connection which is the threaded hole on the right side. You could also put the negative clip on the adjuster bolt on top of the alternator itself.
Last edited by Piersonpie; Jul 14, 2025 at 08:53 AM.
If your idle is rough enough, the positive alligator clip can fall off the alternator or can cause a short against the alternator case. Hate when that happens. Also, the plastic melts off the clamp handles when it hits the hot header tube. Your results may vary. I have never tried the Innova because my Craftsman light given to me by my Dad still gets it done. It just needs a different way to get the 12V.
There are battery powered timing lights that will actually work better with multi-spark ignitions. The light is not quite as bright, but it gets the job done without extra aligator clips to the car. Just another way to go.
Last edited by stingr69; Jul 13, 2025 at 10:35 AM.
Are you the source of the 1 star reviews on Amazon? Pull power from the back of the alternator.
Many cars have the battery in the engine compartment. BMWs, and others that have batteries under the back seat, have a "jump" point under the hood. No such luck in our cars, but the alternator plugs will work.
My timing light has been working flawlessly for 8 years. I just used it a few days ago to dial-in a new distributor.
Or you can extend the leads to reach the battery and use different clips like a friend of.mine did, which I thought was stupid. I use the alternator stud.
My innova is great.
I've had that timing light for a couple of years now. Best timing light I've ever owned. Timing and RPM all in one place. Awesome piece of equipment. Like it so much that when I needed a new OBD2 scanner I bought the Innova 7111.
I connected to the alternator. Last time I shorted the positive clip to the alternator body. No more timing light. Can a timming light be connected to a fully charged spare battery sitting next to thr car or does the power source need to come from the running engine. May be a dumb question looking for an intelligent answer. Relavant to OP"s problem.
I connected to the alternator. Last time I shorted the positive clip to the alternator body. No more timing light. Can a timming light be connected to a fully charged spare battery sitting next to thr car or does the power source need to come from the running engine. May be a dumb question looking for an intelligent answer. Relavant to OP"s problem.
Power does not need to come from the running engine.
Pat
I connected to the alternator. Last time I shorted the positive clip to the alternator body. No more timing light. Can a timming light be connected to a fully charged spare battery sitting next to thr car or does the power source need to come from the running engine. May be a dumb question looking for an intelligent answer. Relavant to OP"s problem.
The power can come from an independent battery. Best practice may be to connect the negative terminal of the battery to the chassis of the car, at least for an accurate dwell reading (no issue for HEI).
Here's a dumb question back at you: How did shorting the clip to the alternator body wreck your timing light? At best, I would imagine it would damage that clip lead.
The power can come from an independent battery. Best practice may be to connect the negative terminal of the battery to the chassis of the car, at least for an accurate dwell reading (no issue for HEI).
Here's a dumb question back at you: How did shorting the clip to the alternator body wreck your timing light? At best, I would imagine it would damage that clip lead.
It sparked and I no longer get a strobe light hitting the timming mark.
I use the stud on the back of the alternator and ground on the steering box.
INNOVA 5568 Timing LIght
