google: craftsman diagnostic analyzer #161.2104500 manual

 

I have an old analyzer model # 161.2104500 but i dont have the manual for it. Does anyone have one or know where to get one?

I really hate to be so blunt but don't spend any money on that thing! It is nothing more than a cheap analog multimeter and there are much better testers to be had for just a few dollars. If you open up the case you will find it is just a big box full of almost nothing, just that cheap analog multimeter stuck to the front of the otherwise empty box with a few wires going to the various switches. These things were sold in the early 80's under various names but unfortunately they are just a gimmick, a fancy box to make it look high tech so they could sell a $5 multimeter for almost a hundred bucks! You can go to Wal-Mart and buy an analog multimeter that will take up a heck of a lot less room in your tool box, open up the case and take a look and you will see what I am talking about.

 

I figured it is probably a piece of crap and just this side of useless. I was just curious what it was actually supposed to be good for and whether it even worked. I can't even remember where it came from. It has been sitting around on a shelf for probably at least 20 years.

 

I have one, the manual is pretty useless and I lost it years ago. The only thing you might need the manual for is for doing load testing with the shunt adapter which i have never used. I have only used it for setting point dwell since the large sweep face makes it easy to dial it in perfect. Of course no use for that function anymore with Electronic ignition the norm.

I will say the meter being large is handy but the case is largely empty as mentioned, lots of storage room for cables and accessories in the back storage cage though.

Its a collectors item if you ask me, my Fluke 88 is far more useful.

 

Believe it or not I think those things were even sold by MAC tools back in the 80's, I may be wrong about MAC but it was one of the big tool names. If you open the case the multimeter even has a brand name on it, Sunpro I think (it is Sun-something or other) but it has been a long time since I have seen one. It is just an average size multimeter hooked to that big outside face and needle and it came with several handy accessories for automotive electrical testing. If it still works and you have all the extras it certainly can be used it is just that the same things can be done with a much more compact meter.

 

I have a similar model and it is very useful if used properly. An analog meter can actually be a better tool than a digital as it gives you a visual relationship of two or more readings rather than just numbers. If that meter is the same as mine you can do alternator amperage output diagnostics up to 100 amps, you will not be doing that with your hand held meter anytime soon.
My model number is slightly different. If you want I will try to get the manual copied and sent to you

 

T, the shunt that is one of the accessories allows that high AMP check not the meter itself. Honestly it is just an analog multimeter and nothing more any tricks it can do is a function of the accessories that come with it, if those are missing then the thing is just a multimeter housed in a big empty metal box. Did you ever look inside the case?


Those things were only available for a short time because word got around quickly about what they were and in no time at all Sears could not give the things away. They sold for a while for, IRC, at $79.95 but the last ones at our local Sears had gotten down to a "clearance" price of $9.95, I remember joking about them with one of the salesmen at the time. The reason I remember them so well is that one year I was given 3 of the darn things as gifts!

 

T, the shunt that is one of the accessories allows that high AMP check not the meter itself. Honestly it is just an analog multimeter and nothing more any tricks it can do is a function of the accessories that come with it, if those are missing then the thing is just a multimeter housed in a big empty metal box. Did you ever look inside the case?


Those things were only available for a short time because word got around quickly about what they were and in no time at all Sears could not give the things away. They sold for a while for, IRC, at $79.95 but the last ones at our local Sears had gotten down to a "clearance" price of $9.95, I remember joking about them with one of the salesmen at the time. The reason I remember them so well is that one year I was given 3 of the darn things as gifts!

The accessories are what make it valuable. I still use mine for charging system stuff once in a while or finding those phanton draws that kill the battery. The big meter face is real easy to see and if it is sitting on the fender it is real easy to see the needle move from a distance. With my old eyes it is not always easy to read the digital.
Dont get me wrong, I also have a good assortment of VOM meters, both analog and digital, a couple scopes etc.For certain items I still like the analog over the digital.

 

For certain items I still like the analog over the digital.

For sure an analog meter is a valuable item to have, DVOMs have too slow a reaction time for some things. For instance an analog meter could be used to extract codes from the early automotive computer systems by counting the number of hand sweeps, try that with a digital meter. Some sensors need an analog meter to check for a momentary signal voltage but of course checking some sensors with an analog meter could cause damage. The fact is there is a need for both and I keep both in my box but the analog (an older Simpson) is rarely used, still it sometimes comes in very handy.


Also I never intended it to sound like I thought those Craftsman outfits should just be thrown away just that they are really not worth spending much money on to get one operational considering what they are.

 

I maybe late on this but a friend gave me one of these a couple of years ago for fixing his car. I was Googling it and it lead me back to the hotrodders forum which I frequent.

Are you guys saying this tool is inaccurate or just a low tech analog meter?

I have yet to use it but got it out and was going to play around with it. Mainly because I'm trying to set the idle speed on a car and I don't trust my Sunpro tuneup tach. It reads 1200 rpms without even hooked up then I have to shake it to get it to read zero.

Since I have not used the Craftsmans yet, I can't comment on it's usefulness but if it's accurate then that is what matters most isn't it? Nothing like trying to tune a car with an innacurate instrument.

I have never seen an analog meter that reads as high as 600 amps. Which would be handy to test an alternator if the meter reads correctly. Otherwise you would have to take the alternator off and take it to Autozone and have them put it on their machine. Then all their machine will tell you is if it's good or bad. A lot of times I want to actually know how many amps and volts the alternator is producing.

Most meters only measure in milliamps and this one meter I have the maximum it will read is 10 amps. Which is good for checking circuits that are draining the battery.

If anyone needs a copy of the owner's manual, I can scan it.

 

As mentioned in an above post (from several years back, BTW) it's the shunt that carries that high amperage and if that accessory is missing or damaged (it's often damaged) then the meter will not handle any significant AMP checks, with the shunt a cheap Wally World meter could be used. Without that shunt to carry most of the load (almost all of it actually) that meter will instantly smoke it's innards if connected across a heavy load! The fact is that thing is simply a bad joke and was nothing more than a rip-off, it's just a big empty box with a large meter face with a cheap imported multi-meter attached, if it seems to work ok and you have all the accessories to go with it then it can be used but bear in mind you will be using a simple and cheaply constructed multi-meter that is probably over 35 years old. if you are really concerned about accuracy then invest a few dollars in some modern meters, even econo meters/testers will be better than that antiquated analog multi-meter that was nothing more than a gimmick when it was new.


Sorry to be so blunt about that thing but back "in the day" when they were sold they got to be quite a joke and somewhat of an embarrassment for Sears after everyone caught on to what they were buying, I doubt if they have gotten any better over the years.

 

I tested the tach function on this meter the other day using my Subaru as the test mule. Thinking the tach on this car was the most accurate, I compared the two readings. It was spot on! If anything, this meter is good for measuring engine speed. And it uses an inductive clamp that wraps around the plug wire rather than an alligater clip you have to connect to the - side of the coil so I like that. With newer cars (that have coil packs), the negative post on the coil is not always easy to get to unless you rig up a bunch of paperclips, wire or something since a lot of coil packs use a single gang connector.

The cheap Sunpro tuneup tach I had been using is off by about 300 rpms.

As far as testing amperage, you wrap the other inductive clamp included around the battery cable. I don't know if that would blow the meter up or not.

Keep in mind, this meter did not cost me anything. It was a gift for helping fix a friend's car.

 

The cheap Sunpro tuneup tach I had been using is off by about 300 rpms.

I may be wrong but if my memory is correct that it is that very brand, a Sunpro meter linked to the rear of that big face. It's easy enough to remove the back and look at the meter inside and if it's the same as the ones I remember it is just a cheap Sunpro and that's one of the things that caused such a ruckus over them "back then".


I didn't mean to just toss this thing if it still works and I said as much in previous posts, sorry if it sounded that way. The only reason I even said anything about them is it seems that after all these years they keep popping back up from time to time and folks seem to have forgotten the poor reputation they had when they were new. There really was somewhat of a stink raised over them and they became somewhat of an embarrassment for Sears at a time when Sears took a bit more pride in the Craftsman brand name.

 

I have a manual for a Sears 161.2161... model. I can scan it and send it to you, but it will be Monday before I can deliver it to you.

 

Manual

Here's the first five pages. Sorry I couldn't get all the pages in one file

 

Manual

Here are the last three pages. Hope these help.