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What tool am I looking for to help me with wiring?
#363476
07/01/09 10:27 AM
07/01/09 10:27 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,410
Wichita,KS
Blakcharger440
OP
top fuel
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OP
top fuel
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,410
Wichita,KS
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Let me first start out by saying electrical stuff really $%*&# me off and I am in the midst of wiring my car now and want to check some electrical connections.  About 2 years ago a guy I know had this hand held electrical testing meter that when he wanted to check where a wire lead went to he would hook up his tool at one end and with his "probe" at the other end it would detect if it was the same lead by making a loud beeping sound. What function is that on a hand held electrical tester??? I have a little red Harbor Freight cheapie hand held electrical tester and I dont think it has that function. Any tips would be great as I am heading to a Radio Shack right now in hopes of finding what tool I need.
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Re: What tool am I looking for to help me with wiring?
[Re: Blakcharger440]
#363478
07/01/09 10:50 AM
07/01/09 10:50 AM
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 7,759
So Cal
HealthServices
Why would you even post that?
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Why would you even post that?
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 7,759
So Cal
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I have the tool you are talking about and to me it is useless when working on a car. I have used it for home use though and that is what it was designed for. If you can be patient and you can figure anything out, do one circuit at a time. Looking at everything can be overwhelming. Here is a link to your wiring. Blow it up so you can see everything. When you are reading a circuit get out some color markers and trace out the wiring, makes it a lot easier to read. Also when you are ready to look at another circuit print up another one and start again. http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=24
Allen
Here's a novel idea, let's not throw a bunch of parts at the car hoping it will fix the problem and instead spend a little time diagnosing it first.
Life was a little easier when I was just a wrench.
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Re: What tool am I looking for to help me with wiring?
[Re: HealthServices]
#363479
07/01/09 10:58 AM
07/01/09 10:58 AM
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 28,312
Cincinnati, Ohio
Challenger 1
Too Many Posts
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Too Many Posts
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 28,312
Cincinnati, Ohio
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Quote:
I have the tool you are talking about and to me it is useless when working on a car. I have used it for home use though and that is what it was designed for.
If you can be patient and you can figure anything out, do one circuit at a time. Looking at everything can be overwhelming.
Here is a link to your wiring. Blow it up so you can see everything. When you are reading a circuit get out some color markers and trace out the wiring, makes it a lot easier to read. Also when you are ready to look at another circuit print up another one and start again.
http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=24
I guess it's not a DVM or a old style multi meter? DVMs to me are very handy around autos.
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Re: What tool am I looking for to help me with wiring?
[Re: Challenger 1]
#363480
07/01/09 11:13 AM
07/01/09 11:13 AM
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,951
Oregon
hooziewhatsit
master
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master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,951
Oregon
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Quote:
Called a multi meter and you want to use the ohm funtion, it tests continutity. Very handy.
To expand on this, put the meter on ohms (the omega symbol), and touch the two leads together. It should read near Zero ohms. Then, when you touch the ends of two wires together, if they're connected, you'll read near zero ohms. If they aren't connected, you won't read anything.
On my Fluke DMM, I turn the knob to ohms, then I press another button to turn the speaker on. Then when it reads under some threshold (5 ohm maybe?) it beeps at me. Very handy.
Also, I would find a set of automatic wire strippers. Makes stripping wires much easier and faster.
-Dave
If you ever find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.
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Re: What tool am I looking for to help me with wiring?
[Re: hooziewhatsit]
#363481
07/01/09 11:16 AM
07/01/09 11:16 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 104,346
Garden Grove, CA
OzHemi
Penguin-hating Ginger
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Penguin-hating Ginger
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 104,346
Garden Grove, CA
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Quote:
On my Fluke DMM, I turn the knob to ohms, then I press another button to turn the speaker on. Then when it reads under some threshold (5 ohm maybe?) it beeps at me. Very handy
My Fluke does the same thing...real handy when tracing circuits 
Spending money to buy a good multi meter is one of those kind of things that pays for itself over the years I'd say.
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Re: What tool am I looking for to help me with wiring?
[Re: Challenger 1]
#363482
07/01/09 11:17 AM
07/01/09 11:17 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,987
North Dakota
6PakBee
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,987
North Dakota
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Hooked something on one end of the wire? Traced it with another device on the other end of the wire? I think what you are looking for is a signal injector (signal tracer, circuit finder, they're called a number of things). Something like this? Pretty pricey for just one car. http://www.licensedelectrician.com/Store/ID/Tone_Generator.htm
"We live in a time when intelligent people are being silenced so that stupid people won't be offended".
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Re: What tool am I looking for to help me with wiring?
[Re: Blakcharger440]
#363488
07/01/09 11:28 AM
07/01/09 11:28 AM
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 7,759
So Cal
HealthServices
Why would you even post that?
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Why would you even post that?
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 7,759
So Cal
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I'm sure your ohm meter has the basic funtions. What does it look like?  ?  ?
Allen
Here's a novel idea, let's not throw a bunch of parts at the car hoping it will fix the problem and instead spend a little time diagnosing it first.
Life was a little easier when I was just a wrench.
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Re: What tool am I looking for to help me with wiring?
[Re: HealthServices]
#363489
07/01/09 11:43 AM
07/01/09 11:43 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,129
Niles , Ohio
therocks
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
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oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,129
Niles , Ohio
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I have a 700 buck SnapOn meter with all kinds of stuff that interfaces with it.Most times I use my test light.I also have a test light that has a beep when it completes a circuit.Oh and dont hook an ohm meter to a live circuit.If its a cheapie it will be toast.Rocky
Last edited by therocks; 07/01/09 11:44 AM.
Chrysler Firepower
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Re: What tool am I looking for to help me with wiring?
[Re: HealthServices]
#363490
07/01/09 11:43 AM
07/01/09 11:43 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,410
Wichita,KS
Blakcharger440
OP
top fuel
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OP
top fuel
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,410
Wichita,KS
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Quote:
I'm sure your ohm meter has the basic funtions. What does it look like?
?
?
Hey it looks exactly like the top one! I dont see a OHM function on it though 
I dont want to spend $700 on a multimeter either.
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Re: What tool am I looking for to help me with wiring?
[Re: Blakcharger440]
#363491
07/01/09 11:53 AM
07/01/09 11:53 AM
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 7,759
So Cal
HealthServices
Why would you even post that?
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Why would you even post that?
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 7,759
So Cal
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6-9 O'clock positions the symbol omega means resistance.
Allen
Here's a novel idea, let's not throw a bunch of parts at the car hoping it will fix the problem and instead spend a little time diagnosing it first.
Life was a little easier when I was just a wrench.
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Re: What tool am I looking for to help me with wiring?
[Re: Blakcharger440]
#363492
07/01/09 11:54 AM
07/01/09 11:54 AM
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 12,382
Looking for a way out of Middl...
IMGTX
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 12,382
Looking for a way out of Middl...
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Quote:
he would hook up his tool at one end and with his "probe" at the other end it would detect if it was the same lead by making a loud beeping sound.
That would be a tone generator as I call it. I use the mess out of them for installing phone and network wiring. You hook a signal generator to one end and the "Wand" can pick up the signal passing along the wire and it will beep. Very handy when you are working with 10 to 100 cables all the same color and not marked by the idiot who installed them. It allows you to identify individual wires when the beeper goes off. It could work in a car but car wiring is color coded so I use the colors to determine the wires on a car. The key is the wire must be isolated. Hooking the tone generator to the battery cable would cause most of the wiring in the car to beep at you and prove frustrating.
I use a continuity tester all the time in cars. As said above SOME Vom meters have that function. It is very handy. Hook one end to a circuit and check the other end for continuity / no breaks in the wire. It also helps check switches, bulbs, etc.
Tone Generators are good and not too pricey. You can get one in the Phone/network cabling section at Home Depot for about $30.
Continuity function on a VOM Meter is the shizmit. Definitely a useful tool. Price varies with the meter.
I would suggest you get a good test light and make a set of test leads with alligator clips on each end about 20 feet long so you can test/bypass wiring in a car. You would be surprised how much easier it is when you have long leads to test and probe with than those 2 ft frustrating leads all tools give you. For example when checking the bulkhead connector clip an alligator from your long lead to one side of the bulkhead and run the wire to the other side where you hook up a continuity tester to it and the other side of the bulkhead connector.
Also get a GOOD Diagram. Most of the diagrams on the internet show circuits but don't always label colors, stripes and wire guages.
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Re: What tool am I looking for to help me with wiring?
[Re: HealthServices]
#363495
07/01/09 12:10 PM
07/01/09 12:10 PM
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 7,759
So Cal
HealthServices
Why would you even post that?
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Why would you even post that?
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 7,759
So Cal
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unless you know exactly what scale to work with start with the larger scale and work your way down.
Allen
Here's a novel idea, let's not throw a bunch of parts at the car hoping it will fix the problem and instead spend a little time diagnosing it first.
Life was a little easier when I was just a wrench.
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Actually not a bad price considering what I originally bought it for.
