5 Electrical diagnostic tools I used my Entire career! Under $500

[@Lancemechanics]

Post if you got any tools you wanna add to the list for young apprentices. This is what I have used my entire career and have no needed much else other then the shop supplied scan tool. --the goggles are a joke! You know the old saying in the trade. "sink or swim"

[@aldoclausi3955]

Best tools are the ones you make yourself. I would save and cut up old wire harness to save the pins and make my own manufacture-specific pin out tool to use with my multimeter.

[@Lancemechanics]

threw so much stuff like that when i left honda! kinda regretting it atm lol

[@bernardocisneros4402]

Don't get rid of your test lights. Test lights come in handy. I've had situations where Power Probe says everything is good, but when I load the circuit with a test light, the circuit fails. Everything has it's place. I use the Power Probe for a lot of things but it also has its limitations. The multimeter only gives you a reading. It does not load the circuit. It has very high impedance so it only draws the least amount of current necessary to do the calculations and spit out a voltage reading.

[@mph5896]

I plan on adding a magnifying glass to the tool box. Wiring diagrams seem to be getting smaller. 😆

[@natelysy3114]

I use my eyes more than anything else. Majority of electrical problems I've run into are broken wires where they rub or bend.

[@nicmainville9954]

Online forums helped me so much working on my Saab, anyone that disagrees with utilizing the internet is holding themselves back.

[@Lancemechanics]

100$

[@TheKoushka]

I love my power probe. My boss introduced me to it. I use it every single time I get an issue. It’s simple and fast, but I do use it with my multimeter to verify the complex problems.

[@Lancemechanics]

my all time favorite tool. can't express how important it is to apprentices. when used with cuation :)

[@markm0000]

Thanks for all your advice. Mac has a good deal on a power probe next month and I’m finally getting one. I was told by multiple people how dangerous it was so I never had one and forced myself to diagnose without it. Now that I know what I’m doing I can use it to test components.

[@bernardocisneros4402]

"Mac has a good deal" What is Mac?

[@markm0000]

@@bernardocisneros4402 Mac Tools. It’s a brand of tools for professional mechanics.

[@markm0000]

@@bernardocisneros4402 Mac Tools brand of professional mechanic tools.

[@epicragegaming2016]

first and most important tool is a schematic and the knowledge to understand it. piercing probes are junk because i can put it 10 inches from the connector and my break can be 5 inches from the connector. what did i learn beside nothing? back probe/ unplug and touch the pins. wire some length of wire and some aligator clips to a sealed beam headlight to make an amp tester. if it lights, amperage is good. voltage is only half the story. i know the old school guys love their resistance boxes and volt meters, wish i learned when that was the way.

[@stillillmaticnahmean]

I was going to add that in, that sometimes you're not only looking for 12V, especially on newer cars and trucks, having the schematic, resistance values and knowledge of tree schematics really help, especially when something is tied within a circuit that has nothing at all to do with the problem you are facing.

[@cindyeva7454]

Here,in the states,don’t expect the shop to provide a scan tool…..,they should,anyway, there are a lot of good scanner options that won’t brake the bank,launch and topdon offer some inexpensive ones that provide all module scanning and data,and service functions that you will need. And the most important tools of coarse is education,it’s and ongoing deal that you have to pursue on your own to get good

[@n124lp]

Don't throw away the test lights. They are a quick and powerful tool for testing circuits, especially when used in combination with a voltmeter to measure voltage drops.

[@Lancemechanics]

Power probe replaces them. ;)

[@ghostwrench2292]

I have a funny story on piercing probes: Car came in an ABS light with a code for a wheel speed sensor. The other shop replaced the sensor and didn’t fix it so it came to the dealer. My diag indicated an open in one of the wires between the module and the WSS. As I honed in on the broken wire, I found piercings in the wire insulation nearby. I found it hilarious that someone had pierced the wire that much and was that close to the actual fault and still could not diagnose it! 🤣 Goes to show the tools are no good if you don’t know how to use them.

[@junkyardgenius]

I agree pretty much never really needed an oscilloscope but it definitely can help identifying sensor issues and other wiring problems but as far as piercing goes the only time I've ever really needed to pierce a wire as if it's super deep into an engine bay and I just needed to test it but as long as you go back with some liquid tape it's usually fine but so often do I see people will just Pierce a wire and then just walk away like who gives a s''t

[@Lancemechanics]

yeah its the people piercing and forgetting or walking away that have caused me most of my diag grief in life! :P

[@bernardocisneros4402]

Here in Mexico and in the USA, we don't call them "bed of needles". We call them piercing probes and they're ok to use if you put liquid tape on the pinhole after you're done. I've lived in Chicago where it's hot and humid in summer and cold with lots of salt on the roads in winter and never had a problem using them with liquid tape.

[@heystarfish100]

@@bernardocisneros4402 A bed of needles and a piercing probe are two different types of access. Neither are really good for automotive work. Liquid tape is not fool proof or long lasting in my experience and RTV silicone sealer will corrode copper wiring. Front or back probing is the recommended way.

[@bernardocisneros4402]

@@heystarfish100 Of course front and back probing on connectors is best because you don't puncture a wire's insulation, but there are times when it's ok to use a piercing probe for diagnostic purposes. I've used liquid tape every time I've pierced a wire on my vehicles, friends and family's vehicles and never had a problem in last 30 years. I googled and looked on Amazon to see what a bed of needles is but couldn't find anything. Can you include a link to a picture or explanation of what a bed of needles is? Thanks!

[@heystarfish100]

@@bernardocisneros4402 A bed of nails looks like an alligator clip where one jaw has literally a bed of multiple exposed sharp needle pins and the other a block to pinch the wire between the two. A piercing probe only has one sharp needle. When you use a bed of nails jaw you poke multiple thin holes into the insulator to reach the conductor. A piercing probe pokes a much larger single hole into the insulator which damages it and potentially the multi strand conductor. The bed of nails pokes such fine holes they almost disappear. That is a huge problem for the next technician because the wire looks okay but the damage is internal. These two types of probes are bad practice in diagnostic tests. Copper wiring is quick to corrode with either type of punching holes into the insulator. Oxygen and moisture get into the conductor and create a point of resistance that should not be in the circuit. When I use my LOADpro test leads I can measure voltage, open circuit, short circuit, resistance all with one setting on my DVM, the voltage measurement scale. Measuring voltage drop is the preferred method of electrical resistance testing. You can quickly tell if the conductor circuit all the way back to the battery is open, shorted, has high resistance or is capable of carrying current. Measuring resistance by using the Ohms scale on wiring will get you in trouble if the stranded conductor is partially broken. A voltage drop test will prove without a doubt the circuit will work. On KZbin you can search for “Dan Sullivan” and watch his demonstrations on these DVOM replacement leads called LOADpro. These leads are stupid simple to use and understand what is happening without worry of destroying something with a Power Probe. Visit ESITESTdotCOM to view all of these tools.

[@bernardocisneros4402]

@@heystarfish100 Thanks for taking the time to describe what a bed of nails looks like. I have seen it before but the person making this video called the piercing probe a bed of needles at 4:36, so that's why I commented. Now I know what a bed of nails looks like and that it's called a bed of nails not needles. I also know about voltage drop testing, Dan Sullivan and his loadpro test leads. I actually own a set. You can't trust them all the time. I agree with you on everything except I think that there are situations when you have to probe a wire. I know if moisture gets in there, it will cause corrosion but I'm not going to do it in the rain and I've used liquid tape and clear nail polish with great results on vehicles I still maintain. I did it to a few wires on the ECM connector on my 1997 Toyota Camry and 20 years later no issues. I guess we'll agree on everything and agree to disagree on puncturing wires for testing.

[@tonylam9548]

You have not been in the trade that long by your rough age. In the mid 80s I bought a Fluke 75, at that time most meters top out at 500 volt AC because much of the world the industrial voltage is 480 V but Canada is weird , we have 600V AC , Fluke was one of the few meter that max out at 750V. At that time, fluke did not have as good a reputation as today, they still were ramping up their PR and advertising to build the brand. I also bought and build my own induction pick up timing light, and an engine analyser from Heathkit. The Analyser measure stuff like points dwell, alternator diodes, amps volts and many features.I kept the timing light but sent the analyser to my cousin in England where the smog controls are more primitive.

[@Lancemechanics]

turning wrenches since I was 12, but interesting mention of fluke. AWE has a good video on my fluke is junk right now. that company has been gutted. still got my timing light :) I screw up fixing points, doing timing. setting distributors

[@flippintobyland7257]

Wire piercers should ALWAYS be used with liquid electrical tape to cover and there will be 0 issues. I always coat twice and only pierce when necessary. Piercing without covering the will cause an issue just a matter of time.

[@mr.nobody68]

Well I'm still apprenticing and electrical is a bitch, but I love using a test light. I have 2. One my dad gave me that's older than I am, and I have a snap on with voltage. Super handy to find out if you just have a blown light bulb or a power and ground issue

[@Lancemechanics]

wait till you get a power probe! :P game changer

[@TheKajunkat]

power probe and multimeter solve 99% of my electrical issues. Of course, I live in the deep south so we don't have the corrosion like the salt belt does. I have test lights but rarely use them.

[@clivevreeswijk4555]

I frequently used a scope working at a dealership, nothing was more accurate and faster for testing magnet/coil type sensors. You could measure right at the abs module or ignition module... Many times a circuit would read fine on ohm meter.. Yet on the scope you could see the signal was a mess....

[@Lancemechanics]

Question. I came from private garage and 3 dealers. all scan tools and oem scan tools had build in graphing for abs, . So if your chasing abs issue you've most likely scanned the vehicle already, why wouldn't you use the built in graphing and just spin the tire by hand on the hoist? Before you reply, i'm just curious cause the codes are pretty accurate these days. if it was a circuit issue it would most likely have different codes then a erratic wheel speed code.

[@clivevreeswijk4555]

@@Lancemechanics this was back before codes were so specific, and scan tools only had rudimentary snapshot function. I did exactly what you were saying about the graphing, but using a scope, when you think about it, graphing function is basically a scope function..... I also used a pair of switched headlight bulbs as a stepped load, and a fluke, providing similar functionality to a power probe. Same logic just different tools.

[@Epro95]

I have an off-brand power probe I got off amazon that I swear by. I reach for it before my multimeter if the powerprobe can do the job.

[@mlieser1230]

I have an Innova 3340 multimeter. It gets the job done.

[@bernardocisneros4402]

I've seen 2 and 3 wire retractable leads. In which situation or situations would a 3 wire be better than a 2 wire and vice-versa?

[@Lancemechanics]

@bernardocisneros4402 if you suspect multiple broken wires. Like a power and CAN issue on top of a ground issue to something like a blind spot sensor in a number. Just to have that option sometimes:)

[@bernardocisneros4402]

@@Lancemechanics Thanks for the quick answer.

[@king49334]

power probe is danger if you don't know what you doing. one touch of button fry electronics.

[@jeffcompton6937]

I enjoy your content but with all due respect I've taken a 5 dollar test light and gone in behind techs that thought they could perform diag and found what they missed using a dvom and or a power probe. Not saying they're not great tools I use them. But loaded circuit testing using a test light is more efficient then unplugging a connector and front probing it with a dvom or power probe. If you truly understand electrical diag you know why that's not a complete test. Neither shows you that current can actually flow the way a test light with a bulb can. Otherwise enjoy your message and your channel.

[@Lancemechanics]

What ever works for some doesn't work for others. Gotten through my whole career with out them. Ive seen the opposite more techs fail something cause of those things. If i suspect a voltage drop issue I'm doing a ohm test on the circuit. unplugged. . The voltages I deal with the cost of modules are scary atm. High impedance test lights are the only way to go. A simple bulb one in the wrong circuit can mean 10-50k in damage to a module. So I work side by side with industrial electricians. they handle up to 600volts on our machine. You'll never see them pull out a test light. Its dangerous. Dangerous to the user and the modules