[RCHB]

it seems that most of my problems with the deuce is something wrong with electrical. nothing really big, but it takes me a helluva long time to find the source of the problem. it gets to the point where i go over to a buddys house, and the fist thing he does is pull out his Fluke 78 Automotive Multimeter and finds the problem in five minutes.

i do many things with car audio too.

would a multimeter be a good investment. if you guys do suggest it, i dont want to get a cheap taiwanese brand, i would like to have a real quality piece that will last. im looking at this, flukes basic DMM

 

[TomsMR2]

fluke quality meters are neat because they can tell the difference between 20.001 ohms and 20.002 ohms.

buut.

on your car, you're probably looking for a more realistic range.. like 20K-30K omhs. that much precision just isnt necessary at all. $50 will get you a nice auto ranging meter that will do all the diagnostic tests and more for your car.

my cheap radio shack meter is about 10 years old. it still works perfect.. at this time i just cant see a need to buy a very expensive meter when mine does everything i need it to

if you're dead set on a fluke.. hey cool. they're probably the best meters out there, and you can beat them to death and they dont break.

 

[RCHB]

i am pretty much set on fluke because i have heard many good reviews about them. but i am open to any suggestions.

 

[Nik]

I have a $3 harbor freight multimeter and it works just fine for the car and bike. It does everything our flukes at school can do but it isn't as accurate, but that's fine for my purposes.

 

[TomsMR2]

^ yeah, even the cheapest of the cheap multimeters will do exactly what you need.. id rather spend a little more and get an auto ranging one.. but still even that isnt necessary .

 

[toytech]

I like my 2k snapon vantage...

 

[nw_mr2]

I have a basic Craftsman multimeter and I love it. I would have never got that alarm installed last week without it.

 

[RCHB]

ok i broke down and just bought a fluke from sears. its the 81438 model only available at sears for 99 bucks. all their other ones look way too complicated, mine looks simple.

of course i didnt go by looks, this one is going to be a little more simple to use, and has all the functions i will need, and then some.

 

[nw_mr2]

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...00&subcat=Multi-Meters,+Testers+&+Accessories

Thats the one I have

 

[RCHB]

mine

 

[gtmotor]

You can get the Fluke 73 or Fluke 77 for automotive use. They are both cheap. I've seen the 73 go for ~$90 and it's specifically designed for cars.

The Fluke 88V is nice also as it's their top of the line unit for automotive diagnostics... but it costs a bit more than the 73

I have a Fluke 189 at work. It's nice but it's not nearly as much as a $2000 Snap-on one

 

[apun]

I'm an EE by day and use a Fluke in the lab. When I'm pretending to be a mechanic, I use my trusty auto-ranging Radio Shack one

Alex

 

[RCHB]

I'm an EE by day and use a Fluke in the lab. When I'm pretending to be a mechanic, I use my trusty auto-ranging Radio Shack one

Alex

EE?? electrical engineer?
I'm majoring in that, but have complete a lot of prerequisites. either that or mechanical engineering

 

[gtmotor]

EE?? electrical engineer?
I'm majoring in that, but have complete a lot of prerequisites. either that or mechanical engineering

Yep. The double-e folks are weird. :smile:

All the pre-reqs are pretty much the same for any engineering degree. So you have time to decide.

 

[TomsMR2]

It's nice but it's not nearly as much as a $2000 Snap-on one

the vantage is a digital scope its worth the money.

 

[Barry]

Yep. The double-e folks are weird. :smile:

Hey! I resemble that remark :smile:

Fluke meters are pretty nice....one of the best conveniences to have for any DMM used in the automotive world are LONG LEADS.

 

[TomsMR2]

one of the best conveniences to have for any DMM used in the automotive world are LONG LEADS

yeah seriously!

cornwell sells a multimeter test lead spool.. its 12 or 15 feet long, and self retracts back into its spool. ive needed that thing more times than i can count! great for finding wiring shorts in long harnesses!

 

[toytech]

a lowamperage inductive clamp is pretty usefull too, I use mine for testing system draw, fuel pumps lots of things.

 

[onikage187]

heres what i got at one of the wal-marts near my apt but for $10
http://www.cardomain.com/item/SCOTK12V

 

[emopunk96]

I like my 2k snapon vantage...

you bastard...i will buy one soon :thumbup

Thing about the cheap mulitmeters is they dont have high internal resistance and can blow up modules ect.

Say you are testing a running circuit and you run the meter in parallel, thats going to raise the source amps/volts ect in some cases, causing ____ to break. IMO spend the money and get a decent one. I have a snapon DMM and love it.