Reassembling car and drivers side lights don't work.
01-11-2009, 01:15 PM
#16
Three Wheelin'
OK, found a basic one that describes using a self-powered test light. Also a good thing to have:
http://www.mustangmonthly.com/howto/...ort/index.html
Unfortunately, it doesn't bother to tell you how to trace that down any further. With your ohm meter, you can connect one lead to the shorted side of the wire, and then with something sharp (like the probe from the light with the other lead of the ohm meter alligator clipped to it) start going down the wire as you can find it in different places. Your reading should get lower, until you find or pass the short - then it will start getting higher.
This is apparently "old school" now. In searching for a tutorial on this for you, I cam across more tutorials on how to use a short detector, which use an inductor to find the short. Makes perfect sense - it's just a magnetic field, and you can get a good idea of where it's at even through carpet. I've never used one, but it seems like a good idea. I might just pick one up to play with it. Or just make one with an ohm meter.
I know I'm suggesting like 3 or 4 tools here, as well as some alligator clips on lead lines, etc, but that's kind what you need for tracking this stuff down. Once you have it, you have it (as long as you take the battery our of your ohm meter before it dumps acid inside of it after sitting for 3 or 4 years). So I whether its worth it or not depends on if you intend to ever do anything that you need this stuff for or not.
At a minimum, the self powered test light can be considered to be one of the most basic tools to be in any auto box.
http://www.mustangmonthly.com/howto/...ort/index.html
Unfortunately, it doesn't bother to tell you how to trace that down any further. With your ohm meter, you can connect one lead to the shorted side of the wire, and then with something sharp (like the probe from the light with the other lead of the ohm meter alligator clipped to it) start going down the wire as you can find it in different places. Your reading should get lower, until you find or pass the short - then it will start getting higher.
This is apparently "old school" now. In searching for a tutorial on this for you, I cam across more tutorials on how to use a short detector, which use an inductor to find the short. Makes perfect sense - it's just a magnetic field, and you can get a good idea of where it's at even through carpet. I've never used one, but it seems like a good idea. I might just pick one up to play with it. Or just make one with an ohm meter.
I know I'm suggesting like 3 or 4 tools here, as well as some alligator clips on lead lines, etc, but that's kind what you need for tracking this stuff down. Once you have it, you have it (as long as you take the battery our of your ohm meter before it dumps acid inside of it after sitting for 3 or 4 years). So I whether its worth it or not depends on if you intend to ever do anything that you need this stuff for or not.
At a minimum, the self powered test light can be considered to be one of the most basic tools to be in any auto box.
