Anyone familiar with Automotive Multimeters

[jgromada]

I decided I need to get a new meter today when my old one crapped out. (might be an ideal but it is green so maybe not)
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Anyway i started searching on here and found out obviously that Fluke is the hands down favorite. And i have used Fluke at work as well, but might be ope n to a less pricey alternative.

Basically this will be used mostly for Electrician type testing (basic home stuff) but also for auto repair work. Going on Amazon noticed there is an Automotive specific type model.

• So this prompts me to ask " besides basic electrical functions; what specifically does an Automotive Multimeter do in terms of functions?"
  
• Does anyone else besides Fluke make something like this?

 

[Crazyjake8493]

Not sure what about it makes it an automotive specific multimeter. If you’re looking for something to use around the house as well as automotive use, I would suggest a clamp meter with DC current capabilites, preferably with True RMS if you’re using it with AC. I have a Klein CL800 and a cheap Uni-T 210E and both have served me well for all my uses, though Fluke is definitely the best.

 

[txvwnut]

An automotive specific meter will give you rpm measurements and the ability to read dwell.

 

[FigureItOut]

There's one that's pretty popular in my industry, I'll see if I can find out what it is. It's either Extech or Innova I think. I have a Fluke 88V, which is the likely the Fluke you've heard about for automotive use. Really the only real automotive function to it is the tachometer, though all it does is measure frequency and do the the math for you. It's range and sample rate is obviously more capable than lesser meters, but I don't believe it's significantly different from a 87V.

Many Fluke meters come in a kit designated A-KIT appended to the model number. These simply come with automotive oriented leads, and in the case of the 88V, an inductive pickup.

I think you'll gain more valuable info to describe what you want to do with the meter. More knowledgeable members will take into account your current needs, and possible future needs as your capabilities grow, and make some good recommendations. That said, if you've got a budget for it, the Fluke 88V will be the only meter you'll need unless and until you need higher current measuring capabilities, or the ability to see waveforms on a scope.

 

[Mr_B]

auto meter also likely have duty cycle and temp probe.
I wouldn't be too bothered on going autometer route .
the cheap uni-t ut210e is indeed pretty decent for general auto testing and I have one in the truck mobile toolkit .

 

[FigureItOut]

the cheap uni-t ut210e is indeed pretty decent for general auto testing and I have one in the truck mobile toolkit .

That is a nice little meter.

OP, the one I mentioned is INNOVA 3340. It comes with an inductive pickup and temp probe, at $75 it's probably a good bet for you.

 

[californiaHank]

Any decent general purpose dmm is fine for automotive and household use. The Fluke 87V is the 'industry standard', but it's way overkill for most jobs. Look for used Flukes in pawn shops and on eBay. They're really common and often relativley cheap. Older 77s are often a good deal. Flukes seem to go on forever - I've got 30 year old meters that still meet factory specs. As long as the display is still bright, you're probably good to go. Don't worry about buying one that makes 'true RMS' AC voltage measurements, which is a rarely-useful extra cost feature. For anything you're likely to want to measure on a car or in your home, garden variety 'average reading' AC meters are fine.

The big difference between name brand US stuff and the cheap Chinese imports is safety standards. You'll see "CSA" and "UL" approval stamps on the good stuff, which means the design has been tested to relevant saftety standards by an independent lab. It means it probably won't blow your hand off when you stick the test leads somewhere they don't belong, which is nice to know. It's unlikely you'll ever have a failure that extreme, but there's a lot of energy in a car battery or a household electric system, and really bad stuff does happen occasionally.

 

[sreeb]

Another vote for the ut210e. Cheap with a very sensitive DC clamp meter.

 

[CoryDH]

Not really answering your question specifically but more a heads up. Whatever meter you go with, for automotive use, check out the fine tip spring loaded leads from Probemasters. Free US shipping. They are silicone and feel great. I got my set in yesterday and just played around with them really. I say good for automotive because the fine tips would have been perfect diagnosing a manifold absolute pressure issue last week. They will fit into automotive connectors great.

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[Wamsutta]

The smell of a brand new Fluke is worth the wait. I waited for a year before I found a deal on ebay. You can save a $100 if you're patient and willing to wait. In the meantime, I used my free Harbor Freight meter.

 

[6PTsocket]

An automotive specific meter will give you rpm measurements and the ability to read dwell.

Dwell is great if you work on old cars. There hasn't been a car made with a distributor that has mechanical points in a very long time. A tach can be handy but it is nice to have one that will work on small engines, like yard equipment.

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[Mr_B]

^ thats good point, I got one with rpm but won't work with yard equipment and would of been handy at times, dwell pretty much useless unless doing classics with standard distributors .
For price of uni-t ut210e on ebay (under 27bucks) I would be inclined get one then source a used or offer deal on something better for more mains elec use, I have used my ut210e on mains but have better leads and am aware housing quality and circuit protection not up to par with proper pro brands. Works very well though with accurate readings, good features and pleasure use on basic auto work . The inductive clamp and ncv in compact package alone make it worth having in a toolkit .
Mine in truck and used on quick road/home auto repair jobs and test stuff at parts yard etc, used it in shop fair bit to learn it and because nice easy quick small meter for all the daily basics .

Only things could be better is continuity test uses the red led on meter unit as well as buzzer.
Also backlight times out after 15 seconds which a serious ballache, would of been smart if meter when started in no time power off mode also made backlight stay on with user only control for turning light back off .
Manual toggle for all ranges rather than just auto would of been nice too but at the 20bucks I paid for mine it amazing little tool that I not scared loose or break in daily shop use and on a mobile job . It also super quick tool for some basic tests and save wear and tear on expensive gear when really over kill if used it .

 

[jgromada]

I still have an old automobile analyzer (that did dwell & tach) from the days of adjustable timing and timing lights (have 2 of those as well). I maintain 5 cars and i think only one of these can you adjust the distributor on (02 VW Cabrio).

Thanks for all the good input everyone. I did check out both the Fluke and the Innova and they both look quite interesting.

 

[mrjaw14]

It's important to get one you can trust. I've taken measurements on vehicles that if I weren't using a Fluke that I have complete confidence in I wouldn't have believed. If you're using it exclusively on vehicles the 88 is good. I chose the Fluke 87V over the Fluke 88 Automotive meter since I was also using it for industrial and household electrical work.