circuit fault testor or power probe?

[SteveU]

Which of these are more useful in tracking down electrical problems in a car such as lights working intermittenly, etc? Looks like the power probe III might be a good thing to have, what all can you do with them? Will you be able to tell where exactly in a wire a break is with the fault finder? Which models of the above testors would you recommend? Looking at the GTC fault finder & Power probe III & wondering if both are needed or if they pretty much do the same thing and if not what the differences are between the two.

 

[jimmycrackcorn]

Gimmicks...... regular 6v/12v test light and a meter would do (the bulb type, non-led),they can solve many electrical faults, be used as a resistor, and find shorts just as fast as a fault finder.

 

[Fast Orange]

The PPII that I bought a few years ago is just a glorified test light/continuity tester,but if you're doing a lot of troubleshooting and testing,it will save you time-once you get used to it and understand how it and the circuit you're working on function.On older,pre -computer cars,it works great,but on the newer stuff,be very careful how you use it-apply voltage or a hard ground to some terminals,and small problems can get real big,real quick.Think smoking circuit boards.

 

[TENMMIKE]

WHILE I see the point of view of jimmycrackcorn im not sure he has looked at the III,or see the potential, it will be my next tool, i work on a lot of stuff but mostly harleys, and friends cars......right now there is a 79 triumph bonneville in my garage that im fixing for a friend its in very good shape except of course the wiring(******** typical lucas prince of darkness ****) and of course it is a hacked nightmare, of mixed colored wires powering the wrong things etc. jumping from my fluke88 to a power source over and over is to say the least frustrating and time consuming, sure a ohm (continuaty) check can work, but i trust you can envision a place where applied voltage is a better(easier to note result) tool then checking wired resistance which by the way may be shorted with another wire some where down stream.
That devise is born to do what i do alot, and it looks to be great for quick bench checking of things like fans various pumps etc...hell it and a small 12v source at a swapmeet too check unknown if functioning devises out would pay for its self real quick as well, so im gonna get it where i wouldnt get the I or II.
Fast Orange's caution is the best statement made though, in that if your unsure of what your doing , particularly on vehicals from the mid 90 up you can screw up and do a good job of it real quick like,youll then see that insulated wire dont cover copper as is common thought but in fact smoke is the true conductor , cause when you see smoke soon your circuit will fail cause all the smoke is being released

 

[scotte]

i have a mac cordless 12v tester (batt powered just hold the tool in one hand and touch ground w/ your other hand) it has a buzzer and a light and it was like $25 and i also have a mac 6-24v circuit tester that clips on both ground and batt + terminals and lights green when you touch ground and red when you hit power this was like $65..... imo they are both worth their weight in gold esp. the cordless one

 

[SteveU]

I wound up doing what any toolguy does when in doubt...I bought both. The PP111 would have been sweet last summer diagnosing a starter solenoid on my bike instead of having to take it off the bike & bring it to the house, hook it up to an old cb radio power supply then check for continuity. The circuit tester will be used to find various things like why the lights don't work in my Geo, think it's a switch but without testing I don't make a living doing this type work but if something saves me hours of headache and still not being able to fix something it is worth it to me to buy the tool unless it's real expensive, then it's time to take it to the shop & have someone else do it.

 

[Deafautotech]

i have mac tool test light and Fluke DVOM as doing almost all electrical tests and i got it fixed and vehicles are going starting and run good... one Grand caravan was 2007 and it was modified to be wheel access like for people who have wheelchair and will drive when switch to drive seat. it was tow to my dealership because the engine will crank but wont start. i did test the fuel pressure and nothing happen... i did test the wires and had to open almost whole panels off inside of vehicle and found the fuel pump's ground wire was cut off and i had it being soldering and heat shrink on it. it are starting again and i did drive around like 10 or 15 miles. it still run. few weeks later, same van towed in and said still no start (still cranking) . i did looking at electric system and it is good but big problems is the company who did custom wires for wheelchair van was messup and i had to tell my service manager to choice as pay dealership to repair the wires as non-warranty or take it back to company who messup it. the customer had it towed back to business who the customer had them customized the van...

 

[jimmycrackcorn]

Sorry to bring this post back, i was diagnosing a old bronco for a no start and misplaced my test light, so i barrow a friends PPIII and i have to say im impressed with it, never realy used one but i have to say what you can do with it like actuate solenoids on the spot, test relays, tells you the actual voltage being applied, there is potential for this in my box. I even found the the problem quicker, and even started the car at the point where it was not getting the juice. But this tool will not get rid of my test light and meter but it will have it's place.

 

[Fedwrench]

the power probe is a handy tool in addition to the correct wiring diagram and a DVOM. I worked with a guy that loved his powerprobe but, he wouldn't verify which circuit he was applying 12 volts to and ended frying a few things. the powerprobe can be a real timesaver but, it doesn't take the place of a DVOM, and using a wiring diagram can prevent damaging components.

 

[jimmycrackcorn]

I have cooked a computer just probing it with just the probes, testing two separate signals and had the probes touching each other, lesson learned....

 

[jay50]

I like the PP3; use it in my shop a lot. Have to be careful or you can mess up something read easy.
You can get them for $99 on line now.

 

[jimmycrackcorn]

The LED light by the tip that lights up the work is a nice touch will be ordering on soon on tooltopia

 

[keywestjack]

What is the difference between the power probe 3 short tacer and the power probe 3 short finder.