Hello guys-

Although my mechanical knowledge of engines, etc. is pretty good, my experience with the electrical components of our cars is quite limited. Since so many of our gremlins are of the electrical variety, I'm launching a big push to educate myself and put together the right set of tools for testing and repairing electrical parts and systems for my car. Doing some reading, too.

I bet it would be helpful for many of us to hear some recommendations from our electrical gurus (WhiteXKR, can you hear me?) on which tools are essential for the XK8 / R electrical toolbox. Any favorite books or manuals?

I didn't wait for a recommendation on an automotive multimeter...just ordered this one: Fluke 233/A with Remote Wireless Display.

Let the (informed) opinions fly. And thanks.

 

The Fluke 233/a looks like a great start.

 

BFH. $9 at Harbor Freight.

 

I have a Craftsman meter Sears: Online department store featuring appliances, tools, fitness equipment and more a 20 & 30 amp circuit tester 20 Amp Automotive Fuse Circuit Tester & 30 Amp Automotive Fuse Circuit Tester & Extra Long Circuit Tester All of that along with onelines on my page for the cars and I still have no idea what I am doing….

 

Nice choice with the Fluke. Mine has been at my side for the last 24 years and still going strong (see photo). A good multimeter plus the electrical diagrams from JTIS, and an OBDII reader will cover most bases.

If I were starting an electrical toolbox from scratch, I would consider a multimeter that has a basic oscilloscope feature. This will really let you 'see' the electrical signals. You can tell is data links are active, and the are a number of signals that are pulsed that you would easily be able to check (often their characteristics are described on the the signal description page associated with each wiring diagram page in JTIS).
Alternatively search ebay for 'oscilloscope' for inexpensive used ones or small pocket models.

For repairs a pencil type soldering iron (25 watts or so) is perfect for printed circuit bards and snmall wires. For heavier wires, get a 40-75 watt iron or gun. With the soldering irons, and an assortment of heat shrink tubing, plus an inexpensive heat gun, you can make permanent, reliable wiiring repairs at very low cost.

As I have said before, I have become a huge fan of Posi-products Posi-Lock(R) - The Best Connectors You'll Ever Use! as an alternative to soldering. One really neat trick it to keep a few posi-taps handy. You can use them to temporaily let you connect a multimeter to a wire without breaking the connection without damaging the wire (the tiny pinhole it makes is not damaging and can be filled with a dab of silicone if you are a perfectionist).

 

Head to Automotive Training and Resource Site for lessons. A Toyota instructor put the site together and Toyota has graciously allowed him the use of a lot of their materials. If you follow it through from beginning to end you'll have an excellent understanding. If you try to hit it in bits and pieces you'll drive yourself mad. "A little learning is a dangerous thing." - Alexander Pope

 

Good advice!

 

Another question for the electrical / diagnostic gurus:

When my new Fluke multimeter arrives, the first project is to chase down some P0405 and P0406 faults in the EGR Valve circuit.

The instructions in JTIS lay out the testing procedure, testing various pins on the connectors between the ECM and EGR. The instructions also say that special probes are needed for the multimeter to take readings from the connectors.

They say to use a special "adapter kit," part number 3548-1358-00.

So here's the question: what type of probe can I buy that will be able to take proper readings from the connectors?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

I believe I have that kit, it's an assortment of leads with pin and spade terminals on one end and multimeter connections on the opposite ends. Very nice and handy but not exactly essential. Probably goes by Hickok or Waekon 800M, around $100. Less expensive and probably easier to locate would be to search for "test leads" +"bed of nails" or "test leads" +"back probe". 'Bed of nails' is an alligator clip that includes a round bed of spines in its jaws that pierce a wire's insulation and provides a connection that will 'heal' when removed. At least that's the theory, as wiring ages the insulation has hardened and is not quite as permeable and pliable - kind of like people... ;-) Back probes are slender, sharp pins that one can alongside a wire into the back of a connector and make a connection. A cheap way out is to stop at a notions store (sewing/fabric) or dept. (even WalMart has notions depts.) and pick up some 'T'-headed mattress pins for a buck or two and use them as backprobes. The whole idea is to make a connection without piercing insulation or compromising connectors by spreading their little legs too far.

 

Hmmm... had to edit that a couple times and still can't insert paragraph breaks.