Date:         Fri, 20 Aug 1999 02:23:21 -0400
Reply-To:     "Joe L." <jliasse@TOAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Joe L." <jliasse@TOAST.NET>
Subject:      Re: Which Voltmeter to use?
Comments: To: jeff_gilbert@PEOPLESOFT.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

     Im no expert but one thing I DO know. If you are gonna mess around with
any vehicle with a computer on it you MUST have a voltmeter with what is
known as a "High Input Impeadence" (10 megs or higher). This is basically
how much of a load the meter itself puts on a circuit when you use it.
     What you do when you use a voltmeter is sort of the same thing you do
when you plug the toaster into the wall socket; you add the meter to
whatever curcuit you are testing and this increases the load on that
circuit. Plug in one too many toasters and you blow the fuse. "Plug in" a
low impeadence voltmeter and you blow the computer! This is why you will see
words like "Approved for use on Computer Controlled cars"  on SOME
voltmeters but not on others.
     Nowadays it is pretty easy and inexpensive to find a suitable one
(usually digital) but you cant just get whatever is cheapest at the Radio
Shack.Sunpro puts out a deceint one ($40??) you can pick up at your local
FLAPS.

----- Original Message -----
From: Jeff Gilbert <jeff_gilbert@PEOPLESOFT.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, August 19, 1999 12:26 PM
Subject: Which Voltmeter to use?


> Hi,
>
> Im new to all this diagnosis stuff and was wondering if someone could shed
> some light on what would be a good voltmeter to aid in the diagnosis of a
> never ending, son of a bitch, fuel injection problem.  Bently suggests
> using the VW meter...is this necessary, or will any good quality meter do?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jeff