i am a proud new owner of a 86 Z28 with the LG4 motor. the car runs, and is in reasonably good shape. i have been working through the little things (filters/fluids/brakes/alignment), but the engine electrical system was hacked by a previous owner. AC was removed and i have visually identified some electrical sensors unhooked. here is the root of the question.

A. should look to find a engine code reader to help piece the elctrical system back together (with hopes of improving some engine performance)?
B. should i spend my money on a 'good' multi-meter and just wade into the wiring system to find the good/bad and items that are just missing? i will be sorta flying blind without the code reader to help point me in the correct direction...i think...

Money is tight, and my options are A or B, not A and B. i am leaning towards the multi-meter, and again i am trying to get what i need, not what i want...ie. the 200 dollar fluke looks real nice...but is that what i really need...

I am turning to the folks that would know best, so your thoughts&opinions are welcome.

 

on these cars, a code reader can be skipped for a simple paper clip or piece of wire. Free tool there

a decent multimeter is always a good investment when it comes to electrical work. $40-50 is not bad for a DIY'er and have no problem recommending a craftsman or similar.

 

A code reader is not very useful on these cars, especially for tracking down wiring problems. I have a $30 Craftsman digital multimeter thats a few years old and I love it. You will get a LOT more use out of the multimeter than the code reader. Unless you're talking about a GM Tech 1 scan tool, but those are $$$.

 

For what you have to do you really dont require an expensive meter

 

Even the tech tools are no match for a knowledgeable owner. Buy a service manual before you buy a scanner. A paperclip will do you for now

Buy a multimeter, even the $3 units from harbor freight will do you in a pinch. Be sure whatever you use is digital. Analog meters are as useful as a test light

 

I'll take an analog meter over a test light or the harbor freight digital any day! If you have to get a harbor freight meter, at least splurge and get a new name-brand battery for it. I have 2 of those harbor freight meters and while they work great for the wife to check the batteries in the kids' toys and her digital camera I almost threw it against the wall the one time I had to use it to check some wires on my truck. Damn thing has the response time of a snail when checking resistances and continuity. I finally gave up and went to get my good Craftsman one. The second one I bought just for a spare set of leads to hack up and solder some alligator clips to.

I have to agree about the service manual though. Especially if you are doing some serious wiring work. Those Haynes and Chilton's manuals are better than nothing I suppose, but they are nothing compared to a full GM service manual. Its like going from readnig Dr. Suess to reading Michael Crichton. Buying the GM shop manual for my Camaro was the best $50 I've ever spent on any vehicle.

 

I said they'd do in a pinch, not the last meter you'd ever buy

 

I was just letting him know what to expect with them. I never said it wouldn't work, just that it frustrated me. There are some tools that it is best to cough up the extra cash to buy a good one vs. just getting by with a cheapie one and to me a multimeter is one of those tools. I use mine all the time. If he is only using it for this one project then it will probably work out fine. However, if he can wait a week, Sears will put a much better one on sale for $10 every few weeks and with Memorial Day sales coming up, he might be able to get a much better one for only a few bucks more.

 

As a licensed aircraft maintenance tech, I have used both digital and analog meters. Digitals are easier to read, and more accurate, but most of the guys I used to work with at TWA refused to use digital meters.

First, because the FAA regs required the use of a calibrated analog meter for any documented systems tests on an aircraft. (Naturally, this is what I did when required.)

Second, because an analog meter will give you instantaneous readings that a digital meter can't... there is a latency in response on a digital meter that you don't get with analog. Thus if you have a circuit that is designed to flash a light bulb on and off every second, the analog meter will show it with a needle sweep indicating the rise and fall of applied voltage. The digital will just give a "1" displayed as it waits for a steady state in the circuit, which you never get.

That all being said, even a cheap multimeter, when used properly, should satisfy your needs, along with the paper clip for retrieving trouble codes. What is most important after that is having an understanding of basic electrical principles and theory, as they are used on the vehicle.

Another thing that will help is learning the proper way to repair broken wiring and connectors... the best way is to work with someone who has those skills. Rather than twisting wires together and taping them, or even using butt connectors, I prefer to twist, solder, and cover with heat shrink tubing. This results in a repair that is stronger than the original wire and won't corrode.

 

I LOVE the Harbor Freight $3 multimeter! It does everything I need, works well for about 2 years (until the battery dies), and for $3 I trash it and get another one (cheaper than a new battery).

 

thanks for the input. sounds like i need to visit harbor freight...or hold out for the sales at sears tomorrow!

 

Get the Craftsman $60 AC/DC clamp meter... It'll do anything you need it to short of actually fixing the car (which would be what you're supposed to do after you use it to find out what's wrong). AC/DC amperage (to 400A, good for testing amperage draw of certain components short of the starter), temperature, duty cycle, frequency, and of course, volts and resistance. There aren't many DMMs out there that will do all of that for $60. Just don't get the Professional one as that one costs twice as much.

Oh, and do invest in a soldering iron (that Cold Heat thing is a POS and not worth it), 60/40 solder, and heat shrink tubing... Do it right the first time or do it again at the worst possible time...