Power Probe III

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daves66valiant

daves66valiant

68 Dart 340/727:66 Signet Vert 340/5spd: 68 D100
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just ordered one based off of rave review on FABO and amazon reviews. Should be a great tool. I will especially find it useful for our sprinter van RV.

Any useful tips?
 
Someone familiar with these should do a how to use write up.
 
Brst advice I have is to get it out and play with it. Its pretty straightforward. The more you use it the easier it becomes.

Don’t wait until your chasing down a problem to learn how to use it.
 
Let us know how you like it.
After reading that thread I'm seriously thinking about buying one as well.
 
fklskv said:
Brst advice I have is to get it out and play with it. Its pretty straightforward. The more you use it the easier it becomes.

Don’t wait until your chasing down a problem to learn how to use it.
Click to expand...

Yeah let's just do it that way then. God forbid we wouldn't want to contribute a great how to to an already great how to section. What kinda sense would that make?
 
I have had a power probe for years. Its the go to for all electrical.
I also have the circuit tracer from power probe. Will find an open/short in no time.
Both recquire a little practice.
The manuals that accompany the product are very useful.

Buy it, watch the videos and use it. No point repeating instructions when there are helpful videos online.
They are pretty tough, i left it on the deck of the hoist, and backed an f150 over it with the right front wheel. Somehow it survived. Not something i usually do.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Yeah let's just do it that way then. God forbid we wouldn't want to contribute a great how to to an already great how to section. What kinda sense would that make?
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If you were here I would show you how to use it. Easy enough but is no way you could post how tos that better then all the videos out there.
 
One thing i know, im not using my power probe to its full potential.
 
Cool. I’ll watch some videos while I’m sitting in the ER with my MIL.
 
Just watched about an hour of videos. Hope the cd that comes with it shows more in-depth capabilities. Overall I’m gonna like this tool from what I watched.
 
fklskv said:
If you were here I would show you how to use it. Easy enough but is no way you could post how tos that better then all the videos out there.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I may get one, but it's not like I am going to start doing gobs of electrical work. I am sure it would help with what little I do.
 
The tool truck guys that have a sample set up on their truck sell a lot of them. If you get one and play with it soon you figure out how versatile it is. But you need to understand electrical circuits first.
 
toolmanmike said:
The tool truck guys that have a sample set up on their truck sell a lot of them. If you get one and play with it soon you figure out how versatile it is. But you need to understand electrical circuits first.
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This is what I was trying to get across, in my poor way, earlier. if you don't understand, this thing just adds another layer of complication
 
67Dart273 said:
This is what I was trying to get across, in my poor way, earlier. if you don't understand, this thing just adds another layer of complication
Click to expand...

I understand hot and ground. Sometimes.
 
fklskv said:
A Power Probe is easier to use then a test light. Only when you use one will you know that.
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I still don't understand why you are claiming this and I know how they work. You have to understand what you are doing in the first place plus understand your test equipment. I used to use HP / Motorola / IFR service monitors, along with a few other pieces. I don't remember how to fully utilize them anymore, but I did then. If you don't understand what "could be" happening in a circuit, how can you understand what yet another piece of test equipment is trying to say?
 
67Dart273 said:
I still don't understand why you are claiming this and I know how they work. You have to understand what you are doing in the first place plus understand your test equipment. I used to use HP / Motorola / IFR service monitors, along with a few other pieces. I don't remember how to fully utilize them anymore, but I did then. If you don't understand what "could be" happening in a circuit, how can you understand what yet another piece of test equipment is trying to say?
Click to expand...

Apparently you didn't read the second sentence
 
$69? I got a .99 cent glowing power tester and plenty of meters and tone generators. Trade related stuff. A telephone tone generator (flicker) and an inductive probe are really useful when tracing wires: clip one end of wire to red lead, clip black lead to ground. Now you can use the probe to follow the wire around the harness with an audible tone, and when the tone stops, there is your break. If your tone never starts (or stops), the wire (red) is shorted to ground (black). Very nice feature when looking for intermittant shorts or opens when you shake the harness at the plugs. You can usually find them on ebay for cheap used or broken. The toner is fixeable (always broken lead wires) , the probe not so much. It can hear active speaker leads too.
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Dang, now I am feeling old and outdated.
I bought an original power probe off a tool truck back in 2005 or 6, When I was a beginner in auto school. Paid a whole bunch of money for the time so I took real good care of it.

I remember the tool truck guy giving me a one on one demonstration of it, and it seemed magical, so I almost had to buy one. ( i have learned what a slick salesman looks like since then lol)

I always thought it is a bad *** tool, so looks like I need to upgrade and update and get a new one.

I remember my biggest victory with it was that I found a broken wire to an IAC motor using this power probe. At the time it really was a victory because 3 other people in my class and the instructor tried to figure it out and couldn't, then I came along with my trusty power probe and got it done lol.

I had no idea until this thread that they have updated these.

20190309_011241.jpg


20190309_011314.jpg
 
fklskv said:
Apparently you didn't read the second sentence
Click to expand...
Evidently you would rather argue than explain yourself

Explain to me, that if you don't know how a circuit works, how this magic box makes things somehow easier? The goal here is to find and fix the problem. I'm all for that. If you cannot do that with say, a meter and or test light, then how is this device going to make that happen, or do so any easier? I KNOW how to find these problems. What I'm trying to find out FROM YOU is how spending this kind of money on something different will substantially change things. All you want to seem to do is claim "well hey it does"
 
67Dart273 said:
Evidently you would rather argue than explain yourself

Explain to me, that if you don't know how a circuit works, how this magic box makes things somehow easier? The goal here is to find and fix the problem. I'm all for that. If you cannot do that with say, a meter and or test light, then how is this device going to make that happen, or do so any easier? I KNOW how to find these problems. What I'm trying to find out FROM YOU is how spending this kind of money on something different will substantially change things. All you want to seem to do is claim "well hey it does"
Click to expand...

How is a test light or meter going to work if you dont know how a circuit works? What kind of question is that?

You can fix any circuit with any of the three. But you need a little knowledge.

How many times have you put a test light on a dead circuit only to check to see if your ground was on or good? Everytime I bet. Me too. Then try to find a live wire to see if the test light still works? Yep done that myself.

The difference is the PP hooks to the battery. You can activate any circuit, power or ground with PP. I can hold your test light or meter in my hand and make it work. Light bulb, wiper, heater motor you name it. Cant do any of that with a test light or meter. Never any question if the PP is working.

Not here to change your mind. But I stand by my statement that until you use one you will never know.
 
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