Topic: Testing continuity
in Forum: C3 Electrical

I'M NO BETTER THAN YOU WITH ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS BUT I CAN TELL YOU I HAVE A STRONG BATTERY AND ON ACCESSORIES BOTH WINDOWS GO UP SLOW AND THE DRIVERS SIDE NEEDS COAXING NEAR THE TOP WHILE WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING THEY BOTH GO UP FAIRLY SMOOTHLY.
GOOD LUCK
A WORK IN PROGRESS
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I don't know if they have a "Electronics for dummies" book, but I got one when I first got my electronic Keyboard, called "Playing electronic keyboards for dummies" it was pretty good. Check your local library for books on electronics, they must have some basic concept books. In addition to being ASE certifed master at one time, I've been to electronics school for computers, worked for Mallory Ignition, and am a licensed Amateur radio operator, and I still don't sail through electrical problems, just the nature of the beast. If I were the one checking the problem, I would start at the begining, with testing the battery with a volt meter, then move to the fuse panel and check to insure no voltage drops, check the fuse for being burnt out, then check the supply to the switch, then power on the motor side in both directions. Where ever the power stops befor the motor is where I would look first.
Dave
I would suggest taking a night course on basic electricty. It will cover all tha basics, then you understand how electricity flows & reacts with different components. After thgat it'll all come together...even house wiring. I send new techs who don't know about electricty & they've all come back with a pretty good base to start diagnosing problems.
Alan


I think I would have to echo what others have said. If you want to learn electricity, particularly controls, circuits, schematics, you need to start at the beginning. Check out your local junior college and see if they don't offer courses. You will not learn this stuff from a book, it takes hands on in a lab set up to simulate various problems that you need to use a meter to diagnose. Having a qualified instructor to coach you and help you to learn how to figure out the problems at hand is priceless. Don't look for a course that is maybe 2 or 3 nights, it won't happen. This will take a committment from you to finish the program, probably a year or more of 1 night a week.
By the way, SLOW windows are often caused by lubrication breakdown of all the moving parts in the window mechanism. How often do people take their doors apart to clean and re-lubricate all those parts?
You can also use the meter in the ohms or resistance mode to find broken wires or loose connections. Perhaps a wire has been pinched or rubbed raw allowing the conductor to "short" to ground. That will smoke circuit breakers, fuses, and relays. I would also invest in a shop manual that has a schematic of the wiring circuits. They are not that difficult to follow and with the meter you will be able to hunt down the varmint.
Good Luck,
Scott
Ranger 3 is on target, but I thought I might add a few safety tips if you are going to buy a meter.
1. The cheap meters will work for you, but you must remember that when the meter is set for "ohms" or "continuity" and you use it to check voltage the meter will be dumpster material in most cases.
2. When checking volts, always start with a voltage scale that is higher then the anticipated voltage you might expect to find. Pegging the needle by using too low of a scale may cause the meter to be dumpster material
3. When working with cars you must be careful of the "polarity" when using a cheap meter. The black wire is ground, the red wire is positive, and reversing the polarity may cause the cheap meter to be dumpster material when the needle pegs on the wrong side of the scale.
If you decide to spend maybe a 100-150 bucks on a good meter, you will find they are a lot safer to use and will not sustain damage from improper use. Fluke makes a very nice meter that is digital and won't cost more then about $125. You will usually get what you pay for with a cheap meter.