QUICK TRICKS FOR
TROUBLESHOOTING
ELECTRICAL
PROBLEMS BY SAM BELL
These shop-tested techniques can be used to make the
most of electrical schematics, and to find open, shorted
or inoperative components in an accurate and timely manner.
I
n an earlier article, I promised I’d share some
quick tricks to aid in electrical troubleshooting.
Some of these tips may already be in your arsenal
and a few may be new, or perhaps long forgotten.
Whatever the case, I’m confident they’ll help you
avoid some frustration as you navigate through the
spaghetti of wiring in today’s vehicles.
Here’s a quick example: My lead technician, Joe Sandow, re-
placed the ignition lock and key in an Olds Alero recently. The
following week, the car was back with a complaint that the day-
time running lights had quit working, and so had the HVAC
controls. Comebacks are extremely rare in our shop, and Joe is
an advanced level tech, so I was surprised. In keeping with our
general policy, Joe was assigned to diagnose the problem, since
he would learn more from fixing it than from hearing about the
fix. By the time he got to the car, it was late afternoon. He
quickly determined that the HVAC fuse was blown, but hadn’t
yet found the root cause of the short by quitting time.
The next morning, clearly frustrated, Sandow asked me for a
10-amp circuit breaker “because it keeps blowing fuses.” He told
me the short was apparently in a subharness that passes behind
an inaccessible brace in the center console. The short would dis-
40 August 2006
appear or reappear when that section of harness was manipulat-
ed. When I learned he had gone through about a half-dozen fus-
es, I decided to step in. I instructed him to wire in a headlight in
place of the fuse (photo 1 on page 42). I explained that the head-
lamp would limit the current flow throughout the circuit and
provide a visual indication of whether the short was active.
He no longer had to keep checking the fuse, nor did he have
to guess when or whether the short appeared. He was able to
find and repair the nicked wires (a radio ground and the HVAC
power feed) quickly and efficiently. Illustration: Harold A. Perry; photo: Sam Bell
Before we continue, a few words of caution are in order. The
techniques discussed in this article are intended for use by ap-
propriately trained service personnel. Improper application of
these procedures may result in property damage, serious injury
or death. Exercise appropriate caution in both the selection and
application of any procedure described here. Finally, use and
wear correct safety equipment at all times.
Basic Checks
Of course, we’ll start with basic checks of the overall electrical
system. Every circuit begins and ends with the battery, so bat-
tery open circuit voltage is a very good place to begin. At 80°F,
look for a nominal
12.66 volts measured across
the terminals with all loads
turned off. A voltage of 12.45 volts or
lower indicates a battery with only a 75%
or lower state of charge (see the table on page
46). Charge a low battery early in your trou-
bleshooting process. Capacitance testing correctly iden-
tifies many faulty batteries. Combine capacitance testing with
conventional load testing for greater certainty.
This is an ideal time to perform a series of quick tests. Attach
the red lead of your DMM to the positive battery post. Con-

August 2006 41
 QUICK TRICKS FOR TROUBLESHOOTING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS
nect the black lead to the B+ stud on
the starter. Select DC volts and
RECORD. Crank the engine and read
the MAX voltage on the DMM. You
have just measured the voltage drop for
the entire positive cable, including its
terminals at each end. Reposition your
leads so that the black lead is on the
battery negative post and the red lead is
on an unpainted clean bolt into the
block. Set your DMM to RECORD
once again, and crank the engine as be-
fore. Now cycle to the MAX reading to
find the negative (ground side) voltage
drop.
Cranking the engine subjects both
positive and negative circuits to the
highest levels of stress. As a rule of
thumb, look for voltage drops of less
than .1 volt per connection in power cir-
cuits. A typical starter circuit will show
about .2 volt drop on each of the battery
cables, but some cars will normally
show as much as .450 volt per cable. As
always, checking known-good cars al-
lows you to recognize “normal” when
you see it.
Keep your DMM handy for the next
checks, too. Leave the black lead on the
negative battery terminal and connect
the positive lead to the alternator frame
(away from the belt and pulley). Start
the car and turn all electrical loads on.
Your DMM now indicates the voltage
drop on the ground side of the charging
system. (This will always be a negative
reading if the alternator is charging,
since the alternator frame is the source
of ground in a running vehicle.) Move
the leads to the alternator B+ stud and
2 tery posts and the headlamp terminals.
42 August 2006
Photos: Sam Bell
1 access (photo 2 below).
the battery positive post to read the
voltage drop on the positive side of the
charging system.
There are two final tests at the bat-
tery. Move the positive lead to the posi-
tive post and the negative to the
ground-side post. With the engine run-
ning off idle and all loads still on, read
loaded charging voltage. Now turn your
DMM to AC volts and read AC ripple.
Most experts say anything over 200 mil-
livolts (mV) is cause for concern but,
again, known-good values in my library
range as high as 450mV AC. Readings
taken between the alternator B+ stud
and the alternator frame tend to be
somewhat higher.
Switch back to DC volts and turn all
electrical loads off to read nominal
charging voltage. But beware: Some
computer-controlled charging systems
may not charge at all under no-load
conditions. Flush the target out of hid-
ing by turning the high beams on and
raising engine speed to a little above
idle. If you encountered high AC ripple
voltages, install a jump box on the bat-
tery and retest. Since a battery func-
tions as a capacitor, adding the jump
box may reduce ripple voltages substan-
tially. If so, charge the battery and
retest. If the high ripple voltages persist,
replace the battery.
If your troubleshooting takes you
away from the engine compartment,
this is a great time to install jumpers for
known-good remote power and ground
Voltage Drop Tests. You can per-
form a similarly quick check at the
DLC during cranking. SAE protocols
call for DLC pin 4 to be wired to chas-
sis ground, with pin 5 wired to sensor
ground. Using your DMM set to
RECORD, you can find the chassis
(body) ground voltage drop during
cranking with one lead connected to the
battery negative post and the other lead
connected to an appropriate terminal
installed into DLC pin 4. The MAX
reading should be less than .1 volt.
Move the test terminal and its lead to
pin 5 of the DLC to read the PCM sen-
sor ground voltage drop. Most experts
agree that this value should be no more
than .010 volt but, once again, known-
good values may range as high as .050
volt. Be sure to use an appropriately
sized test pin so you don’t spread the
DLC connector terminals. If you don’t
have the correct pin, backprobe the
connector to avoid damage.
As long as we’re on the subject of
voltage drops, here’s a quick and easy
way to determine if excessive voltage
drops are at the root of whatever prob-
lem you’re chasing. Use a standard
sealed-beam halogen headlamp for this
technique. I prefer the medium-size
rectangular H6545 because it’s cheap,
available and doesn’t roll. A piece of 14-
gauge zip cord (lamp wire) and a couple
of alligator clips at one end, appropriate
terminals at the other end and you’re in
business.
Just hook the alligator clips to the
power and ground feeds of the device
in question and turn it on. Now mea-
sure the voltage drops between the bat-
On low beam, the headlamp draws
 QUICK TRICKS FOR TROUBLESHOOTING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS
about 3.5 amps. The high beam fila-
ment pulls about 5 amps. For all but the
very highest draw electrical loads—such
as the starter—one or both filaments
should provide sufficient circuit load to
determine if excessive voltage drop is
the problem. Look for a maximum drop
of .1 volt per circuit connection, up to
no more than .7 volt total (positive and
ground added together.) Caution: Don’t
use this procedure with computer-con-
trolled devices.
A quick alternative involves using the
Power Probe or a similar device. Con-
nect both its leads to the battery in the
conventional manner. Hold the rocker
switch in the ⫹ position to apply power
to the probe tip, then connect the tip to
the ground connector. The probe’s built-
in circuit breaker will trip if the ground
is capable of handling at least its 5.5-
amp rated load. Reset the breaker. Now
hold the rocker switch in the negative
position while backprobing the positive
feed. As before, a feed circuit capacity in
excess of 5.5 amps will trip the breaker.
‘Probe-ability’ Theory. You can use
your Power Probe with inoperative de-
vices as well. Perhaps you need to ener-
gize a purge solenoid and you have no
bidirectional control via your scanner. If
it’s wired like most, it will have full-time
power with the key on. Your Power
Probe can turn it on either momentarily
via the rocker switch (apply ground) or
long-term using the auxiliary ground
4 housing. After the two connector halves
44 August 2006
This versatile tool can prove handy in
other settings as well. Imagine that
you’re working on a rear lamp problem.
Maybe the turn indicators on the dash
glow faintly when the brakes are ap-
plied, and the taillights dim out to noth-
ing under the same conditions. Apply a
ground (rocker switch to the ⫺ posi-
tion) to the brake lamp bulb’s case. If
the taillights go on, you must repair the
rear lamp ground.
Mapping It Out. So far we’ve been
talking about fairly simple circuits. But
as you well know, automakers employ
increasingly sophisticated circuitry to
achieve more nearly automatic perfor-
mance from vehicle systems. In many
instances, printing out the schematics
for a particular circuit is a necessary first
step. Make your life easier by using col-
ored highlighters to indicate various cir-
cuit functions. For example, I used a
3 pink highlighter to color the power feed
section of the cooling fan circuit shown
lead. But be sure you connect to the in photo 4. Green shows the ground
right wire, remembering that both wires path elements. I used an orange marker
will show power with the key on. to highlight the low-speed fan opera-
Each DMM in photo 3 is connected tion, and blue for the high-speed.
to a different terminal on this purge so- Use the same colors consistently (at
lenoid, KOEO. Both show essentially least for power and ground) to increase
the same reading, since the solenoid is troubleshooting efficiency. Isolate im-
not energized. Use a wiring diagram to portant circuit elements so you can plan
identify the computer-controlled your path through the circuit maze.
ground, or unplug the connector and Take a few minutes to analyze the cir-
probe each cavity to differentiate the cuit before jumping in. In this example,
two sides of the circuit. all the solenoids share a common feed
circuit. Therefore, finding power at any
terminal of any of them proves that the
main relay and fuse are good, so you
can check that aspect of the circuit
Wiring diagram: MOTOR/ALLDATA; circuit tracing: Sam Bell
where it’s easy to check—at the most
accessible connector.
Access Approved. Speaking of ac-
cess, this is one of my favorite tips.
When you need to access a particular
wire, whether to measure a voltage
drop or connect a scope, you can elimi-
nate any uncertainty over the quality of
your backprobe connection using the
“single filament breakout” technique.
As seen in photo 5 on page 46, I’ve in-
serted a single fine strand of wire into
the female wire terminal in the connec-
tor housing. I used my pocket screw-
driver to bend it along the connector
were reunited, my single filament was
 QUICK TRICKS FOR TROUBLESHOOTING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS
now ready as a secure backprobe pigtail.
There was no damage to either the
Weatherpack terminal seals or the wire’s
insulation.
Signal Injection. Use this proce-
dure when you encounter a fuse that
blows repeatedly. First, look at the pow-
er distribution schematic related to the
fuse in question. Pick the low-hanging
fruit first. Unplug the most accessible
devices or subcircuits. If the fuse still
blows, break out your fault tracer kit.
The tracer kit in use in photo 6 on page
48 functions by “injecting” a very weak
radio signal into the circuit under test.
The receiver module beeps when it’s
held near the wire being tested. Al-
though it takes a bit of practice, using
one of these tracer kits can help find
shorts (or opens) even within relatively
inaccessible areas without resorting to
opening up tightly wrapped harnesses.
The signals are not strong enough to
penetrate thick frame members, how-
ever, so there may be some areas where
physical inspection is still required.
Even so, this kit is a major timesaver.
Divide and Conquer. When trou-
bleshooting intermittent shorts (those
that blow fuses only sporadically), you
may need to follow the old maxim of
“divide and conquer.” Most fuses pro-
tect more than one circuit element. In
some cases, each branch subcircuit exits
the fuse panel separately, while in other
cases, splices within the wiring harness
branch off to different destinations. In
general, you’ll be able to determine
which circuit leg is causing the blown
fuse by installing an in-line fuse holder
in each branch. I generally use fuses one
rating lower than the specified overall
circuit rating. This allows the smaller
fuse to blow without disrupting the oth-
er circuit branches. As an alternative,
you may wish to leave the blown fuse
out of the circuit, hooking up your ohm-
meter to the fuse output terminal and to
ground. Then move downstream, dis-
connecting subcircuits as you go, until
you isolate the grounded circuit leg.
Where access to splices or subbranch
feeds is difficult, you may wish to try the
“wiggle test” technique first. Wiggle
tests first gained widespread notice
when Ford began recommending them
years ago for diagnosing intermittent
46 August 2006
5 who runs the award-winning Simon’s
driveability faults. The concept—grab-
bing a section of the wiring harness and
giving it a good series of shakes—is still
sound. For intermittent problems, you
can also heat or cool suspect compo-
nents using your heat gun on the Low
setting. A hot/cold blower like the one
shown in photo 7 (originally marketed
for checking choke thermostats) also
works. If you’re working under the
hood, don’t forget to check motor and
tranny mounts for excessive play strain-
ing wiring harnesses when the engine is
torqued.
An Offer You Can ‘Re-Fuse.’ Here
are the details on the bright idea I
shared with Joe Sandow for dealing
with fuse-eating circuits. If you replace
the fuse in question with a headlight,
Battery State of Charge vs.
Open-Circuit Voltage at 80°F
(approximate values)
Battery DC
Charge (%) Voltage
100 . . . . . . . . . . . .12.66
90 . . . . . . . . . . . .12.60
80 . . . . . . . . . . . .12.55
70 . . . . . . . . . . . .12.45
60 . . . . . . . . . . . .12.40
50 . . . . . . . . . . . .12.30
40 . . . . . . . . . . . .12.20
30 . . . . . . . . . . . .12.10
20 . . . . . . . . . . . .11.90
Note: Exact battery state of charge
depends on a variety of factors, in-
cluding internal battery tempera-
ture, applied loads/charging volt-
ages, degree of sulfation, etc.
you’ll limit total circuit amperage to the
lamp’s amps. Using our old H6545
sealed-beam halogen again, this means
a limit of 3.5 amps on Low, 5 amps on
High or 8.5 amps with both filaments
lit. The lamp grounds via the unintend-
ed short, so it goes out as soon as you
unplug or otherwise disconnect the af-
fected circuit elements. Some techs like
to wire a buzzer in parallel with the
light, so they can hear the short.
Sounds of Silence. Simon Daher,
Auto Service in Cleveland Heights, of-
fers this advice for tracking down exces-
sive key-off draws: With your amp-
clamp in place, unplug fuses one at a
time until you identify the fuse associat-
ed with the excessive battery drain.
Now close all windows and doors with
the car in the quietest part of the shop
or parking area and listen closely while
inserting and removing that fuse. You’ll
often be able to identify the offending
component once you hear it in action.
Swing Shift. There are times when
you need to be flexible in your trou-
bleshooting approach. Consider this ex-
ample: A 1995 Volvo 850 appears with
the ABS and TRAC lamps illuminated.
You pull codes and find an indication of
a right rear wheel speed sensor fault.
This sensor is a conventional two-wire
inductive pickup mounted next to a ro-
tating tone ring. You test-drive the vehi-
cle with an appropriate scanner con-
nected. The wheel speed data for the
right rear sensor is consistent with that
from the other wheel speed sensors
throughout the range. The code resets
quickly once cleared. What’s your next
move?
Perhaps you opt to hook up to the
sensor with your scope or at least your
DMM. Figuring this is a simple induc-
tive speed signal, you select the AC
scale for your measurements. The
waveform you capture matches that
from the other rear wheel as your assis-
tant spins both uniformly. AC frequency
and amplitude are apparently normal.
What gives?
If you had hooked up your scope to
look at DC voltage, you would have
seen the problem. The left rear sensor
is riding on a bias voltage of about 7
volts. This bias voltage is, in fact, nor-
 QUICK TRICKS FOR TROUBLESHOOTING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS
6 7
mal, and is produced in the ABS control
module and sent out on each wheel
speed channel. A poor cold-soldered
joint inside the control unit has pre-
vented the bias voltage from reaching
the right rear sensor. It’s the absence of
the bias voltage return that caused the
ABS and TRAC DTCs. A reman con-
trol unit will fix things up, or you may
even be able to resolder the circuit
board yourself.
This technique of looking at signals
from more than one perspective can al-
so help you determine the state of
health of an electric motor by using AC
coupling to zoom in on both voltage and
current variations. AC and DC scope
patterns may also reveal the source of
excessive electrical noise.
Up Scope! High school civics classes
always involved paying attention to cur-
rent events, and so does good electrical
troubleshooting technique. As always,
there’s no substitute for checking
known-good cars. Only when you know
what good looks like can you begin to
recognize the bad and the ugly.
Scope electrical currents using your
amp probe. You may want to monitor
voltage signals as well. Here are a few
pointers to bear in mind:
•Beware of vertical current rises.
Anytime current rises vertically, there’s
a short.
•Apply what you know from injector
scope patterns to other solenoid pat-
terns. The general shapes of the wave-
forms will be very similar.
•You should be able to see the pintle
humps in a rising current trace as well
48 August 2006
as in a falling voltage trace in any sole-
noid. If the pintle humps aren’t there,
chances are the solenoid is stuck.
•As mentioned above, you may wish
to examine current ramps under AC
coupling to monitor the health and pro-
jected longevity of electric motors.
•DC coupling lets you see how hard
a motor is working.
Grounds Rules. Bad grounds can
cause a variety of seemingly random
problems. Whenever you have a car
with multiple electrical complaints, you
should home in on the grounds very
early in the diagnostic process. A bad
engine ground, for example, may cause
slow cranking, while a faulty PCM
ground can cause reference voltage to
hang at 12 volts, or O2 sensor bias volt-
age to reach 5 volts or more.
Bright Idea. Technician Mark Lau-
retig of Gene’s Marathon in Cleveland
offers his favorite tip: Use your eyes
when you work on electrical problems.
Turn on the headlamps and watch them
as you try to crank a car that won’t start.
If the headlamps stay bright, you can be
pretty sure the problem is not in the
starter, but in the control circuit. To di-
agnose a malfunctioning electric win-
dow motor, look at the dome light as
you activate the window switch. If it
dims, you know the motor is drawing
power, so it’s not a switch problem or an
open circuit. You can learn a lot from
the driver’s seat before you even open
your toolbox.
Hybrid Cautions. In case you
haven’t been to school on the hybrids
yet, remember that only CAT 3 certi-
fied meters and leads should be used on
those high-voltage circuits. Always wear
appropriate gloves as well. They carry a
voltage rating, marked on the inner
glove gauntlet, and are designed to keep
high-voltage linesmen alive. An outer
glove protects the inner glove from
sharp objects.
Grab Bag of Quick Tips
In closing, here are more tips for quick,
accurate electrical troubleshooting:
•Dielectric grease can help seal out
moisture and make it easier to plug or
unplug connectors.
•Stabilant 22 and similar products
can dramatically improve most connec-
tions, but should never be used on O2
sensor wiring. The Stabilant fluid works
by changing from a nonconductor to a
conductor in the presence of small volt-
age drops. This valuable property
makes it unsuitable for use in oxygen
sensor circuits, since the fluid may wick
down the sensor wire and radically
change the performance characteristics
of the sensor.
•Clear nail polish or liquid electrical
tape are far better sealants for damaged
insulation than RTV silicone products.
The latter contain acetic acids, which
will soon degrade the very wire you had
hoped to protect.
•Shrink-wrap, especially in 3-to-1 or
higher shrink ratios, provides a profes-
sional-grade finish on any splice repair.
Visit www.motor.com to download
a free copy of this article.