Automotive Multimeter Recommendation? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: RavenManiac
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 21, 2020, 09:34:54 pm
content: Hello everyone. I need some help selecting a prosumer automotive multimeter for home use. I currently need it to find a parasitic battery drain in my son's 2019 Mazda 3. Below are a few of the meters I'm considering. Admittedly, some of these choices may be overkill for the task at hand, but I need a good reliable multimeter anyway so I might as well buy one that will last. Any help is much appreciated.Brymen BM869 (difficult to find in the USA)Fluke 179Fluke 87 Series (III, IV, or V)Fluke 88 Series (V)Greenlee DM-820A (I think this is a rebranded Brymen, but I'm not sure which model)Hioki 4256EEV Blog 121GW (seems slow in Joe Smith's review)Thanks,Kelly

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2020, 10:10:38 pm
content: To find that battery drain, do you need to sense current without breaking or disconnecting wires? That requires a clamp-on DC meter.

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2020, 10:41:52 pm
content: A clamp meter likely won't be the best because they lack low-level sensitivity and you have to zero them somehow. What you need is a battery knife switch, some 1-ohm resistors (no point in blowing meters or fuses) and absolutely any DMM at all--even the cheap D830 ones they give away at Harbor Freight. Unfortunately, this exact task--finding a draw on a car--is one of the most common meter-killing adventures and I'd recommend using disposable ones until you have some more DMM experience.If you are bound and determined buy a top-flight DMM, just get the Fluke 87V. The E2 kit is pretty nice too. The 88 is 'automotive', but there's very little functionality that is of any use any more--it's not 1985. Greenlee charges too much for their versions of Brymen (the DM-820 is not the BM869--the DM-860A is either the BM867 or BM869, not sure which)You've checked the glove box light, right?

author: wizard69
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2020, 11:54:25 pm
content: Quote from: RavenManiac on June 21, 2020, 09:34:54 pmIf you do a lot of automotive work the 88 is the way to go from your list, get the kit with the inductive pickup. One the other hand the Snapon #EEDM596FK is worth considering as it isn't that much worse price wise (very surprising). The snap on has a few more features that would make it more useful of automotive work.As far as Fluke goes I've had really good luck with all of their handheld meters. I've never used a Snapon meter so that is an unknown, however they have a good warranty on the meter. Beyond all the engine support features the Snap on is the first meter in a long time that has attempted to change the conventional physical layout of a rugged meter. It is out of my price range at the moment but I cold see myself buying one in the future. That mainly for the engine specific features.

author: RavenManiac
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 22, 2020, 12:08:22 am
content: Quote from: bdunham7 on June 21, 2020, 10:41:52 pmThanks! Yes, I've checked all of the interior lights, including the glove box. I also just purchased this item to help troubleshoot the problem and protect the multimeter:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RGN5UAY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1Once I've determined how big of an amperage draw there is, and whether it's consistent or intermittent, my plan is to check the voltage of all of the mini fuses when the car is off and all of the computers are asleep. Does that sound like the best way to proceed? Thanks again for your help.

author: RavenManiac
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 22, 2020, 12:12:33 am
content: Quote from: wizard69 on June 21, 2020, 11:54:25 pmThanks for the suggestions. Actually, this is just for personal, at-home use, which is why I was considering a few multimeters that were a little more universal. After viewing dozens of Fluke reviews on YouTube I can see why that brand is one of the most preferred. Flukes equipment seems pretty solid.

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2020, 12:31:10 am
content: Quote from: RavenManiac on June 22, 2020, 12:08:22 amYou may need a lot of spare fuses for that!That devicemayhelp, but a shortcoming is that you can't start the engine and run stuff with it hooked up. Parasitic draws can be continuous, random or then can occur only after something is done. Disconnecting the battery may reset whatever is drawing current so that the drain goes away. An unusual but real situation is a relay that develops an internal short that makes it self-latching--once it turns on, it stays on until all the power is removed.When I did this sort of work, I used a large disconnect that allowed me to cycle the power on and off, run things, etc, using a clamp meter to monitor the large current draws. Then, after everything had settled down and the current was low enough that the current clamp couldn't reliably read it, I could connect my small ammeter or better yet, a small resistor, across the switch and open it. Measuring voltage at the fuses won't tell you anything--most of them will have 12 volts all the time. What I would typically do is after everything had timed out (it can take several minutes or longer for normal draws to drop off) and I had established that there was a draw, I would just pull out the fuses one at a timewithout putting them back inuntil the draw stopped. Then I would know what circuit to look at.If you are Amazon shopping, I'd recommend these:https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Master-Disconnect-Switch-Doctor/dp/B078973R19/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=battery+knife+switch&qid=1592786127&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExNTZXMTc4SENCNDdUJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzM3OTA2Q0RQSENZTDFISzczJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAyMDk4NDc4VEdFMjFCNE5LOEEmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVlhttps://www.amazon.com/EDGELEC-Resistor-Tolerance-Multiple-Resistance/dp/B07WHQKQB8/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=1+ohm+resistor&qid=1592786196&sr=8-5EDIT: These won't blow up, although they are bulkier.https://www.amazon.com/Comidox-Aluminum-Housed-Wirewound-Resistor/dp/B077ZMFZM6/ref=sxin_7_ac_d_rm?ac_md=1-1-MSBvaG0gcmVzaXN0b3IgMTAwdw%3D%3D-ac_d_rm&cv_ct_cx=1+ohm+resistor&dchild=1&keywords=1+ohm+resistor&pd_rd_i=B077ZMFZM6&pd_rd_r=414bac0a-7178-4c14-8519-a01c741bf0fc&pd_rd_w=8PvKh&pd_rd_wg=bJmju&pf_rd_p=7140382f-2020-43a7-a2a8-20d62e199d2c&pf_rd_r=B3VV87E0KA4DYJHNWER4&psc=1&qid=1592786495&sr=1-2-12d4272d-8adb-4121-8624-135149aa9081

author: RavenManiac
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 22, 2020, 12:45:21 am
content: @bdunham7 Hmm. Those are some very good points. Thanks!

author: RavenManiac
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 22, 2020, 01:24:43 am
content: So Joe Smith (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsK99WXk9VhcghnAauTBsbg) is suggesting that I consider this instead of the 12V inline contraption I purchased on Amazon:https://www.uni-trend.com/html/product/General_Meters/digitalclampmeters/UT210_Series/UT210E.htmlThoughts?

author: Jwillis
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2020, 02:06:23 am
content: I picked up one of these. The JET H3630 . Has Dwell angle ,Tach , Temp probe , Inductive pickup as well as the standard features . Works very well . $200 bucks Canadian.

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2020, 03:18:04 am
content: Quote from: RavenManiac on June 22, 2020, 01:24:43 amYes. I have 20 years of experience doing this and you'd be hard pressed to think of something I haven't tried yet. Clamp meters don't work well enough for parasitic draws that can be less than 100mA and still drain your battery. Even excellent, fantastic, sensitive current probes like the Fluke 80i-110s, assuming they fit over your battery lead, will be difficult to manage because of the zeroing issue. Having a clamp meter is handy because it can tell you when the large drains have gone away, but it is pretty hard to measure small, absolute currents without a zero reading.

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2020, 03:24:08 am
content: Quote from: Jwillis on June 22, 2020, 02:06:23 amI'm curious now that two of you have mentioned these auto-specific meters-what are you using them on? I had them 30+ years ago, until I got a Fluke 98 Scopemeter in the early 90s, but even that didn't get out much toward the end of my time working on cars. Tach? Dwell? Inductive pickup? The vast majority of cars that you would use those on have long gone to the scrapyard.

author: Vovk_Z
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2020, 09:08:13 am
content: Quote from: bdunham7 on June 21, 2020, 10:41:52 pmYes, you need to zero them, but I don't agree with lack of sensitivity. My (about $45) clamp-meter measures milliamperes (000 mA). I don't remember an exact model (I'll put it later).I think it have to be at least two meters - robust multi-meter (as stated upper) and DC-clamp-meter.