Richard,
I one point occurred to me as I read your description. If there was a
high restiance in the voltage supply for the reverse lights. Your meter
would not show less than 12 volts unless the circuit was complete. I.E. the
high restiance would not cause a voltage drop unless there was current
flowing in the circuit. This means that if you unplugged the feed wire from
the reverse light bulb and tested it while it was unplugged. It would show
12 volts because no current was flowing in the circuit. As soon as wire was
connected back to ground through the bulb, the voltage reading would drop
due to the high restiance in the supply circuit. So to answer your
question, your meter is probably working fine, and it is important to make
voltage readings which the entire circuit intact, if you are looking for a
voltage drop.
Best Regards,
Joseph Garruba
-----Original Message-----
From: rcotting@mgnet.ca <rcotting@mgnet.ca>
To: 6pack@autox.team.net <6pack@autox.team.net>
Date: Monday, June 05, 2000 10:41 AM
Subject: Watt's Going On?
>
>
>
>
>Gang - I spent just a lovely 10 hours on Saturday sorting out reverse lamp
>problems on my 74. In hindsight, the fact that they did not work was
>probably result of any number of problems (bad switch on tranny; bad bulb
>holder(s); bad ground; wiring) - or a conspiracy perpetrated by aliens.
>They work now, #^^%dammit!! But I have a question - in the midst of my
>troublesome day, my multi-meter kept telling me I had 12 volts at both
>lights AND a good ground. Hooking up a hot wire directly from the battery
>to the lights proved that they would work - if only I was getting 12 volts
>as my meter was telling me. Finally, after tracing the problems back to
>the wiring connections just before the wires disappear into the tranny
>tunnel, I simply placed the live wire into the empty socket of a two socket
>connector and voila!! Is it possible that my multi-meter WAS reading
>correctly at 12 volts but that other principles of electricity were at play
>and the lights just wouldn't - you know, light?
>
>Richard C.
>
>
>
|