Battery problems

[K man]

Thanks I do have a voltmeter but have no idea how to use it. Not to mechanically inclined worked as a bricklayer for 30 some years lol. I am retired and bought this little toy to play around on the estate. Getting hard on me to change the front blower to the FEL so I leave the blower on year round.

 

[k0ua]

Here we go again with this voltmeter class I have threatened to have. And why isn't this taught in 8th or 9th grade?.. Of all the crap we were taught in school, we can't afford to teach something practical in life, that would serve so many people so well.... I give up.:confused3:

 

[k0ua]

LD1, where or when did you learn to use a multimeter? I will tell my story first. I bought one when I was 12 years old and started to take an active interest in all things radio. I still have it by the way. And I am now 62. I taught myself how to use it and care for it. It still works well today.

I bought it the same day I bought a simple aviation receiver kit. I think between the two, they cleaned out my piggy bank. The aviation receiver kit was pretty much a bust as it was a simple diode detector and a tuned circuit with one stage of audio amplification to drive an earphone. You had to be within sight of a airplane to hear anything.

But the little RCA voltohmmeter was with me always for the last 50 years.

 

[k0ua]

While I have a few nits to pick with this video, they are small ones. And it may be enough to get you going:

 

[k0ua]

Likewise I don't agree with everything she said, and she glosses over a couple of concepts, overall it is still good information for a beginner.
Analog meters have their place, as do digital meters. If I am battery troubleshooting, I nearly always pick the digital.

 

[LD1]

I honestly don't know where I learned to use one at. Probably dad, as he (now retired) worked a lifetime of multi-craft.

I agree, it should be taught in school. What do people do if an outlet in their house stops working and it's not a breaker? Or needing to change a light switch...how do you confirm no power? Or tinkering with 12v stuff such as this, ATVs, mowers, etc.

Knowing how to check voltage and continuity is something everyone should be taught IMO

 

[k0ua]

Battery tutorial:

 

[k0ua]

Alternator tutorial and some load testing:

 

[k0ua]

I honestly don't know where I learned to use one at. Probably dad, as he (now retired) worked a lifetime of multi-craft.

I agree, it should be taught in school. What do people do if an outlet in their house stops working and it's not a breaker? Or needing to change a light switch...how do you confirm no power? Or tinkering with 12v stuff such as this, ATVs, mowers, etc.

Knowing how to check voltage and continuity is something everyone should be taught IMO

I don't know what they do. I have been fixing things for over 50 years. Testing all the common things like you mention and more.

I think most people break out the wrench and start unbolting things from the vehicle and start dragging them into the auto parts store. The first thing to break out is your brain and your multimeter.

 

[LD1]

The first thing to break out is your brain and your multimeter.

Agreed.

I'm not too terribly far removed from govt education. 15-20 years ago I was in highschool.

3 years of a foreign language that I haven't used. (Rural Ohio lol)
How about we focus on getting out language right.
Senior year English was nothing but Greek and Norse mythology. Why should that be forced on anyone? If someone wants to get further education on that....more power to them. But it didn't mean squat to me.

And about 2 years into highschool, they did away with shop class and home ec.

And we wonder why this generation isn't independent. Let's stop teaching stuff that matters in the real world in favor of the BS that's being forced now