How To Make Your Own Test Lights
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- In this video I show you how I make my own "test lights" of various amperage's that can be used to substitute for a component on the vehicle that has failed. These range any where from .25amp to 4.5amp and can be used to replace failed fuel pumps, actuators, lights, solenoids etc. so you can preform circuit integrity tests. -Enjoy!
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Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. South Main Auto Repair assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. South Main Auto Repair recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained
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South Main Auto Repair you are the best my amigo
South Main Auto Repair what is the heat shrink that you use?
Corey Buhl I would say anything that is marine grade. Why? Because they have a glue within, that when heated also makes a good water tight seal and it doesn't slide. I find regular shrink wrap does an OK job, but when handled a lot, the tube slides no longer protecting the joint or bare wire.
Whats the heat shrink part number or link? Thanks
South Main Auto Repair Eric, I just watched your video from December 12 2015. Ford (used) ECM replacement. In that video you couldn't rewrite the VIN number into the used ECM. I realize that some time has passed since you made that video and you may have figured it out. But, I found another great Tech that I enjoy watching also and he has it figured out. Take a look at Fordtechmakuloco video "Save money using a junkyard ECM. Don't let the dealer tell you it can't be done." I hope this is of use to you! Keep up the good work!
As a middle aged married male with children I really enjoy making test lights on Friday and Saturday nights. We make it a family affair and sit around a 12 volt battery and try them out for fun. Brightest bulb wins! Quality family time together, thank you Eric O.
😆 😅 😂 🤣
Awesome idea
I blow up boiler controls at my kitchen table. My Jamaican roommate thinks I am am demon possessed.
Thanks for making these videos. I used a home made test light today.
My low current test light showed a relay on a Ford windshield washer working but the motor did not run. I hooked up a 3156 test light and proved the relay would not handle much current.
A new relay got things working. You have taught me much about diagnosing electrical problems.
I do minor repairs as a side job and enjoy and learn much from your content.
I like finding "car crumbs" at intersections where accidents occurred and harvesting these parts from the weeds.
The cap was a missed opportunity for a brake clean appearance.
I'm a John Deere dealer construction tech, and I Made a set of these very load lights after watching you in very beginning of your channel start. Love them very fast on diagnostic with electral repair. Thanks man love your channel.👍
This video, along with your emphasis on following a plan and splitting the problem into parts has been really valuable in diagnosing an issue with trailer 💡
Mr. Eric O, I want you to know that I was in the Zone, saw a can of fluid film near the brake clean & lube spray can's & thought of you! Funny, I never saw it there b4 until I saw you use it on many things! something like a rockstar of automotive repair!
Eric, 'Simple' only applies to those that know...those that don't know....'Nothing is simple'.....These video are great and can only increase someone' else knowledge. 'Thanks for Sharing...'
My main load substitution tool is a plastic Project Box with six holes drilled in it and fitted with 1156 sockets. 1157s work even better but I was sent these by mistake and didn't catch it until I couldn't return them. You wire the six sockets in parallel and can even add banana jacks on the side of the box for a convenient voltage drop test point. Then you run wires out the other side of the box and put alligator clips or banana jacks or whatever you want on the end. In the case of the 1156 bulbs, each one represents about 2.25 amps. You could add or subtract bulbs depending on the load you're trying to simulate up to almost 14 amps. Pretty handy tool to have. Also works well in place of a fuse when you've got a short to ground. Puts a load in so there's no longer a short and when you find the source of the problem, the bulbs go out.
For us DIYers your tips are like gold, thanks!
Low medium and high amp test light set by SMA $10. By well known automotive tool manufacturer $200
Love the holder you used, maybe I'll make one too!
1amp @ 12v = 12w
2amp @ 12v = 24w
3amp @12v = 36w
4amp @ 12v = 48w
I see smoke coming off your light...
So, a light that draws 4amps @ 12v is consuming almost 50w, and that gets very hot...
I don't recommend a plastic shroud, because it could melt or catch fire..
Use a metal cap or sheet metal to make a shield protector for the bulb...
Eric.... I have made some with a socket attached to a Bulldog Clip and about 4 Feet of Type HPN Heater Cord, that is very flexible neoprene rubber and held together, (zip cord), then you can clip the bulb to a sun visor, window, or body panel where you can see it (and not drop it) as you energize the circuit and/or manipulate the wires to find a problem. I also have a couple of "Tractor Lights" that draw up to 10 Amps and use them in place of a fuse or circuit breaker when looking for a short circuit. Use a 10 Amp bulb in place of a 10 - 30 amp fuse and the wiring is protected. Most loads will NOT fully light the bulb but a Short Circuit will light it full bright. This would make a good video the next time you are looking for a problem that blows a fuse. These ones have about 6 feet of HPN on them so I can position the light where I can see it and still easily reach the fuse position. A very quick and safe way to precisely locate a short circuit, and repeatedly light the bulb without blowing a test breaker.
Some great tips here. I like to use bannana clips staight on the test lead and use this to plug into ali clips or meter probes etc.
Thank you Mr. O for all the wisdom you share. I used alligator clips and I made one lead about 2" longer than the other so that there's less chance of an accidental short when the light is just hanging.
PVC pipe end caps work well , small sheet metal screws will hole the lamp base in place !
Nice. Also apply +12 volt through a bulb when You want to limit the current. If the test point is shorted to ground the bulb will light up/act as an autofuse preventing fire.
if you still have a seat belt warning buzzer (from the days of throwing them mostly away). put some clip leads on it to use it as an audible tester. for those times when you can not see a test light. or have a helper to see it. I have test lights. one is a 1amp dome lamp the others are 100ma dash lamps. sometimes you need a bigger or smaller lamp.
Clever ! ! Thanks for the exact details on making these things. I've been waiting for this video Eric. I have a couple of old Buick Road master horns perfect for this. Should be good for some fun in the garage
When we were doing tree antenna installs, we used car bulbs to verify voltage & current to the amplifiers. Voltage test means nothing as a corroded connection can let voltage pass, but fails under current load. Climbing up n down from the top of a 100-135' tall fir tree gets annoying just to have to climb up again to find bad connections. It was easy to connect the bulb to the coax and verify connection on the way up
. We found a lot of bad coax connections from installers who didn't understand that it rains in Washington State.and you need to fill the connectors with silicone grease (NOT silicon seal), and then use heat shrink tape or silicon seal to seal the connection. (The aquarium grade stuff, not the other type, which can cause corrosion from the chemical outgassing.).
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From Nick Ayivor from London England UK 🇬🇧
"Brilliant" idea. Thanks, Eric!
Made one a few days ago the same way except I used the heat shrink adhesive lined butt connectors instead of soldering them, the butt connectors crimp to the cut off t pin perfectly and made it a breeze
I remember a previous video where you worked on Josh's vehicle and the problem was that his class had been using their own cars as test subjects and had been probing the ECM connectors with T-pins, wallowing them out to where they weren't connecting well.
Another great tip. Thanks again
Another good tool to have, use an old blower motor and solder the trailer end of a 7 pin or a 4 pin to it
Excellent!!! I use a H4 headlamp light this is set to low at 6 amps and high at low 12 amps. I only use it to test gas pump circuits, chassis ground, positive fuses and also to load the cables of those circuits to see their integrity. regards!!!
smahts, very smahtzzzzz ;)
thanks Eric! great video! i will be doing this! i just use the snap-on classic bulb one! but i got burned on it once with a backup light switch for an international 9000 series causing backup lamps to flicker! spent hours! old guy in shop came up to me and said your test light doesnt draw enough ampage! went from 50ma to 1 amp and found the problem immediately!
I wondered how you use them and made them. Great video.
I will go to the junkyard tomorrow and make some up.
Quick tip Friday. Now that you have that spray cap down pat you can make some Christmas lights for the tire snowman outside the shop. Mrs. O probably wouldn't allow them in the house. Keep on a choochin.
Great tips, Mr O.
But I would recommend you install the require fuse in series to protect the light bulb. Otherwise, the bulb will blow! Rather have the fuse blown than the bulb!
fuse doesn't stop a bulb from blowing
Old school systems of monitoring 3/phase industrial buildings would use 3 test lights, one on each leg to ground. These were left on all the time in visible areas. If a light started to dim, that leg would be inspected.
reminds me of when i accidentally soldered a pipe fitting to a paint can lid that I was using to hold the fitting and it really held on there amazingly well i could not pull it off the steel lid . when i am working on house wiring i like the radio tester plug it in and you can listen to when it goes off and on. you could probably do same thing with a 12 volt radio better then listening to a car horn lol
Have you ever used a seam ripper? I like it better than a utility knife. two bucks at walmart.
Great tip!
YOUR THE MAN ERIC
Great tips on the test lights. Instead of using an exposed halogen bulb, get a cheap pair of small 55 watt halogen fog/driving light assemblies (usually about $10-$15). Same end result, but without the chance of accidentally burning yourself on a hot bulb or melting something in the interior or under the hood.
Thanks, you’re a Prince of a fella.
Is that a tool box or sewing box u got there :-D
When my wife saw needles and pins on my box top she asked if business was that bad I was fixing customers pants to boost income :-/
I feel we need a Singer sticker on our boxes lol
Thanks Eric, Now I can make some tools I can afford
W/V=A
55W bulb/ 12V system =4.58A
Ahto Andron this is very true
After watching this I went to the junk yard. Grabbed a couple light bulb and sockets. They didn’t even charge me. Thanks Eric! Very cool.
Metallurgist here, you shouldn’t do that unless the stars and moon align...
What would you do if you live on Tattooine??
Watch out for Tusken Raiders....homie.
Oh crap. I literally just changed my headlights a few days ago. I saved my bulbs but didn't even think about cutting off the pig tails and making some test lights. The sad part is I've watched all your vids and have seen you use these a hundred times. I'm dead.
Simple but very useful tip. Amazing what you can create with a little junk and a soldering iron.
great video, great tip. keep rocking Eric.
Good idea for cheap test lights.
Great cheap and practical tip!
You should have done this on the Pico with the amp clamp so you could have have 5000 comments about how people "can't do that because they can't afford $5000 scope!" I just strip mine, put a alligator jumper on it when I use it. May have to try the t-pin thing.
On a 52" 4k flat screen :)
Great job again
Always seems over basic tool but reality is it one of best ways get a load and visual representation of function .
It basically almost free too :-)
I got fancy and set 3 bulbs in parallel with a 3 position rocker switch all set in a rectangular housing so could have 1 to 3 bulbs lit thus 3 possible loads. it more bulky than single bulb and find still use single bulbs as tend hang freely easy by wires and less bulk makes easier use .
As for loadpro, rather than waste money if want that concept make your own load leads using 3 or 4 resistors in parallel and a cheap set of leads off eBay, I done a set for under 5bucks, used it few times and useful but bulbs are what I use mainly .
Always remember we're not going to take it to the fair and you can't see it from the street
Arts&crafts with Eric o.
Awesome video. Thank you. SMA arts n crafts Wednesday maybe?
Thanks for illustrating one of the major problems with test lights: there is no one size fits all test light. You have to have multiple test lights with different amperage draws in your tool box in order to ensure you can diagnose electrical problems on all the circuits found on a car. I prefer a simple multimeter and voltage drop testing. I only have to have multimeter in my toolbox and there are way more uses for a multimeter then a test light. Tools that have multiple uses are always a win, IMO. Just sayin'...
Another quick tip Tuesday on Saturday lol anyway GREAT video Dr. O until next time PEACE.
Very inexpensive tester!! Great idea.. keep the tips coming! Really enjoy your channel....
I've seen the ford "makuloko" guy use power window motors to test power. I want to say I've seen you use an old power window motor to test power as well, but could be mistaken.
tokuzumi1 I think he's used wiper motors and fuel pumps... but same concept. Of course, only for testing high amp/thicker gauged wire components
fordtechmakuloco is the ford tech... great channel if you have a ford truck/suv. Between him, SMA, scannerdan...I could fix any car!
xoxo2008oxox don't forget Keith from New Level Auto & Ivan from Pine Hollow Auto Diagnostics (PHAD)
@@xoxo2008oxox Hey there xoxo...., was just enjoying another SMA video here and read your comment also recommending "scannerdan" as a good YT source for troubleshooters to learn from, but YT has way too many channels using the "scannerdan" or similar handle, so not sure which of the MANY you are referring to. Can you help me with that particular link? Is it possibly "ScannerDanner"?
Use your noggin when you are front probing so you don't bend your needle.....LOL! Thanks for showing us these.
awesome video,thanks for sharing the knowledge
And remember viewer's: If I can do it, you can do it!
also doubles as, "how to make delayed fire starter source" :))
the plastic cap will melt and start burning if left on for too long lol.....
Maybe cutting a piece of insulation material and stick it inside and glue it together.
@@rauls300ce I was being mostly funny, and you generally don't have a test light on long enough to melt it down
for durability I'd use a whole tail light assembly and harness chunk from salvage yard, say one from a car that has triple bulbs reverse tail/brake and marker only or dual tail brake. then you can have a wide range of current draw and the bulbs are shielded :)
I know that these type videos are hard to make in-depth, but could you talk about where you would use a higher amperage load versus a lower one? I've always used a test light to determine continuity.. What purpose would the various amperage ratings serve? Forgive me for my lack of electronic knowledge please, and thanks for trying to make folks smarter!
Could you also just glue a small magnet to the back of the bulb housing? That would allow you to stick it to any ferrous metal surface to keep the heat of the bulb away from stuff. Maybe a small magnet with some felt, like the base of the Astro swivel light, so it won't scratch paint.
Smart idea.
Eric you kinda reminded me of Red Green in this video but no duct tape, and thats a complement "remember if women dont find you handsome,they should find you handy" keep up the good work.
I find small jam jars work better, drill into the lid & use the glass to stop the heat
great for checking power and ground under load and checking for short circuits
the old style head-light or aftermarket light assemblies were great for such testing, although a bit bulky :)
now with all the LED junk >_>
add an led to your load test "light" so you know when it blows :))
this was kind of a a joke, but, you could do so easily with addition of diodes so it lights either polarity direction :)))) or just use a DVOM parallel
By the time Galvanic Corrosion from the dissimilar metals being in contact cause a problem your Great Great Grandchildren will be running the shop. The Crusty Soldering Tip is another story. Great tip SMA.
Eric should totally watch Bigclive on how to solder wires to pins.
G'day, Mr. O! Great tip video! Btw, my friend just asked me, if I was having fun doing the laundry. I replied, 'Loads.' Lol!! 🤣 Thank you for doing how to make your own "test lights!!" Cheers! 😊✌🏼🛠💕
Fancy! Make and Do with Eric O :)
I have a headlight bulb in a pigtail that I use for testing stuff. I figure if the circuit will power a headlight bulb it should be good for about everything else.
Being a truck mechanic, I used the sealed incandescent lights with the plugins on the back. I crimped on pins or alligator clips to the wire.
Eric 2 words to stick the bulb....GORILLA GLUE Hey smoking huh? porta portable smoker
I honestly have been searching for this exact topic the last week. Thanks for the great entertainment and knowledge you share. Most people don not realize the value of your videos . They are fantastic. Thanks.
If I can do it, you can too. Love the testers!!
epoxy won't work on spray can tops made of polyethylene or polypropylene. learned that the hard way.
At the pick n pull you can get factory connector ends too and make PLUG IN tester harnesses lol or like get both sides and split the wires in the middle so you can make a little tester adapter. Get both sides from all makes and models lol. Oh I breathed in solder fumes in this video and I died. :D
Also I enjoy your shows even though I'm not a mechanic.
question anyone here can answer for me regarding testing 5v refference or 5v circuits
what if i hooked test light to a 5v source to test 5v ref and computer parts that take 5v by getting a 12v to 5v usb cigareete plug adapter,then cut a usb cord and plug this into the 12v to 5v adapter and find which wire is the power/ground and use this to hook test light when probing these 5v computer circuits? this would also drop some of the amperage draw from test light correct? would this be the way to go to prevent damage when testing 5v?
Sma mood lighting, oh yeah!
Love them wire strippers! Need to get me a pair of them!
what about using crimp connectors, instead of soldering...I am going to try it.
First time comment, long time viewer. I find your videos very helpful. This video helped me ti see what you were using for probes.
Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to make these videos.
I feel like im hoing to tech school each time i watch your videos.
I remeber, if you can do it, i can do it.
Hey my name is David i live in Nova Scotia Canada I have a 2012gmc serria 1500 4x4 do you know how to get codes for ABS without a scanner
Did anyone else notice Eric O has a supply of notepads busting out the "US customs and border control" to mix his epoxy on? Didn't think those things made it that far north unless they're sneaking into the country from Canada. Hehe. Great video.
We started sending them up to Up State NY, only way to get the Wall Built. Dont want the wall, no problem, lets these guys put your wages into the toilet, have fun dealing with what we have had for 40 years.
Juan, You will love NY, beautiful Sate, alot of jobs, mucho money. Fresh territory.
Ya gotta watch out for those Snow Mexicans.
CBP presence has increased in upstate NY substantially since 9/11. They have also been taking the place of local and state law enforcement responding to calls they have no business responding to. As well as using federal resources to aid local law enforcement.
Heck yeah, when I drove semis across the border into Canada I saw more Border Control vehicles/folks then I did at the Mexican border.
Brad J. Mitchell, Well, the 9/11 terrorists didn't enter through Mexico...
Your a smart man! Guess that’s why Mrs O married you! Thanks for the headlight bulb enclosure idea!
That lamp shade cap mod was pretty sweet! I'd have to do that ... because I know the first time I use an exposed halogen, it's gonna end up on my arm ... then I'll smash the thing to pieces, rendering the whole deal a complete waste of time, LOL. That's exactly what happened with my last incandescent drop light! 😁
I use my trusty stockpile of 4656 or 4651 sealed beam glass headlights from the ol' Grand Marquis. I need to actually break down and buy a socket for them - I just have female blade connectors jammed on there, lol. I can't burn myself with those!
We had a bunch of TORNADOS here in central MA today!! Webster got pounded - downtown got hit pretty good. Lots of branches down here and there around the area. Nothing up where I live, thankfully. I was thinking my new shop was going to get flattened - that would be just my luck! This one was pretty minor compared to the one that rolled through here in '11 and leveled people's homes, and took a life at a campground. Not good. This one just snapped some trees and yanked off some roofs. Bad enough, but could be worse! Been a crazy season so far! Think we've got close to 10" of rain over the past 3 weeks. Been a great year for mulberries and blueberries so far. Got tons of 'em!
Been waiting on a OE hub bearing for my '93 940 for almost a week now. She's taking up my lift! Maybe I'll get her going by fall ... 😳
Great vid, man! Always excellent tips, no matter what day of the week it is. 😎
Soooooo when you moving to upstate NY !?
Hahaha! I love it out there - that wouldn't be a bad thing. Just wish the state's government was DIFFERENT from MA's, if ya know what I mean. 😉
I figure if I'm gonna go through the trouble of moving, I'm going someplace WARM! 😁
Smitty Smithsonite shit come out here to Maryland. 10 inches of rain in 3 days two times so far. This year has been really funky. Kinda Erie feeling thinking about how much rain we've been getting.
We had the same thing happen in '11. Got 6" of rain in ONE DAY! By the end of the week we had got 15". Rivers were overflowing, the dirt section of my road washed completely out, and there were LAKES everywhere, including in my yard! I have a drainage culvert here, and in 15 years of living here, I haven't seen it as full and flowing as it was that day. Sounded like we lived across the street from Niagra Falls. Was pretty neat to watch, actually. My basement floods during normal rain anyway, so the river down there was just a bit deeper this time. 😁
Like the way you are thinking Eric.Now i am retired i would like to be my teacher in my younger days lol.Keep up the good work.
You need your own show on velocity TV
instead of plastic cap try a small
3-4oz glass baby food jar with metal cap and label removed. Drill a hole in cap, silicone or epoxy connector into hole. wha la!
Im a new sub and thanks for all your videos. Saved me a hassle and tought me a few new tricks.
I mad the hole the Shape of the Socket. to install it like headlight Assembly on the car. Install Bulb. install Twist done
ME O, Thank you for an awesome video. cheeeers
Ali what clips. I know them as roach clips.
Same thing, just one has a wire and one does not ;)
Roach clips! Sounds like stoner talk from back in the day . Been there, done that . Lol
I use the stackable 4mm banana plugs on my lights and absolutely love them! I've converted almost all of my stuff to 4mm for uniformity. i use a 4mm test lead set that gives me the ability to load a circuit and test at the same time through my lights. And yes they hook up beautifully with the terminal sets! 👍
@A. Melbs doing well 3 years later. So I use 4mm banana plugs on pretty much everything. By having stackable one I can plug several loads together making a much bigger or smaller load as needed. For instance if I have a homemade test light that pulls 2 amps I can stack 2 of them together for a 4 amp load. Now the cool part is if I'm dealing with a bad ground/power I can plug the load inline my meter and load test the circuit. Since most meters are 10M ohm imput impedance they pull very little current off the circuit. Now If I plug in a 300 milliamp light bulb into the circuit with a banana plug adapter kit and then plug the meter into the light I have basically made a low impedance meter. Now most low impedance meters are 3k ohm impedance so this is just a reference on loZ meters. However because I can change the load and a loZ can't I'm able to pull much harder on circuits if needed. For instance I've found corrosive wires in circuits like well pumps that pull 20 amps 220 vac using the idea of loaded circuits. To be honest the fastest way to find those problems is with a pocket dso and a current clamp but don't forget the attenuator 20 to 1 is fine but 100 to 1 is also fine. Hopefully that doesn't confuse the situation farther. These are kind of what I'm using but I can't find the exact ones I purchased. Copied straight off the site.
5Colors Retractable Sheath 4mm Banana Plug Male Stackable Wire Solder DIY Connectors Adapter for Electrical Testing
18 minutes? So much for quick tip my god guess I’ll find a less rambling one lol
🤔 Smoke Signal Test Lights..HA, You'll have your new cigarette buddy coming back again in no time, asking your for another.! 😀 🚬 And just like the smoke machine, you'll have to explain to him it's just another piece of testing equipment.
BTW Eric, I also like using the flat connector pins from an old O2 sensor.. they are thin and skinny so I find that front probing isn't a issue. Thought I'd share.
Cheers