Thank you for not having a blast of loud music. ❤ Some (other) mechanics on UA-cam are deaf and don't know everyone else isn’t. 😂 My friend was complaining about how loud her dad was until I pointed out he rode a Harley.🏍
I am a retired avionics technician. We call this the fox and the hound. It's best used with a wiring diagram and after you disconnect the connectors of the open or shorted wire. Glad you discovered it and I agree they work great.
You're right. This technology has been around for many years. Wiring diagrams help tremendously. Anytime you can isolate a problem cuts your diag time down fast. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@shanersmechaniclife3164 When I refer to my "fox & hound", people look at me like I'm crazy. Then they see my Fluke circuit tracer and they realize what I'm talking about. I've had mine for nearly 15 years and originally got it find open phone line wires in apartment buildings. Back in the day, the phone company was responsible for the wiring up to the junction box outside the building and we had to repair everything else. They were constantly refusing to make repairs and blaming problems on the indoor wiring (without even testing outside) until I got this and could prove our wiring was good. It's also handy for tracing circuit breakers and automotive work.
Thanks for watching and the great comment. This tool saved my butt and made my job way easier. Got those two issues back to back. Very happy I bought it.
Ahhhhh the old power probe, in the hands of the right technician an excellent tool, in the hands of mechanic who doesn't understand even basic 12 volt wiring, it can act as a speaker for the radio.
Some decades ago we used a time domain reflectometer to check wires/cables. You could calibrate it to say a piece of 16ga or 14ga wire (whatever you had issues with) and then hook it up to your problem child. It would tell you how far from the hookup a short or open was and additionally if there was a change in resistance anywhere in the wire.
funny, now you can buy a tdr in a nice case for less than $200. this complete kit is almost $400. maybe having all those connectors handy is a big value added, tho.
I've worked on big trucks for over 30 years, electrical has no flat rate time just because of the fact you may have to tear open harness. They may have problems in a large bundle of wire & finding one broke wire in a bundle is a mess at best. So no flat rate time is applied to electric diagnostic.
Yes there is no flat rate on electrical, but the tool helped me get that job diagnosed and fixed quickly so I could get on to the next jobs that I could make more time and money on.
I've messed with tons of harnesses, repairing the time on shops I been at usually pays the harness replacement time in labor but saved them the part cost.
Many years ago had a crazy, you know, step on the brakes and have the dome light come on and several others. I couldn't find it, took it in, it was a wiring harness under a seat belt anchor from the factory.
I purchased the Power Probe 4 Master Kit containing the ECT 3000 several years ago. I chose the 4 over the 3 because of its additional features, such as multimeter functions, frequency testing, injector testing and such, also having a circuit breaker that automatically resets. But hindsight being 20/20, I think I would have saved a little money and just got the PP3. Those functions can easily be done separately with the multimeters I already had a no additional cost.
So glad you use the terms “short” and “open” , separately because they aren’t the same and it’s so annoying when people do that cause it’s very incorrect! Thank you and well done video.
@@nw8000 a short is when a non-ground wire is connected to ground/chassis, an open is non-ground wire is broken/open. You can have a combo condition where a non-ground wire is open AND shorted to ground too. One of the wires he exposed appeared to be in that condition.
I used to use an inline breaker and my non-contact thermometer gun. Let the wire heat up some, and track it down by temperature. It was a step up from my uncle's Bridge the fuse and Let the Smoke Out, you'll find it real quick.
I have had a competitive version for 15 years, much more than 6 wire harnesses are hard to follow and you do need the receiver very close to the wire which is hard to do in areas. I have better luck with heavy equipment than automotive applications due to better access. It has earned it's keep over the years.
These tools are the reason why so many auto electrical guys don't use them, they want to be paid by the hr for a reason. As someone who used to do network cables we had line testers that basically did the same. Great video and wish i could afford one but most of my nightmares currently come from vintage stuff that there is no wiring diagrams for lol
Even when paid by the hour, I still try to diagnose and fix it right as fast as I can the first time. No wiring diagrams definitely makes things interesting. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I would say that if you do automotive electrical diag on the regular? Its a good tool to have at your disposal. Yes it has its limitations but I will use it on smaller wire looms that are accessible and dont have any obvious signs of corrosion or damage. It works as advertised! I give it a thumbs 👍🏼.
ATG was nice enough to have me to come along as an apprenticeship. ATG rates was *$75K service call, travel/logging/$20,000 per hr. ATG troubleshoot it down in under 9 minutes with this. When dealerships can't /or vehicles that many shops can't fix, ATG will be called upon & I could now. The cars recently serviced was a Rolls-Royce Boat Tail & Porsche 959. *$75K was for per car, that was in 2002. When you are the best or were trained by the best, clients have no problem in paying for your services.
Great presentation! You can buy it and repair your problem just by watching you do it. I wish more videos were like yours. It would make learnig a lot more simpler. Thank you.
Thanks for the great comment. I'm very glad I bought it. Thoroughly reading the instructions is a must before using it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
As others have mentioned a compass will work, but if I had this 30 years ago I would have used it daily cool tool. If your doing daily repairs it would save to tons of time the most valuable thing you have in life.
Good tool I’ve been a lift tech over 30 yrs. Did troubleshooting old skol. One thing I noticed you didn’t do is You didn’t heat shrink tube over electrical butt connector. Moisture can get inside & you have another short ( corrosion ). Good informative video
anthonydenn4345. That heat shrink tubing over the connector is lined with EVA glue (glue gun hot melt). I don't know how they get glue inside. You can also use bare connectors so you can see what you have done and slide that type of heat shrink over, avoiding the chance of damage when you crimp it.
@@tsl7881I've used a fair number of shrink butts, as long as you crimp them properly they are pretty reliable. I'd rather the uninsulated crimps and tube though like you suggested if it was a critical or higher current circuit. They definitely are a more secure crimp.
I purchased a Mac tools fault finder 20 years ago. Still use it today. But yes it can steer you in a wrong direction very easily. Especially when wire goes to a relay , ecm , even a switch.
I don't even work on cars for a living anymore, but will get one of these the first chance I get. I still work on my own and some of my family's vehicles.
Im.a 64 year old dyi on.my vehicles looks to be a problem solver to me Considering what ya pay for diag as shops these days and a lot of them are just parts changers so it costs new parts not needed and their labor costs at 400 bucks its well worth it IMO
I saved this kit to my account because, it looks so beneficial! Now i am definitly interested in seeing the tools from the telecom world. Especially if a toner & probe can be had for a 10th of the cost. As a good back up, i saved this. Thank you!
My Fluke 3000 has only special probes for telecom and date, if you could make up some automotive connectors to freenup your hands it would be about the same but no little arrow or light.
This might save somebody some cash. I discovered that my inexpensive non-contact voltage tester would react to the output of my battery charger. I used them to troubleshoot a fuse blowing on my tractor. If you already own these items, it's worth a shot. I used the tractor's headlight bulb to limit the current.
@kwaynr1301 I unhook the negative lead from a headlamp. Connect the charger positive to the lamp where you removed the ground. Turn ignition to headlight position. Check with your tester if you can trace the headlight wire. If so, you can trace and see where power is going or not going.
The transmitter hooks to the battery and sends a pulse down the wire. The receiver detects the pulse, and as you move the receiver, it will detect where the signal stops and your open or short. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching.
I still prefer the visual with a test light for finding shorts. I replace the blown fuse with a test light and wiggle the harness until the light goes out.
Great tool. 2 major electrical problems that I had on on my 1991 4Runner, that I solved fast, thanks to UA-cam vids. But had it not been for people already having those problems, this tool would have also helped me find my 2 problems fast. 1) the fuel pump Fuse kept blowing, sometimes while driving, but got worse. It started happening right after turning on the vehicle. I researched it on UA-cam, & one guy posted that there's a wire harness that goes to the transmission & if it hangs too low, the driveshaft starts cutting it. Sure enough, several wires had to be sodered. 2) the connection to the ignitor has 5 prongs and they had started building rust. Sometimes while driving, the 4runner would suddenly turn off. If I was going fast enough, the momentum of travel would jump start the vehicle right away. Till the rust got out of hand, & it no longer started. Having had replaced the ignitor only 3 years ago, I thought it was just a cheapo from oreillys. I wanted to have a quick look at it & discovered the rust. I used a wire brush & needle tips to scrape off the rust, & walla, it stared. Same 2 similar problems as on this video. But definitely something that would have had me chasing my tail. Buying this tool, will sure make things easier on me for future problems on other cars that may not be posted on UA-cam. Thanks for the video.
All you need is a meter bud. Only 3 fault you can have short, open, high resistance if the light aint working or any other load you just need to put both leads in the harness end if you have voltage you just ruled out a short or open people make electrical diag more difficult than it is.
Pretty clever device. The actual logic is very simple: the transmitter just emits radio frequency signal to the wire and the receiver radio circuit is tuned to such a low sensitivity that it would nearly need to touch the antenna to work. Then you just turn on the radio transmission on the wire and see where the radio transmission disappears. It would be interesting to see if you could build DIY version of this with a cheap FM transmitter where you replace the original antenna with a potentiometer to adjust sensitivity and try to listen for the signal with a cheap FM radio. Sending 1 kHz beep to the FM transmitter would allow hearing clear beep when you receive the signal. The amount of noise in the signal tells you how strong the received signal is.
Super smart product! Wished I had this decades ago! Additionally, we could REALLY use this in the U.S. Military... The amount of repair time reduction we could benefit from this on tactical fighters is immense.
They've been around for a long time, but the Big Green Machine is pretty conservative about what they allow into the logistics chain. :) I used to just say "screw it" and buy my own tools when I needed them...
@@AXNJXN1 Absolutely; aircraft would be the ideal scenario for these. Complex harnesses, long runs... if you keep the signal power down and the sensitivity up, it minimizes coupling to the other wires in the harness, and lets you find the break or the short, easily.
Who wants to spend hours or days digging through wiring? Like I said in the video, I think it paid for itself in saved time on those two jobs. Your military? Thank you for your service!
someone referred to this as the rich mans luxury...ha ha...don't know one rich man who's fingernalils are dirty! Sure, it's nice to work in a dealership where many resources are available to a tech. But in the real world wiring diagrams are not always available and they just show how the circuit runs. A diagram helps with finding go no go or point to point locations, but this finder walks you through the entire pathway. Excellent diagnostic tool, used them for decades. Like the mans said, time is money.
I deal with some older equipment and don't have wiring diagrams for all of it. Sometimes you have to just dive in and figure it out. I don't use this tool often but when I do it's worth every penny. Thanks for watching and the great feedback.
That’s brilliant, I have used a similar product from my days working on telephone systems it worked okay but not as good as this product. The main reason the telco one isn’t as good as it runs on 9vdc
Didn't have high hopes for this but, after watching, this can be very handy tool for anyone that does this regularly. Don't know if it helps but some alligator clips that can go on the end of your probes could be useful. I have a full set of Fluke attachments that have saved me more than once but there's probably a ton of different kinds.
For the short test I wish you had shown the other side to see what it says. I am not sure if it would have shown up as just open because the fuse piece is gone or if it would just not given anything since the circuit has no short.
Don't waste your money. I bought this kit and it works well on a single, stand alone wire, but any wire in a harness, which is every wire, will induce the tone in the harness, making it impossible to narrow down. Additionally, the tone signal is weak unless you are directly on top of the wire, which we all know is practically impossible in the real world where harnesses run through firewalls, under carpet, into dashboards, etc..
@@woodybear8298could you please elaborate on this a little bit more? I don’t have the kit yet, but thinking get one of these. Any steps need to follow in order to get the tracing accuracy?
I bought a powerprobe kit way back. A waste of money imo ooohhhh you can energize a circuit with it pfft still sitting under one of my toolboxes collecting spider webs
Why don't you just use a multimeter and set it to continuity and back probe the harness? Using a butt connector on a harness that's already having problems, it'll get you down the road for awhile but just open the harness and either move or replace it. Otherwise you're just making more work for yourself later when you got sacked out copper into a burnt butt connector. If it burned up the wiring once, unless you fix the underlined cause of why that harness broke/burnt in the first place it's just going to do it again. And second time around is normally when they used to show up. Glad I got out of doing harnesses and tucks.
Great video, I think this could be an essential tool for vehicle wiring and troubleshooting. I am a really good with industrial machine wiring but even with a good vehicle schematic in my hands I have still been stumped by automotive wiring and shorts while chasing with my meter, disturbing these harnesses or connectors to look for the problem only to have the stupid issue disappear and return later. Especially with CANBUS network shorts. Has this ever helped you with vehicle network shorts etc. Thanks again for the video.
Intermittent problems are the worst to find. I have not used it on any canbus issues...yet. when I do I'll let you know. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I will admit that this tool seems to be worth it. I have a common problem with egr valves on dodge caravans that this might just help with. Not sure that I'd want to spend their label tax for what seems to be essentially a line voltage detector, like you'd use in household wiring to find a live circuit though...
I think it's worth it. It does have problems reading through thick harnesses. Not the only tool I use, but I'm glad I bought it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Here In am looking at this thing again. I have the little AC circuit tracer from HF and a Fluke 3000. They don't always help with to many wires together. The Fluke uses 2 9V batteries. This could too and skip all that hard wiring hook up.
Good to see this vid> i have a problem with my Datsun dischargin Battery, Sparking all over. so i have to get one of this POwer probe. thank u for share it.
I consider this a rich mans luxury......Wiring diagrams are the necessity. Haven't seen anybody use one in 40 years, worked at dealerships and always had factory wiring diagrams.
It is amazing how many techs don't know how basic electrical works, the difference between an open/ short. Even after they attend a factory school session! How to use a multimeter. How to use a meg ohm meter (for hybrid/ electric cars). I know a bunch of guys who have power probes but never use them, probably because they haven't read the directions. I don't own a power probe but I can see it's usefulness. Factory wiring diagrams are fantastic and interactive now although I could zip through the old wiring diagram books just fine. Dealership tech here. You still wrenching?
Great video, I got one to try find a short in my van not to sure if it’s any good for canbus wiring? I could not find it it just keep beeping and stopping I would pick the loom tape off and nothing. On the other hand It has been excellent for sending signals through house wiring to see where the ends are 👍
It doesn't get used a lot unless you do large amounts of electrical work. But when you need it, you are happy you have it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
It's great for small harnesses but not so effective on large ones. It even states that in the user's manual. But like I said in the video, I think it almost paid for itself in two jobs. Thanks for watching and I appreciate your feedback.
I don't use it a whole lot, but it has saved me a lot of time on a few different occasions. Let me know how you like it once you use it a few times. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I hope you get this message that was a great video and I'm definitely going to be looking into this in the future hopefully I have enough money to purchase this amazing product wow
Thanks for watching and the great feedback. It's not a tool you use on a daily basis, but when you need it, you're glad you have it. Thanks for watching.
A *good* Fox and Hound used *correctly* by an *experienced tech* is worth its weight in gold for sure! (Not automotive per say but have done pretty much all manner of electronics over the past 20 years)
LOL try that on a newer car with Can system or hybrid systems, you'll be having a really hard time, note that tractor or whatever it was had very basic simple wiring did not look like much of a problem to solve.
What do I think? I think I'm buying one. I have at least three different vehicles around here that have annoying to immobilizing electrical gremlins. Thanks for the excellent video!
Yeah I could see this definitely saving time, and I am not sure how much this costs, however I've been doing something similar with my Klein wire tracer that has saved me a couple times and it has a fairly decent sensitivity range. I'm not sure if this would be any better or not. Perhaps the op has some input if he's used both tools. Is this any better??
Harbor freight has the one tool you used, from a different manufacturer called Cen-Tech for $20. Same thing but uses internal 9volt batteries that it comes with instead of the vehicles 12v. Even has two different tones to pick from for you liking and a canvas zip up case that holds all the components. Cant imagine what that entire kit cost you bought but i know just the power probe 3 is around $ 300 plus all the other stuff in that kit, it isnt cheep.
Retired certified master heavy duty tech and certified electronics tech since 1994. I think I still have a Cen-Tech in my box. It worked okay, but like other tools, some work better and/or are more durable than others. I like the sensitivity adjustment. With shorts to ground the signal can seem to come from everywhere, especially in large harnesses tucked into tight spaces. Some antenna designs are more efficient than others also. Used a Power Probe for years, If I was still working I would definitely have this newer kit.
An ohm meter from bulk head to bulk that's how the army taught us on tanks straight and to the point it's not cost it's knowledge
I got genuinely excited when the engine fired up
Me too. Nothing better than the feeling you get when a machine comes alive again.
Thank you for not having a blast of loud music. ❤
Some (other) mechanics on UA-cam are deaf and don't know everyone else isn’t. 😂 My friend was complaining about how loud her dad was until I pointed out he rode a Harley.🏍
I am a retired avionics technician. We call this the fox and the hound. It's best used with a wiring diagram and after you disconnect the connectors of the open or shorted wire. Glad you discovered it and I agree they work great.
You're right. This technology has been around for many years. Wiring diagrams help tremendously. Anytime you can isolate a problem cuts your diag time down fast. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@shanersmechaniclife3164 When I refer to my "fox & hound", people look at me like I'm crazy. Then they see my Fluke circuit tracer and they realize what I'm talking about. I've had mine for nearly 15 years and originally got it find open phone line wires in apartment buildings.
Back in the day, the phone company was responsible for the wiring up to the junction box outside the building and we had to repair everything else. They were constantly refusing to make repairs and blaming problems on the indoor wiring (without even testing outside) until I got this and could prove our wiring was good. It's also handy for tracing circuit breakers and automotive work.
Yep in the telecom side it's a toner and probe. Ain't 400 bucks. More like 40.
@@d.j.9961 Quite literally everywhere
@@d.j.9961Harbor Freight for $13 or amazon
Hell yeah that tool is sweet!
very easy to understand videos nice work
Thanks for watching and the great comment. This tool saved my butt and made my job way easier. Got those two issues back to back. Very happy I bought it.
Ahhhhh the old power probe, in the hands of the right technician an excellent tool, in the hands of mechanic who doesn't understand even basic 12 volt wiring, it can act as a speaker for the radio.
You are right. Very valuable tool. Ecm manufacturers love people who don't know how to use them properly. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Some decades ago we used a time domain reflectometer to check wires/cables. You could calibrate it to say a piece of 16ga or 14ga wire (whatever you had issues with) and then hook it up to your problem child. It would tell you how far from the hookup a short or open was and additionally if there was a change in resistance anywhere in the wire.
funny, now you can buy a tdr in a nice case for less than $200. this complete kit is almost $400. maybe having all those connectors handy is a big value added, tho.
I seen a UA-cam video about what your talking about before. This was when I was a new technician with no money I wish I could find it again
I've worked on big trucks for over 30 years, electrical has no flat rate time just because of the fact you may have to tear open harness. They may have problems in a large bundle of wire & finding one broke wire in a bundle is a mess at best. So no flat rate time is applied to electric diagnostic.
Yes there is no flat rate on electrical, but the tool helped me get that job diagnosed and fixed quickly so I could get on to the next jobs that I could make more time and money on.
I've messed with tons of harnesses, repairing the time on shops I been at usually pays the harness replacement time in labor but saved them the part cost.
Many years ago had a crazy, you know, step on the brakes and have the dome light come on and several others. I couldn't find it, took it in, it was a wiring harness under a seat belt anchor from the factory.
I purchased the Power Probe 4 Master Kit containing the ECT 3000 several years ago. I chose the 4 over the 3 because of its additional features, such as multimeter functions, frequency testing, injector testing and such, also having a circuit breaker that automatically resets. But hindsight being 20/20, I think I would have saved a little money and just got the PP3. Those functions can easily be done separately with the multimeters I already had a no additional cost.
It's definitely a good bang for your buck kit. Thanks for watching and commenting.
So glad you use the terms “short” and “open” , separately because they aren’t the same and it’s so annoying when people do that cause it’s very incorrect! Thank you and well done video.
Well what do you do if you don’t have a short circuit but you have a long circuit.?
Thanks for watching and the great feedback. I appreciate your input.
Whats the difference bro?
Lots of folks haven’t been to school for electronics. Stop being annoyed so easily.
@@nw8000 a short is when a non-ground wire is connected to ground/chassis, an open is non-ground wire is broken/open. You can have a combo condition where a non-ground wire is open AND shorted to ground too. One of the wires he exposed appeared to be in that condition.
"I love it when a plan comes together," in my Hannibal A team voice.
Thanks for the comment. Now I have the A Team theme song stuck in my head. LOL.
great explanation!!! thanks
I used to use an inline breaker and my non-contact thermometer gun.
Let the wire heat up some, and track it down by temperature.
It was a step up from my uncle's Bridge the fuse and Let the Smoke Out, you'll find it real quick.
I have had a competitive version for 15 years, much more than 6 wire harnesses are hard to follow and you do need the receiver very close to the wire which is hard to do in areas. I have better luck with heavy equipment than automotive applications due to better access. It has earned it's keep over the years.
I agree. It even states that the owners manual. I think mine paid for itself in a few jobs if you factor in time saved. Thanks for watching.
Great video of an actual circuit being demonstrated and repaired 2 thubs up
Thanks for watching and for the thumbs up!
These tools are the reason why so many auto electrical guys don't use them, they want to be paid by the hr for a reason. As someone who used to do network cables we had line testers that basically did the same.
Great video and wish i could afford one but most of my nightmares currently come from vintage stuff that there is no wiring diagrams for lol
Even when paid by the hour, I still try to diagnose and fix it right as fast as I can the first time. No wiring diagrams definitely makes things interesting. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Your comment made no sense.
I would say that if you do automotive electrical diag on the regular? Its a good tool to have at your disposal. Yes it has its limitations but I will use it on smaller wire looms that are accessible and dont have any obvious signs of corrosion or damage. It works as advertised! I give it a thumbs 👍🏼.
It's definitely a tool that you need to read the instructions thoroughly before using. I don't use mine often, but when I do, I'm glad I bought it.
Hi can I get link how I can oder it
ATG was nice enough to have me to come along as an apprenticeship.
ATG rates was *$75K service call, travel/logging/$20,000 per hr. ATG troubleshoot it down in under 9 minutes with this.
When dealerships can't /or vehicles that many shops can't fix, ATG will be called upon & I could now.
The cars recently serviced was a Rolls-Royce Boat Tail & Porsche 959.
*$75K was for per car, that was in 2002.
When you are the best or were trained by the best, clients have no problem in paying for your services.
What is ATG?
Great story , sounds a bit far-fetched though . But I suppose the world is full of gullible people so you might fool someone .
@@alank616 Sounds like you have no ideal how much a Porsche 959 is worth.
it's a super sized tone generator...
can get the same in smaller form from Klein tools
Maybe I'll pick one up try it out and compare the two? Thanks for watching.
Great presentation! You can buy it and repair your problem just by watching you do it. I wish more videos were like yours. It would make learnig a lot more simpler. Thank you.
Thanks for the great comment. I'm very glad I bought it. Thoroughly reading the instructions is a must before using it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
As others have mentioned a compass will work, but if I had this 30 years ago I would have used it daily cool tool. If your doing daily repairs it would save to tons of time the most valuable thing you have in life.
You are correct. Time is very important.
Great video , I actually bought one recently it's an amazing tool!
Glad to hear it's working out for you. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Replace fuse with a paper clip. Look for smoke.
Not the safest way to find a short. Lol, thanks for watching and commenting.
What if all the smoke has already been let out? Lol.
You definitely failed your ase😂
Good tool
I’ve been a lift tech over 30 yrs. Did troubleshooting old skol. One thing I noticed you didn’t do is
You didn’t heat shrink tube over electrical butt connector. Moisture can get inside & you have another short ( corrosion ). Good informative video
I used the heat shrink butt connectors. They work great as long as you don't pierce the connector when you crimp it. Good eye! Thanks for watching.
Aren't these type waterproof. Don't they have some kind of sealant on the ends or something.
anthonydenn4345. That heat shrink tubing over the connector is lined with EVA glue (glue gun hot melt). I don't know how they get glue inside. You can also use bare connectors so you can see what you have done and slide that type of heat shrink over, avoiding the chance of damage when you crimp it.
@@tsl7881I've used a fair number of shrink butts, as long as you crimp them properly they are pretty reliable. I'd rather the uninsulated crimps and tube though like you suggested if it was a critical or higher current circuit. They definitely are a more secure crimp.
I purchased a Mac tools fault finder 20 years ago. Still use it today. But yes it can steer you in a wrong direction very easily. Especially when wire goes to a relay , ecm , even a switch.
I have had luck disconnecting parts of the wiring to minimize wrong turns. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I don't even work on cars for a living anymore, but will get one of these the first chance I get. I still work on my own and some of my family's vehicles.
I don't use it a lot, but when I do, I'm glad I bought it. Who wants to spend hours or days digging in wiring? Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@shanersmechaniclife3164 You're Welcome!!!
Im.a 64 year old dyi on.my vehicles looks to be a problem solver to me
Considering what ya pay for diag as shops these days and a lot of them are just parts changers so it costs new parts not needed and their labor costs at 400 bucks its well worth it IMO
I saved this kit to my account because, it looks so beneficial! Now i am definitly interested in seeing the tools from the telecom world. Especially if a toner & probe can be had for a 10th of the cost. As a good back up, i saved this. Thank you!
My Fluke 3000 has only special probes for telecom and date, if you could make up some automotive connectors to freenup your hands it would be about the same but no little arrow or light.
Let me know what you decide on and what you think. Thanks for watching and commenting.
This might save somebody some cash. I discovered that my inexpensive non-contact voltage tester would react to the output of my battery charger. I used them to troubleshoot a fuse blowing on my tractor. If you already own these items, it's worth a shot. I used the tractor's headlight bulb to limit the current.
Hey man thanks for the tip. Could you explain how that works exactly as l don't understand it completely. Thanks in advance
@kwaynr1301 I unhook the negative lead from a headlamp. Connect the charger positive to the lamp where you removed the ground. Turn ignition to headlight position. Check with your tester if you can trace the headlight wire. If so, you can trace and see where power is going or not going.
The transmitter hooks to the battery and sends a pulse down the wire. The receiver detects the pulse, and as you move the receiver, it will detect where the signal stops and your open or short. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the info. Going to do this on my tractor soon. Been disconnecting the battery after use
I still prefer the visual with a test light for finding shorts. I replace the blown fuse with a test light and wiggle the harness until the light goes out.
I have used that method successfully as well. Thanks for watching.
The Old headlight method is a great way. The intensity of the light also tells you how bad the issue is. Bulb+holder+2 wires etc=£5. PP kit= fortune!
@@sliderdriver1 I wouldn’t agree there it’s either shorted or it’s not there really isn’t any in between.
Awesome. My car will be 20 years old next year and I'm expecting wiring problems to start. This tool will be great to have on hand. Thank you.
So is it good or not
Great tool. 2 major electrical problems that I had on on my 1991 4Runner, that I solved fast, thanks to UA-cam vids. But had it not been for people already having those problems, this tool would have also helped me find my 2 problems fast. 1) the fuel pump Fuse kept blowing, sometimes while driving, but got worse. It started happening right after turning on the vehicle. I researched it on UA-cam, & one guy posted that there's a wire harness that goes to the transmission & if it hangs too low, the driveshaft starts cutting it. Sure enough, several wires had to be sodered. 2) the connection to the ignitor has 5 prongs and they had started building rust. Sometimes while driving, the 4runner would suddenly turn off. If I was going fast enough, the momentum of travel would jump start the vehicle right away. Till the rust got out of hand, & it no longer started. Having had replaced the ignitor only 3 years ago, I thought it was just a cheapo from oreillys. I wanted to have a quick look at it & discovered the rust. I used a wire brush & needle tips to scrape off the rust, & walla, it stared. Same 2 similar problems as on this video. But definitely something that would have had me chasing my tail. Buying this tool, will sure make things easier on me for future problems on other cars that may not be posted on UA-cam. Thanks for the video.
I could have used this on an old job loader to weeks ago I have the power probe but I like this
Looking back, there are definitely some jobs I could have used it on and would have saved time. Thanks for watching and commenting.
All you need is a meter bud. Only 3 fault you can have short, open, high resistance if the light aint working or any other load you just need to put both leads in the harness end if you have voltage you just ruled out a short or open people make electrical diag more difficult than it is.
Pretty clever device. The actual logic is very simple: the transmitter just emits radio frequency signal to the wire and the receiver radio circuit is tuned to such a low sensitivity that it would nearly need to touch the antenna to work. Then you just turn on the radio transmission on the wire and see where the radio transmission disappears.
It would be interesting to see if you could build DIY version of this with a cheap FM transmitter where you replace the original antenna with a potentiometer to adjust sensitivity and try to listen for the signal with a cheap FM radio. Sending 1 kHz beep to the FM transmitter would allow hearing clear beep when you receive the signal. The amount of noise in the signal tells you how strong the received signal is.
Good point and idea. Thanks for watching and commenting.
great video thank you so much
Thanks for watching and the great feedback.
Thanks mate. A definite must have for me on my boat
No problem. It's a tool you don't use often, but when you do, you're glad you bought it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@shanersmechaniclife3164 Not a problem mate
Super smart product! Wished I had this decades ago! Additionally, we could REALLY use this in the U.S. Military... The amount of repair time reduction we could benefit from this on tactical fighters is immense.
They've been around for a long time, but the Big Green Machine is pretty conservative about what they allow into the logistics chain. :) I used to just say "screw it" and buy my own tools when I needed them...
@@okopnik Still, wished we had this in there, could’ve saved thousands of man hours over hundreds of aircraft.
@@AXNJXN1 Absolutely; aircraft would be the ideal scenario for these. Complex harnesses, long runs... if you keep the signal power down and the sensitivity up, it minimizes coupling to the other wires in the harness, and lets you find the break or the short, easily.
Who wants to spend hours or days digging through wiring? Like I said in the video, I think it paid for itself in saved time on those two jobs. Your military? Thank you for your service!
Thanks for your service and for watching.
I already have a Power Probe but it is the first one they came out with. I hope I never need the ECT3000.
I have the original power probe to and still use it. Nice and basic. Thanks for watching and commenting.
You can have a short to ground , or a short to another wire / circuit , or an open .
Very true. Not always a short to ground. Thanks for watching.
Dang this is similar to the fox and hound detector I use at work never thought of adapting it for servicing vehicles. Next project onboarded. Thanks!
You're welcome. These kind of testers have been around for years. Powerprobe just made their version. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Holy cow. That was amazing. Good job showing how to use it. Thanks.
You're welcome. It got me through those jobs quickly, so I wanted to share. Thanks for watching and commenting.
someone referred to this as the rich mans luxury...ha ha...don't know one rich man who's fingernalils are dirty! Sure, it's nice to work in a dealership where many resources are available to a tech. But in the real world wiring diagrams are not always available and they just show how the circuit runs. A diagram helps with finding go no go or point to point locations, but this finder walks you through the entire pathway. Excellent diagnostic tool, used them for decades. Like the mans said, time is money.
I deal with some older equipment and don't have wiring diagrams for all of it. Sometimes you have to just dive in and figure it out. I don't use this tool often but when I do it's worth every penny. Thanks for watching and the great feedback.
Holy Guacamole! Where has this been all of my life haha! Sold...
I literally ordered one before your video was finished.
It has paid for itself in time saved for sure. Thanks for watching and commenting.
That’s brilliant, I have used a similar product from my days working on telephone systems it worked okay but not as good as this product. The main reason the telco one isn’t as good as it runs on 9vdc
I bought the kit with the ect 2000 years ago and have never used it. This video explains it better than any other.
I don't use mine often, but when I do, I'm very glad I own it. Thanks for the great comment.
Video starts at 3:29 for those of us who don't need to see the unboxing
*Thanks. Pretty cool. Probably going to get one when they come up used.*
Can definitely save some money watching for used items to come up. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Didn't have high hopes for this but, after watching, this can be very handy tool for anyone that does this regularly. Don't know if it helps but some alligator clips that can go on the end of your probes could be useful. I have a full set of Fluke attachments that have saved me more than once but there's probably a ton of different kinds.
For the short test I wish you had shown the other side to see what it says. I am not sure if it would have shown up as just open because the fuse piece is gone or if it would just not given anything since the circuit has no short.
Good point. Thanks for your input. I will keep it in mind for future videos.
Don't waste your money. I bought this kit and it works well on a single, stand alone wire, but any wire in a harness, which is every wire, will induce the tone in the harness, making it impossible to narrow down. Additionally, the tone signal is weak unless you are directly on top of the wire, which we all know is practically impossible in the real world where harnesses run through firewalls, under carpet, into dashboards, etc..
Didn't read the instructions, did you?
Thanks for warning us 🙂👍
@@woodybear8298could you please elaborate on this a little bit more? I don’t have the kit yet, but thinking get one of these. Any steps need to follow in order to get the tracing accuracy?
I bought a powerprobe kit way back. A waste of money imo ooohhhh you can energize a circuit with it pfft still sitting under one of my toolboxes collecting spider webs
Why don't you just use a multimeter and set it to continuity and back probe the harness? Using a butt connector on a harness that's already having problems, it'll get you down the road for awhile but just open the harness and either move or replace it. Otherwise you're just making more work for yourself later when you got sacked out copper into a burnt butt connector. If it burned up the wiring once, unless you fix the underlined cause of why that harness broke/burnt in the first place it's just going to do it again. And second time around is normally when they used to show up. Glad I got out of doing harnesses and tucks.
Great video, I think this could be an essential tool for vehicle wiring and troubleshooting. I am a really good with industrial machine wiring but even with a good vehicle schematic in my hands I have still been stumped by automotive wiring and shorts while chasing with my meter, disturbing these harnesses or connectors to look for the problem only to have the stupid issue disappear and return later. Especially with CANBUS network shorts.
Has this ever helped you with vehicle network shorts etc. Thanks again for the video.
Intermittent problems are the worst to find. I have not used it on any canbus issues...yet. when I do I'll let you know. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Yaa! Nice, I had one like that that, the tool would have made it way easyer!
Thanks for watching. I'm glad I bought it.
Need a longer probe. I like it
Thanks for watching and your input . I appreciate it.
I will admit that this tool seems to be worth it. I have a common problem with egr valves on dodge caravans that this might just help with. Not sure that I'd want to spend their label tax for what seems to be essentially a line voltage detector, like you'd use in household wiring to find a live circuit though...
I think it's worth it. It does have problems reading through thick harnesses. Not the only tool I use, but I'm glad I bought it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Here In am looking at this thing again. I have the little AC circuit tracer from HF and a Fluke 3000. They don't always help with to many wires together. The Fluke uses 2 9V batteries. This could too and skip all that hard wiring hook up.
Good to see this vid> i have a problem with my Datsun dischargin Battery, Sparking all over. so i have to get one of this POwer probe. thank u for share it.
Great demo ...thanks. I have the Probe. Time to add on the 3000 etc.
It's great to have. Don't use it a lot but when I do, I'm glad I own it.
Thank you SIR !
You are very welcome. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I learned something new today, thank you
You are very welcome. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Must-have.
It doesn't get a lot of use but I'm happy I bought it. Very useful when you need it.
That's awesome even points to short
Thanks for watching and commenting. I'm glad I bought this tool.
GREAT presentation / Demo
Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching and the great comment.
sold me on it!
Glad you liked the video. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I consider this a rich mans luxury......Wiring diagrams are the necessity. Haven't seen anybody use one in 40 years, worked at dealerships and always had factory wiring diagrams.
It is amazing how many techs don't know how basic electrical works, the difference between an open/ short. Even after they attend a factory school session! How to use a multimeter. How to use a meg ohm meter (for hybrid/ electric cars). I know a bunch of guys who have power probes but never use them, probably because they haven't read the directions. I don't own a power probe but I can see it's usefulness. Factory wiring diagrams are fantastic and interactive now although I could zip through the old wiring diagram books just fine. Dealership tech here. You still wrenching?
Great video, I got one to try find a short in my van not to sure if it’s any good for canbus wiring? I could not find it it just keep beeping and stopping I would pick the loom tape off and nothing. On the other hand It has been excellent for sending signals through house wiring to see where the ends are 👍
Waw great video and smart technic
Thanks for the kind words!
Nice job.
Thanks. I appreciate your positive feedback.
I'm always curious about good products that will save you time. I'm going to definitely look into that thanks😅
It doesn't get used a lot unless you do large amounts of electrical work. But when you need it, you are happy you have it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Could this tool set be used to find a parasitic power drain that kills the battery after maybe 2 days and if so how would you use it for that purpose?
Not that I know of. If I think of a way, I will let you know. Thanks for watching.
A zillion thanks, this is exactly what I need! Like you said, that short could have been anywhere... what a huge time saver!
It definitely helped me out. Thanks for watching and commenting.
My my yes my brother needs one of those
Very handy to have. Thanks for watching.
Wow, thanks. Excellent video & tool!
You're welcome. Thanks for watching and the great feedback.
Great video... Great demo too... THANK YOU !
Thanks for the great comment.
I love the demonstration! Great video and well explained!
Thanks for watching and the great feedback. I really appreciate it.
Great vid brother.
Much appreciated. Thanks for the positive feedback.
Excellent video, thanks for taking the time to share. Cheers
You are very welcome. Like I said in the video, I think it paid for itself in the first few jobs. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Mixed feelings on this kit. It is difficult to use when wires run in a wire harness.
It's great for small harnesses but not so effective on large ones. It even states that in the user's manual. But like I said in the video, I think it almost paid for itself in two jobs. Thanks for watching and I appreciate your feedback.
That was a great video left a like for sure
Much appreciated. Thanks for the great feedback and for watching.
Will this also detect where and why you have a parasitic draw????
No very likely
that is an awesome tool. thanks for the video
No problem! Thanks for watching.
Thank you! I've taken it to the dealership many times for this. I kept getting the truck back but with same issue. Shame on them.
Picked one up myself haven't used it yet. Like seeing that thing in action tho! I could watch short finding vids all night! Lol
I don't use it a whole lot, but it has saved me a lot of time on a few different occasions. Let me know how you like it once you use it a few times. Thanks for watching and commenting.
wow . would it find the short or broken wire in a full wire harnes .
I hope you get this message that was a great video and I'm definitely going to be looking into this in the future hopefully I have enough money to purchase this amazing product wow
Thanks for watching and the great feedback. It's not a tool you use on a daily basis, but when you need it, you're glad you have it. Thanks for watching.
You presented this information very well.
Thanks for watching and the great feedback.
A *good* Fox and Hound used *correctly* by an *experienced tech* is worth its weight in gold for sure! (Not automotive per say but have done pretty much all manner of electronics over the past 20 years)
Good point. Thanks for watching, I appreciate your feedback.
LOL try that on a newer car with Can system or hybrid systems, you'll be having a really hard time, note that tractor or whatever it was had very basic simple wiring did not look like much of a problem to solve.
Add blinker fluid it fixes everything.
Summer or winter?
This tool is great to have.
Works 90% of the time.
10% is experience.
That's very true. Experience is priceless. Thanks for watching and commenting.
We have something in the computer world that does essentially the same thing to help track down Network ports
And the "something in the Computer World " is ?!!!
Great video! very well made and informative.
Thanks for the great feedback. I really appreciate it.
What do I think?
I think I'm buying one. I have at least three different vehicles around here that have annoying to immobilizing electrical gremlins. Thanks for the excellent video!
Thanks for watching and great feedback. I hope it works well for you. Keep me posted.
Thanks for demonstration, it looks like a very useful tool!
Yeah I could see this definitely saving time, and I am not sure how much this costs, however I've been doing something similar with my Klein wire tracer that has saved me a couple times and it has a fairly decent sensitivity range. I'm not sure if this would be any better or not. Perhaps the op has some input if he's used both tools. Is this any better??
Not bad at all. Thanks for sharing
You're welcome. Thanks for watching and the positive feedback.
Harbor freight has the one tool you used, from a different manufacturer called Cen-Tech for $20. Same thing but uses internal 9volt batteries that it comes with instead of the vehicles 12v. Even has two different tones to pick from for you liking and a canvas zip up case that holds all the components. Cant imagine what that entire kit cost you bought but i know just the power probe 3 is around $ 300 plus all the other stuff in that kit, it isnt cheep.
I have one similar to what you describe. I got it from napa years ago. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Retired certified master heavy duty tech and certified electronics tech since 1994. I think I still have a Cen-Tech in my box. It worked okay, but like other tools, some work better and/or are more durable than others. I like the sensitivity adjustment. With shorts to ground the signal can seem to come from everywhere, especially in large harnesses tucked into tight spaces. Some antenna designs are more efficient than others also. Used a Power Probe for years, If I was still working I would definitely have this newer kit.
Harbor freight carries Power.Probe brand now and you can get a coupon that works on it about 4 times a.year.
very nice
Glad you liked it!