Power circuit probe tester recommendations

After a nightmare of a time trying to find an broken wire on a gradall recently (I finally found it almost by accident after all of my traditional testing methods led nowhere) I am looking to add a power probe sensor to my toolkit. Any recommendations and where do they not work?

Are you talking about the Power Probe brand testers? I have a Power Probe III. It is a good tool for some things but it can't replace a multimeter. What do you want to use it for?

If a guy takes the time to learn all the features and techniques of the Power Probe III, it’s a handy tool. Yes, it does not replace a DVOM, but the things it can do, it does well. Not out much money if you hate it.

Maybe I am not calling it the right thing.

The Ancel is a competitive product to the Power Probe III. I’m not familiar with the Ancel tool, but it does the same thing for less money. Maybe someone else has more experience with the Ancel.

I think I tried using this unit a couple of months ago to try to.find an open circuit in a dump trucks blinker wiring and decided that they were useless. And again another one that I borrowed from an electrician friend afew years ago to find a broken wire in the control cable for the crane on my truck, and it was useless on 12v dc systems. On the dump truck it turned out that I didn't have a broken wire, I had a bad multi switch ( turn signal switch). Primarily I would be using it to find opens and shorts in wire looms and control cables. I had a Gradall in my yard for two months with a crank no start that I knew had a problem with the 12v supply to the ecu. But I could not prove it with with pin out tests or load tests on the circuit. Yesterday, I happened to have someone in my yard so i could retest the circuit while pulling and bending the wire. Found the open immediately. Long story short, I had to bill a long time client a ridiculous amount (and had his machine out of commission for exactly two months) to fix a problem that was basically replacing an inline fuse holder, six inches of wire and Delphi weather pack connector pins. And I actually only billed him for about half the time I spent on it. Still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Couple of days ago another client (who is a dodge truck motor head) asked me if I had one of these testers. I told him that in my experience they were useless on 12 & 24 volt systems. But now I wonder if I had one maybe I could have fixed the Gradall in one day instead of two months. Been doing what I do for a pretty long time now and really don't buy too many new tools. Other than 9/16, 3/4, 10mm and 8mm sockets (it is amazing how often those fall into dozer belly pans or just grow legs and walk away). But I have bought a couple of game changers in the last few years that turn out to be surprisingly useful and versatile. 1/4 ton chain hoist (that I thought I would never use, my truck has a crane) that I bought just to change a hydraulic pump on a d8. I use it so often that I know have two on the service truck and another in my shop. I honestly can't remember a week going by without needing it. My FLIR camera. Damn! I only bought it because a few years ago I wanted a Caterpillar branded phone that had one built in, but it was only available through a carrier that I hate. So.I bought a stand alone unit. I now use it for so many things. Parasitic battery draw, a/c, misfires... I even used it last month while replacing bushings on an npk hammer. I guess maybe another one is a smoke machine that I bought on a whim. I think I bought it to find post turbo leaks for an old d9. But I have used it for Ac leaks. Exhaust leaks and coolant leaks since. It isn't as useful as the other two... But it is kind of fun. So, maybe I need this new tool. I am an old dog... Teach me a new trick

I hope there is a better wire tracer out there. The ones I have used are useless if the wire is in a bundle . The signal goes to all the wires and is useless.

Mr. Wrench said: Are you talking about the Power Probe brand testers? I have a Power Probe III. It is a good tool for some things but it can't replace a multimeter. What do you want to use it for? Click to expand... I think he's looking more for a wire tracer?

I use one of these to trace a wire through a loom. If its broken in the loom, you can usually follow the probe to the break, then open up the loom where the signal stops at. https://www.amazon.ca/Sperry-ET64220-Tracker-Wire-Tracer/dp/B00279JLBQ

I purchased a Vdiagtool V500 off eBay. Very compact, lots of functions and has a wire tracer. Easy to keep on the truck. The only difficult part is learning all of the functions that I don't use too often. Cheaper than wasting time with lots of other, multiple gadgets.

Mobilewrench said: I think I tried using this unit a couple of months ago to try to.find an open circuit in a dump trucks blinker wiring and decided that they were useless. And again another one that I borrowed from an electrician friend afew years ago to find a broken wire in the control cable for the crane on my truck, and it was useless on 12v dc systems. On the dump truck it turned out that I didn't have a broken wire, I had a bad multi switch ( turn signal switch). Primarily I would be using it to find opens and shorts in wire looms and control cables. I had a Gradall in my yard for two months with a crank no start that I knew had a problem with the 12v supply to the ecu. But I could not prove it with with pin out tests or load tests on the circuit. Yesterday, I happened to have someone in my yard so i could retest the circuit while pulling and bending the wire. Found the open immediately. Long story short, I had to bill a long time client a ridiculous amount (and had his machine out of commission for exactly two months) to fix a problem that was basically replacing an inline fuse holder, six inches of wire and Delphi weather pack connector pins. And I actually only billed him for about half the time I spent on it. Still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Couple of days ago another client (who is a dodge truck motor head) asked me if I had one of these testers. I told him that in my experience they were useless on 12 & 24 volt systems. But now I wonder if I had one maybe I could have fixed the Gradall in one day instead of two months. Been doing what I do for a pretty long time now and really don't buy too many new tools. Other than 9/16, 3/4, 10mm and 8mm sockets (it is amazing how often those fall into dozer belly pans or just grow legs and walk away). But I have bought a couple of game changers in the last few years that turn out to be surprisingly useful and versatile. 1/4 ton chain hoist (that I thought I would never use, my truck has a crane) that I bought just to change a hydraulic pump on a d8. I use it so often that I know have two on the service truck and another in my shop. I honestly can't remember a week going by without needing it. My FLIR camera. Damn! I only bought it because a few years ago I wanted a Caterpillar branded phone that had one built in, but it was only available through a carrier that I hate. So.I bought a stand alone unit. I now use it for so many things. Parasitic battery draw, a/c, misfires... I even used it last month while replacing bushings on an npk hammer. I guess maybe another one is a smoke machine that I bought on a whim. I think I bought it to find post turbo leaks for an old d9. But I have used it for Ac leaks. Exhaust leaks and coolant leaks since. It isn't as useful as the other two... But it is kind of fun. So, maybe I need this new tool. I am an old dog... Teach me a new trick Click to expand... I have some gray hair myself buddy. Will have to look into the FMIR camera deal. Wanted to look at which power probe I have before I posted but that might never happen. It is at work and I post at home. It is nowhere close to new. Mine does have a unit to send a frequency down a wire and a tracker that will beep. Sometimes it is awesome and other times it is not. It will not read across a 3 inch wire loom. While working on a JCB wheel loader it would not follow the the harness at the areas I could get to. The harness on the right side of the machine, under the window on the right side of the cab, pretty much has every circuit for the entire machine run through it. It would beep behind the cab but not anywhere I could get to going forward. I could get to the harness in the middle of the cab and opened it up. Still could not get a signal with all the wires spread out. Ran a wire from the back of the cab to the middle and spliced it in. Transmission life was good again. That machine had multiple transmission problems and a man named Hugo? was a tremendous asset. When I told him we were pushing it to the shop, put it in gear and drove it away he said that is impossible. Thank I made him mad and he excommunicated me. Hate when the happens! Many times it can be ran down a harness right to the fault. It was useless on the last one I used it on. Semi tank trailer and 30 feet of wire. Power at one end and none at the other. The probe would beep from one end to the other. Turn the lights on and no marker lights. The harness and air lines were inside a plastic sleeve. That went through a bracket about ever 3 feet. The sleeve and insulation of one wire were worn through except a few strands. It would carry enough current for the tracker to follow it but not enough for the lights to light.

They can be useless if you don’t learn how and exactly where they work. I have had a few and currently have a quite expensive one and still can’t seem to get it to work right. That said, the job I bought it for, it did perfectly and paid for itself in one invoice. Maybe one of these days, I will take the time to actually learn how to use it properly.

I have a mini clamp meter that can measure 0.010 amps in DC and use it along with my Fluke 87-5 and my 2 amp test light bulb set up or 5 amp, or 8 amp load. I can check any wire or ground for weakness with it along with computer positve feeds and negative feeds. Works very well to check cab grounds, or monitor grounds under real world load conditions. I put quality Meuller clips on the ends to make hooking up to Battery Positive or negative easy. Simon C

Costed about $20 total for me and non of the other tools will load a circuit comparably from what I know, which isn't much. Simon C

Actually, mine came with a small box that has a led in it that lights up, if the circuit is good for over 7 amps on 12v. It’s buried outside but I believe it also tests relays. The issue I have had is adjusting the sensitivity, because there are so many grounds tied together.

Nothing works testing wires passing through a trailer fifth wheel plate except no power on either end or up the back door frame work to top markers.