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Took me 5 years to realize I was using continuity test wrong
I always used the continuity test to check wires end to end. Got called out on a Gulfstream 450 after I traced a fault to a bad relay. Turned out the wire was fine but the pin had a hairline crack where it crimped into the connector. Continuity test passed because the crack closed up under probe pressure. A senior tech told me to wiggle the wire while testing. That simple trick caught three more bad pins on the same harness. Now I never trust a static continuity check on any connector. Anyone else have something dumb they did for years before someone corrected them?
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wood.uma10d ago
The biggest trap is assuming your meter leads are perfect too. I had a Fluke set that would pass continuity on a connector pin every time, but only when I held the probes at exactly the right angle. Turned out one of my test lead tips had a tiny burr that lost contact on certain connector shapes. Now I always test my test leads by touching them together first, then I test the meter on a known good connection before trusting any reading. That burr cost me three hours chasing a phantom open circuit on a Cessna 172 magneto switch.
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max_cooper2110d ago
Heard you loud and clear on that one. I used to think my leads were good until I had a similar phantom issue on a King Air. Now I double-check them every time because of you, @wood.uma.
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harperp249d ago
Test your testers" applies to everything from jumper cables to phone chargers honestly.
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