Question 1

Help. i have a short or bad ground somewhere in my automobile, battery and alt new  - i think wires going to the pcm.  will this help identify? thanks

Accepted Answer

This is called a parasitic draw and a multi step process can isolate it down to a single component.  You start with checking the draw on the battery.  Remove the negative terminal and set the meter to 10 AMPS with the black lead plugged into the the COM connector female on the bottom and the red plugged into  10 amp female on the far left.  Clamp the black lead to the negative battery cable connector that you removed and touch the red lead to the negative terminal. If you get a reading higher than a quarter of an amp you the battery is discharging and depending on the draw it will run down over night.  A tip: Make sure everything is off in the car by closing the doors and removing the bulb from courtesy engine compartment light. If the bulb is inaccessible just duct tape the switch down.  Also if you entered the car to pop the hood you should wait for the computer to go back to sleep - about 20 minutes - before running the test.  If there is a draw you should start isolation by pulling fuses - when you pull the right fuse the reading will drop to 1/4 amp or so.  The fuse fronts a wiring harness bundle and you can see what circuits it is protecting on a schematic - first thing to check are switches on the bundle and any after market additions to the harness.  Most times it will be an open switch but a poor installation of additional lights or accessories is also a high suspect spot for a short.  If a switch replace it or even just open it (turn it off).  If a short you need to isolate the individual circuit on the harness bundle.

Short isolation is a difficult time consuming task and rather than describe it I recommend that you watch this video on YOUTUBE.  It is the best I have found for going all the way to the source of a short.  Second tip is to have a helper with the fuse pulling and remember that some vehicles have 2 or 3 fuse boxes. GOOD LUCK, this is time consuming but not rocket science.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5zLxD74r20

Question 2

Does it have a beep function to check connections?

Accepted Answer

If you're referring to the Testing for Continuity function -- yes.  "The buzzer sounds if the resistance of a circuit under test is less than 70 ohms".

Question 3

could this measure down to say 0.1 ohms?

Accepted Answer

R = V / I. That depends on the accuracy of V and I, plus the current by-passed when you are measuring V.

Question 4

Does the volt meter itself ever need recharging?

Accepted Answer

It uses a 9 volt battery but trying to replace the battery is tricky as the battery just rests in the case and the case has to be closed just right to keep the battery in place... and my unit stopped working properly after i replaced the battery.

Manufacturer	Etekcity
Brand	Etekcity
Model	MSR-R500
Product Dimensions	10.16 x 7.37 x 3.56 cm; 226.8 g
Batteries	1 9V batteries required. (included)
Item model number	MSR-R500
Manufacturer Part Number	MSR-R500
Item Weight	227 g

Etekcity Msr-R500 Digital Multimeter, Amp Volt Ohm Voltage Tester Meter With Diode And Continuity Test, Dual Fused For Anti-Burn, Red

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