circut tester

what is a good circut tester tool? any suggestions welcome thanks!

for troubleshooting overall you need a couple circuit tester tools. A 12v test light (you can easily make one of these yourself), and a simple multimeter - yes the ones hanging in WalMart's auto section for instance. Less than $15. Some scan tools have such a meter built in, but I'd rather have a separate meter.

Depending on what you're testing you might want other things but those two come to mind first.

its for trouble/ shooting,trying to learn how to test my steering wheel buttons(i have replaced the battery) but they still work,but for instance when i use my volume button on my steering wheel it turns on my heater/ac. the temp button on my steering wheel changes radio from fm to am, some times the work as they should (sometimes that is)and  the radio and head unit all works properly bye its self, also i want to check my turbo charger with the circuit tester ,im getting the p0640every blu moon ,when i get on the gas every once in awhile it throws that code, and every so often when the light is on and get on the gas it goes back out?thanks for reading . albertj thanks for the info!

Rivieraz wrote:

its for trouble/ shooting,trying to learn how to test my steering wheel buttons(i have replaced the battery) but they still work,but for instance when i use my volume button on my steering wheel it turns on my heater/ac. the temp button on my steering wheel changes radio from fm to am, some times the work as they should (sometimes that is)and  the radio and head unit all works properly bye its self, also i want to check my turbo charger with the circuit tester ,im getting the p0640every blu moon ,when i get on the gas every once in awhile it throws that code, and every so often when the light is on and get on the gas it goes back out?thanks for reading . albertj thanks for the info!

The steering wheel switches each simply connect a different resistance across wires, which is 'read' to different results.  Details are in the service manual. The inexpensive meter should work fine, provided you find the right wires to check.

As for the p0640 code, you were told back in July 2020 there's no P0640 for the Riv (says Alldata) - so if you're really still getting the P0640 maybe the real problem is you need to replace the PCM, unless you didn't do what was suggested in the other threads.  I don't know.  Maybe the problem is the scan tool is wack - Alldata says some scan tools will read a P0640 when they mean a P1640, see the link: https://www.2carpros.com/questions/climate-control-aux-cig-lighter-not-working.   About that PCM:  GM used the same silver box on different models, with somewhat different guts/programming of the EPROM in each model. You can swap them (for instance put one from a LeSabre into a Riv) but when you do weird stuff goes wrong (dash gauges work wrong, wrong codes, etc.)  

All that said, My Wild Guess is you have a P1640 and maybe your boost solenoid needs to be replaced. Warning - this is a guess.

See the threads:

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/t7188-code-p0640-for-1995-sc

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/t6819-write-up-series-i-code-1640-finding-a-fault#101917

thanks albertj i am a liitle slow to get to things sometimes' but i i just replaced the boost solenoid and the purge soleniod and your right it was the scanner i got a tech 2 and the code comes up p1640. no problems with the tranny shifts fine(rebuilt about a year ago) nothing looks tampered with under driver kick panel, do steering wheel button contacts get dirty and can they be cleaned? im in the service industry after this saturday we are closed until jan 6,figured i'll have some time on my hands and start learnig how to diagnose/check/and learn with my new tech 2' circut tester, and most important FSM!!hopefully i'll get some more thing done on the beast.Happy Holdays everyone!!!!

Rivieraz wrote:

thanks albertj i am a liitle slow to get to things sometimes' but i i just replaced the boost solenoid and the purge soleniod and your right it was the scanner i got a tech 2 and the code comes up p1640. no problems with the tranny shifts fine(rebuilt about a year ago) nothing looks tampered with under driver kick panel, do steering wheel button contacts get dirty and can they be cleaned? im in the service industry after this saturday we are closed until jan 6,figured i'll have some time on my hands and start learnig how to diagnose/check/and learn with my new tech 2' circut tester, and most important FSM!!hopefully i'll get some more thing done on the beast.Happy Holdays everyone!!!!

You're not slow, give yourself credit -- you looked at it, read the manual, learned what was needed and different people learn somewhat different ways.  We help each other on here.  

Warning:  I am not always right, and can "sound" right when I either am not, or have reached a good concluding based on wrong info or wrong reasoning.

I do not know if the steering wheel switches on the Riv can be disassembled and cleaned. On the 2004 Rendezvous I used to own, they certainly can matter of fact on that car you just pop the switches out with a nylon spudge or similar. Then you remove the switch covers, the switches themselves are little metal reeds with contacts on the ends; you just clean them up, reassemble them and you're good to reinstall them in the wheel.

BTW could you send me a PM about the Tech II you got?  I am shopping around but not in a hurry to get one.

EBAY Special inspection tool For Gm Tech2 Diagnostic Scanner SAAB ISUZU w/32 MB Card IT WAS 299.00 , it is a knock off china scanner , i just hope it works properly! time will tell.  and EVERYONE IS ABSOLUTELY KIND ON THIS FORUM WITHOUT A DOUBT!THANKS AGAIN

THIS IS EVERYTHING IT COMES WITH

seen them as cheap as 200.00 but that is shipped on a slow boat from china, ALIEXPRESS.COM

Rivieraz wrote:

seen them as cheap as 200.00 but that is shipped on a slow boat from china, ALIEXPRESS.COM

Thanks and yes we'll see how that works out.

Albert