[alfa] MarelliPlex & multimeters

[alfacybersite <acs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Frank Smith was kind enough to forward me Centerline's test procedure 
for the control module. Essentially the test is to eliminate any of the 
other items in the "system" leaving only the control module as the 
guilty party if all tests out. Or if you prefer - process of elimination.

Everything has tested out except...the resistance between the + and - on 
the coil which is supposed to be .69 to .75 ohms. I get a wee bit over 2 
ohms on both my Alfetta and "other" MarelliPlex coil. I'm concerned the 
error might well be in my ancient Radio Shack analog multitester. It 
only goes to 0 which is logically at the end of the ohm dial. Had it 
gone past 0 I would have surmised all was okay. However, when testing 
the ohms between the coil's center "socket' and either the + or the - it 
should read between 7100 and 8700 ohms. Testing with the dial set on 
RX1k, I get 6200 ohms on both coils. However, after retesting with it 
set on RX100 (and with needle close to the center) I now get 8200 ohms 
on both.

I'm thinking it is time to invest / go modern with an electronic 
multimeter for more accuracy. About 99% of the times I use my 
multitester is to see if a bulb is burned out or it isn't getting 
electricity (volts of course), or if one end of a wire belongs to 
another end (ohms).

I've always heard that coils virtually last forever unless something 
major causes them to fail. It occurs to me that both coils "could" have 
degraded the same over the years, but rather doubt the coincidence.

What nice, bulletproof, accurate, multimeter do youse guys recommend? I 
have a catalog from the ToolWarehouse.net which lists several from 
$439.75 (automotive specific Ferret) to $36.50 (ES). I prefer the latter 
price, but am realistic.

I rather liked the specs of the ES Deluxe Auto-ranging Digital 
Multimeter with RPM & Temperature @ $79.25.

Biba
Irwindale, CA USA 
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