Inspection Procedure
CAUTION:
In order to prevent possible personal injury from a moving vehicle or from an operating engine, perform the following steps before performing the checks:
- Place the transmission in park.
- Engage the parking brakes and block the wheels.
- Disconnect the battery feed at the distributor.
- Check the voltage drop between the ground (the battery negative terminal) and the vehicle frame.
Place one probe of the J 39200 on the grounded battery post (not on the cable clamp) and the other on the frame.
Operate the starter and note the voltage reading.
- Check the voltage drop between the battery positive terminal and the starter terminal stud with the starter operating.
- Check the voltage drop between the starter housing and the frame with the starter operating.
- If the voltage drop in any of the above is more than 0.5 volts, there is excessive resistance in the circuit.
In order to eliminate resistance, the cables should be disconnected and the connections should be cleaned.
If the cables are frayed or the clamps are corroded, the cables should be replaced.
When selecting the new cables, ensure that the new cables are the same length and the same diameter as the original cables being replaced.