CHEVYTHUNDER.COM
Troubleshooting
The first picture above shows what I consider to be a "must have". It is sensor tester, this one made by Actron. The list of sensors it can test is incredible. TPS, Ignition modules, CST, MAT, IAC, etc. Some items will have to tested on vehicle, but others such as the tps and ignition modules can be tested off vehicle, which can be extremely helpful if you are the salvage yard and you want to test items before you buy them. The tester comes with how to instructions and wire probes to make connections. The second picture is a vacuum pump. This particular one made by MityVac is another "must have". It is comes with full instructions and a list of hoses and connectors. You'll need to test items such as fuel regulators and egr valves.
The item above, is one that I have had for many years, as you can tell. It is a vacuum gauge, and everyone who works on their own vehicles surely must own one. If you don't, you'll need one to do troubleshooting for a low vacuum condition, along with the hand vacuum pump. If yours has a fuel pressure gauge built in as this one does, absolutely DO NOT use it to test fuel pressure on your tpi system! It is only rated up to 15 psi (see warning above). The second picture shows a tester I made to easily check the resistance of fuel injectors. DO NOT use this to hook up fuel injectors to a 12V power source! The fuel injectors are made to operate in milliseconds of power on source, you can not apply and remove power from them quick enough without destroying them, if you fail to heed this, you will learn a very expensive lesson! The ONLY fuel injector to check with direct 12V is the cold start injector. Since this injector uses a power source from the ignition, you can safely check for a clogged cold start injector.
Another important tool is the noid light. It plugs into the fuel injector connector and then you crank your engine to see if the light flashes. It is handy to check for faulty ignition and fuel injector wiring to the ecm. Available at most automotive parts store, consider this a must have item.
