® Trick Tools #3: Power Resistor




This small item is one of the most important tools an electrical diagnostician can own. A power resistor such as this is indispensible in troubleshooting alternator stators. Stators usually fail when stressed, and consequently show good readings when unplugged from the system. This tool, a 2-Ohm, 100-watt resistor, stresses the stator roughly equal to its normal operating load, thereby providing a real-world test of stator output. Simply clip the resistor in parallel with your test meter's leads and check stator output. Click on the image above to go to the source for this important tool.

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