Fluke 87 Multimeter
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Update: May 2004 - The Fluke 87-III has been upgraded to the Fluke 87-V (shown above). The majority of the information in this section is applicable and true for this new meter. The differences (related to automotive measurements) between the newer version of the meter and the older version are:
- The ranges have been changed from (4, 40, 400, and 4000) to (6, 60, 600, and 1000). This will allow easier measurements of the new 42 volt systems without changing ranges at 40 volts.
- The meter will display a warning if the meter leads are placed in the wrong input terminals.
- Built-in thermometer
- Bigger screen
The Original Fluke 87 True RMS Multimeter and its subsequent versions are an excellent choice for automotive use. There are a few other comparable meters on the market today, but it is the author's opinion that this is the finest meter available for automotive use.
Two main features make the Fluke 87 stand out over other Multimeters are:
First it has a 1ms (1000 samples per second) Min Max mode, the newer models; Fluke 87 Series III, and Fluke 87 Series V, have a 250µs (4000 samples per second) mode. These modes allow you to capture intermittent electrical problems that happen too quickly to see with your eyes or on a scan-tool.
The second feature that is invaluable for ABS work is the AC True RMS voltage readings. True RMS voltage readings are accurate no matter what the voltage waveform looks like. Other meters are only accurate when reading AC voltages if the voltage waveform is a sine wave, like on a wall socket.
Since there are no sine waves on a typical automobile that can be measured, non-True RMS meters, or averaging meters, will not read accurate when measuring the voltages of devices like wheel speed sensors, crankshaft position sensors, camshaft position sensors, distributor pole piece coil, etc. Two meters, one True RMS, the other not True RMS, will have two different readings when measuring the same AC voltage except when measuring a sine wave.
