Measuring Voltage With a multimeter, you can measure both AC and DC voltage—particularly useful for locating short circuits or determining if a rechargeable battery is holding a charge.

For all of you who have a multimeter thrown in a drawer or toolbox but don’t know how to use it, these instructions will help in your search for missing voltage.

Automotive circuits will use either, depending on the circuit. To test the battery, you’ll want to use the DC voltage setting. This will be illustrated by a ’V’ with a straight line beneath it.

Turn the multimeter dial to the DC voltage position. If your meter has autorange abilities (adjusts its voltage sensitivity by itself) just look for the voltage symbol (V) with a straight line ...