The meter should read close to 0 ohms when you touch the probes together.
If it doesn't you need to figure out why.
   It sounds like you have an analog type meter with a needle.  It would
have a battery or two which are needed only for the resistance range(s).  If
the meter was obtained a long time ago, the batteries are probably dead.
They are not needed for voltage and current measurements on an analog meter.

Larry A.

On 10/18/07, Eastman, Cecil @ ELM <Eastman.C@atwoodmobile.com> wrote:
>
> I tried to test the switch last night with a Heathkit multitester that I
> got
> a long time ago from a friend.  I got no readings whatsoever:  the
> ohm-meter
> never moved off of the infinity end of the scale no matter how much I
> moved
> the throttle switch around.  I also tried messing with the knobs on the
> tester but to no avail.  I thought this kind of test was supposed to be
> easy.  Am I (still) doing something wrong here?
>
> I know the bus is running rich because I've removed the plugs a couple of
> times to clean them and yes, they were very black.  And while I didn't get
> complete satisfaction from the mechanics, they did what I asked them to do
> and that was to get the thing running.  You're right: they chose the
> low-hanging fruit, but at least it was cheap stuff and they didn't do any
> harm by going into stuff for which they had no experience.  I use these
> guys
> for our "normal" car and they do well enough.
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Geza Polony
> Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2007 9:29 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Running rich.....me too
>
> You have other things to consider. But first, what makes you think it's
> running rich? You don't say.
>
> Replacing the plugs, rotor, etc. will never cure a running rich problem.
> Shops do this because it's the easiest thing they can imagine besides
> giving
> it a tire polish. Puts money in the till, but not much more. Careful--next
> they'll want to replace the ECU, another easy one that almost never solves
> any problems.
>
> What you should really be paying for is a mechanic with diagnostic
> abilities.
>