[lespaul]

I have a 78 SC. It failed safety inspection in VT because the reverse lights did not light. I read this thread. Fuse is fine, bulbs are fine and the rear brake, turn signal and running lights are fine. Honestly, I don't know whether the reverse lights were ever working during my ownership (VT got more strict in its inspections this year). Before I dig into replacing the switch, I would like to confirm it is the switch that needs to be replaced. I have a multimeter but have limited education on how to use it.

If I remove the two wires in the switch and touch them together with the ignition on, should the reverse lights come on? If this is not a good test, exactly how would I use a multimeter to test the switch? Where would I put the leads to the multimeter, what setting on the multimeter would I use, and what would I look for. Sorry for the dumb questions about using a multimeter. BTW -- can someone recommend a basic resource to help me understand how to use a multimeter properly?

TX