No, you are all mixed up. I am going to try to idiot-proof this testing as much as possible.
Turn your multimeter to continuity-test (if it has that) or to the lowest "ohms" (resistance measurement) setting (they ALL have that). Place the multimeter cables in the correct plugs for making these measurements - some meters require the cables in different sockets depending on what you are measuring.
Turn the multimeter on without the two test leads touching each other. Note what the display says. Typically it will display something like "--" indicating that it is not getting any connection between the two test leads. That is what an "open circuit" with "infinite resistance" will show - a circuit with no electrical connection through it. Now, touch the test leads together. If your meter has a continuity-test function, it will typically beep indicating that there is continuity (electricity can pass through the circuit - which it should; you are shorting the test leads directly to each other). If your meter is only a resistance-test, it should display a small number at this point, possibly even zero (which is what you are doing - it is a direct short circuit because the leads are touching each other) but most meters cannot measure very small resistances accurately, so if you get a display like "0.6" indicating a resistance of (in my example case) 0.6 ohms, that is what your meter shows for a short-circuit (a circuit that conducts electricity with no resistance - because you are touching the test leads directly together).
If you are with me so far, you now see what your meter displays for an open circuit (no electrical connection) and a short circuit (complete electrical connection - "continuity").
Now ... You want to make sure that there is "continuity" between the voltage regulator and the battery on both the ground and positive sides of the circuit. Ground has to connect to ground, positive has to connect to positive.
Test #1. Unplug the regulator. Disconnect battery negative terminal. Identify which terminal in the regulator's plug leads to the red (positive) wire in the wiring harness coming out of that plug. Measure resistance / continuity between that positive terminal and battery positive (the one that is still connected to the battery - not the one you disconnected) Tell us what the outcome is for test #1/
Test #2. Unplug the regulator. Disconnet battery negative terminal. (So far, same as above.) Identify which terminal in the regulator's plug leads to ground. I don't know what Suzuki's colour codes are, but it will not be the positive (red) wire that you identified above, and it will not be any of the three identically-coloured (usually white or yellow) wires - usually there is only one left, that's the one. Measure resistance / continuity between that negative terminal and battery negative cable (the one that you have disconnected from the battery). If you cannot identify which wire is ground, hold the one test lead from the meter against the battery negative cable while probing each of the other terminals in the regulator's plug except the one that you know is positive from the above test. You should get no continuity (infinite resistance) at all terminals except the ground terminal, which should show continuity (near-zero resistance). Tell us what the outcome of this test is.
The wiring harness itself is not polarity sensitive. Electricity doesn't care which way it goes through a copper wire.
Turn your multimeter to continuity-test (if it has that) or to the lowest "ohms" (resistance measurement) setting (they ALL have that). Place the multimeter cables in the correct plugs for making these measurements - some meters require the cables in different sockets depending on what you are measuring.
Turn the multimeter on without the two test leads touching each other. Note what the display says. Typically it will display something like "--" indicating that it is not getting any connection between the two test leads. That is what an "open circuit" with "infinite resistance" will show - a circuit with no electrical connection through it. Now, touch the test leads together. If your meter has a continuity-test function, it will typically beep indicating that there is continuity (electricity can pass through the circuit - which it should; you are shorting the test leads directly to each other). If your meter is only a resistance-test, it should display a small number at this point, possibly even zero (which is what you are doing - it is a direct short circuit because the leads are touching each other) but most meters cannot measure very small resistances accurately, so if you get a display like "0.6" indicating a resistance of (in my example case) 0.6 ohms, that is what your meter shows for a short-circuit (a circuit that conducts electricity with no resistance - because you are touching the test leads directly together).
If you are with me so far, you now see what your meter displays for an open circuit (no electrical connection) and a short circuit (complete electrical connection - "continuity").
Now ... You want to make sure that there is "continuity" between the voltage regulator and the battery on both the ground and positive sides of the circuit. Ground has to connect to ground, positive has to connect to positive.
Test #1. Unplug the regulator. Disconnect battery negative terminal. Identify which terminal in the regulator's plug leads to the red (positive) wire in the wiring harness coming out of that plug. Measure resistance / continuity between that positive terminal and battery positive (the one that is still connected to the battery - not the one you disconnected) Tell us what the outcome is for test #1/
Test #2. Unplug the regulator. Disconnet battery negative terminal. (So far, same as above.) Identify which terminal in the regulator's plug leads to ground. I don't know what Suzuki's colour codes are, but it will not be the positive (red) wire that you identified above, and it will not be any of the three identically-coloured (usually white or yellow) wires - usually there is only one left, that's the one. Measure resistance / continuity between that negative terminal and battery negative cable (the one that you have disconnected from the battery). If you cannot identify which wire is ground, hold the one test lead from the meter against the battery negative cable while probing each of the other terminals in the regulator's plug except the one that you know is positive from the above test. You should get no continuity (infinite resistance) at all terminals except the ground terminal, which should show continuity (near-zero resistance). Tell us what the outcome of this test is.
The wiring harness itself is not polarity sensitive. Electricity doesn't care which way it goes through a copper wire.
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