I think another pattern I'm seeing here is that when people suggest a solution or a path forward to you, you give a reason why you don't think you can do it and then you go on asking more questions, continuing the pattern. I get that you're new to this, but so were all of us at one time. The ONLY way to learn is to roll up your sleeves and get in there. You can buy a $10 multimeter on Amazon that will do the job, and YouTube will be your friend as you learn the basics.
This.
And starting several threads all related to the same topic which overcomplicates things for other members who:
a) have similar issues and looking for answers/guidance
b) contributors who feel like they have to respond to the same questions twice, three times ,etc
There's a multitude of like-kind iboughtatahoe's threads that can be consolidated into three 'master' threads:
1) Exhaust Leak
2) Transmission
3) Potential Water Damage
Moving everything into one thread for each topic will create a more streamlined, centralized repository for the OP as well as other users in similar situations, both now and in the future where they can find input in one place for each of the above topics vs having to search for and jump from thread to thread to thread. If the OP feels his questions aren't being answered or they're being missed, he can simply bump the thread.
Additionally, he has received advice, feedback and recommendations from folks who have forgotten more about fixing/maintaining these vehicles then the OP (or I) will ever know across all of his threads so combining them into master threads would put all that expertise in one place for each topic.
Just my .02.