Well, you can cobble together a VOM out of parts in your garage, but it will still be the same. You need something with probes that will fit in your socket and measure the voltage. That's a VOM, no matter how you look at it. I wouldn't use one of those light stick probe things, for two reasons.
1 - They're junk.
B - You need to know how much voltage there is. Not just if there's 12V.
Problem fixed.. The prior owner had done a hack job attempt of wiring. I thought I had traced it all down and fixed it but apparently missed a 22g ground wire at the drivers kick panel that had broken.. Fixed it and problem solved... Thank you all for the help.