On-board diagnostics (OBD) is an automotive term referring to a vehicle's self-diagnostic and reporting capability.
OBD systems give the vehicle owner or repair technician access to the status of the various vehicle subsystems. The amount of diagnostic information available via OBD has varied widely since its introduction in the early 1980s versions of on-board vehicle computers. Early versions of OBD would simply show there is a problem but won't give any info.
Modern OBD implementations use a standardized digital communications port to provide real-time data in addition to a standardized series of diagnostic trouble codes , or DTCs, which allow one to rapidly identify and remedy malfunctions within the vehicle.
Through the years on-board diagnostic systems have become more sophisticated. OBD-II, a new standard introduced in the mid-'90s, provides almost complete engine control and also monitors parts of the chassis, body and accessory devices, as well as the diagnostic control network of the car.
OBD-II signals are most often sought in response to a "Check Engine Light" appearing on the dashboard or driveability problems experienced with the vehicle. The data provided by OBD-II can often pinpoint the specific component that has malfunctioned, saving substantial time and cost compared to guess-and-replace repairs.
Scanning OBD-II signals can also provide valuable information on the condition of a used car purchase.
OBD-II Diagnostic Trouble Codes are 4-digit, preceded by a letter:
P for engine and transmission (powertrain)
B for body
C for chassis
U for network.
OBD-II connector is required to be within 2 feet (0.61 m) of the steering wheel (unless an exemption is applied for by the manufacturer, in which case it is still somewhere within reach of the driver).
Below are few of DTCs that can be found
P00xx – Fuel and air metering and auxiliary emission controls.
P01xx – Fuel and air metering.
P02xx – Fuel and air metering (injector circuit).
P03xx – Ignition system or misfire.
P04xx – Auxiliary emissions controls.
P05xx – Vehicle speed controls and idle control system.
P06xx – Computer output circuit.
P07xx – Transmission.
P08xx – Transmission.
The following two characters would refer to the individual fault within each subsystem.
This DTCs can be read the help of a scanning tool which can be purchased either online or automotive shops.
They can be:
1. Professional hand held device: Professional hand-held scan tools possess more advanced functions, it access more advanced diagnostics, Set manufacturer- or vehicle-specific EU parameters, access and control other control units, such as air bag or ABS and Real-time monitoring or graphing of engine parameters to facilitate diagnosis or tuning.
2. Mobile device-based tool and analysis: Mobile device applications allow mobile devices such as cell phones and tablets to display and manipulate the OBD-II data accessed via USB adaptor cables, bluetooth (ELM connectors) or WiFi adapters plugged into the car's OBD II connector. An additional software is required to be installed on the mobile device for decoding the received data.
3. PC-bases scan tool and analysis platform:
A PC-based OBD analysis tool that converts the OBD-II signals to serial data (USB or serial port) standard to PCs or Macs. The software then decodes the received data to a visual display. Many popular interfaces are based on the ELM or STN1110 OBD Interpreter ICs, both of which read all five generic OBD-II protocols.
I will advice all car owners to own the mobile based device and the full version software so that u can perform scan on your car for faults whenever u notice and problem instead of the trial by error done by mechanics.
I purchased my device from China and bought the full version app on Google play.
Below is an image of the scan tool software from my Android device.
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