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Engine Diagnostics
Engine mechanical and electrical diagnosis is more than just plugging in a "magical machine" that tells you what to fix. In fact, with all the expensive fancy diagnostic equipment out there, a "magical machine" does not exist. It requires a combination of the latest and best diagnostic equipment combined with the knowledge and experience of highly trained technicians to interpret the codes and data gathered from the equipment to make an accurate diagnostic in a timely manner. Let me explain!
SCAN TOOLS
A scan tool, as it's referred to in the industry, is essentially a hand-held computer loaded with software and hardware that can connect to your vehicle, communicate with it and in some cases it can interact with your vehicle and tell your vehicle what to do! It often has capabilities to reprogram your vehicles computer in the event that the vehicle manufacturer has identified a software problem with the vehicle's computer.
This piece of equipment is used to gather information from the vehicle's computer such as trouble codes (stored in the vehicles computer memory when a fault is detected), data streams (list of live sensor reading values), and freeze frame data lists (a list of sensor data the computer records at the exact time of a detected failure). Using all these items, a technician can determine what system or sensor circuit is having trouble. From here the technician must now determine what part of the malfunctioning circuit or system is at fault.
LAB SCOPES
Lab scopes are different from scan tools in that they don't interface with the vehicle's computer system. Instead they take direct voltage, amperage, or resistance measurements straight from the wire on the circuit that is being tested; most commonly back-probed at the sensor or control module connector so as to avoid damage to the wiring. Lab scopes require more time to hook up to the vehicle, more expertise and experience to understand and operate, but offer a much faster sampling rate and can catch glitches in sensors that may go undetected with a scan tool.
IGNITION SCOPES
Ignition scopes are inductive-based scopes that are similar to lab scopes, except no physical wire-to-wire connection is made to the system tested. This is necessary because if you pierce an ignition wire (or spark plug wire) the wire will be damaged and will malfunction causing an engine misfire. When electricity passes through a wire, it creates a magnetic field around the wire that can be measured with an inductive probe attached to a scope. A waveform is generated on the scope screen and a trained technician can interpret the wave form and make an informed decision on what may be wrong.
This is a basic run down of what could be involved in a typical engine performance diagnostic routine. Of course it would be impossible to list every tool or step involved as each case is going to be different in what tools and procedures are used. That's where a competent technician comes in!
TECHNICIANS
The technician is the most important part of the diagnostic process. You can have all the tools and equipment in the world and if you don't know how to interpret the data and information you get from those tools, you haven't gotten anywhere! Our technicians are ASE certified, two of which have the ASE MASTER certification and all Auto Go technicians are constantly training to make absolutely sure that they stay up to date in an ever-changing industry.
SCAN TOOLS
A scan tool, as it's referred to in the industry, is essentially a hand-held computer loaded with software and hardware that can connect to your vehicle, communicate with it and in some cases it can interact with your vehicle and tell your vehicle what to do! It often has capabilities to reprogram your vehicles computer in the event that the vehicle manufacturer has identified a software problem with the vehicle's computer.
This piece of equipment is used to gather information from the vehicle's computer such as trouble codes (stored in the vehicles computer memory when a fault is detected), data streams (list of live sensor reading values), and freeze frame data lists (a list of sensor data the computer records at the exact time of a detected failure). Using all these items, a technician can determine what system or sensor circuit is having trouble. From here the technician must now determine what part of the malfunctioning circuit or system is at fault.
LAB SCOPES
Lab scopes are different from scan tools in that they don't interface with the vehicle's computer system. Instead they take direct voltage, amperage, or resistance measurements straight from the wire on the circuit that is being tested; most commonly back-probed at the sensor or control module connector so as to avoid damage to the wiring. Lab scopes require more time to hook up to the vehicle, more expertise and experience to understand and operate, but offer a much faster sampling rate and can catch glitches in sensors that may go undetected with a scan tool.
IGNITION SCOPES
Ignition scopes are inductive-based scopes that are similar to lab scopes, except no physical wire-to-wire connection is made to the system tested. This is necessary because if you pierce an ignition wire (or spark plug wire) the wire will be damaged and will malfunction causing an engine misfire. When electricity passes through a wire, it creates a magnetic field around the wire that can be measured with an inductive probe attached to a scope. A waveform is generated on the scope screen and a trained technician can interpret the wave form and make an informed decision on what may be wrong.
This is a basic run down of what could be involved in a typical engine performance diagnostic routine. Of course it would be impossible to list every tool or step involved as each case is going to be different in what tools and procedures are used. That's where a competent technician comes in!
TECHNICIANS
The technician is the most important part of the diagnostic process. You can have all the tools and equipment in the world and if you don't know how to interpret the data and information you get from those tools, you haven't gotten anywhere! Our technicians are ASE certified, two of which have the ASE MASTER certification and all Auto Go technicians are constantly training to make absolutely sure that they stay up to date in an ever-changing industry.