About Automotive Diagnostics Software
If you want to really know what is going on under your car's hood, you need automotive diagnostics software. Automotive diagnostics software interfaces with your vehicle's engine control computer, or ECU, to provide real-time diagnostics and troubleshooting data. Automotive diagnostics software can also reset your check engine light (CEL); retrieve the trouble codes stored in the ECU, and narrow down potential causes for problems. This is the software used by a dealer or garage to diagnose your car when you take your car in to have it worked on.
Virtually all modern vehicles include an ECU, sometimes called an engine control module (ECM). The ECU/ECM monitors various sensors located throughout the engine, fuel, and exhaust systems. In a fuel-injected engine, sensors feed the ECU or ECM information that the computer uses to make constant minor adjustments to fuel and air mixture. When the ECU detects a problem it cannot fix, it activates the CEL and stores a trouble code for later retrieval that points the mechanic toward possible problems.
Prior to late 1995, manufacturers tended to have proprietary ECUs, proprietary diagnostics protocols, and proprietary codes. This was not only difficult for professional mechanics, but also for people who wanted to work on or tune their cars. That changed on New Year's Day, 1996, when every vehicle made in the United States was required to be standardized in this respect. All vehicles must have an interface to the ECU, called an on board diagnostics II (OBD-II) connector, within three feet of the driver's seat, designed to be reachable without tools.
This law opened the door for third party automotive diagnostics software. Modern automotive diagnostic software comes with a dongle or interface cable that connects the OBD-II to the laptop via a serial, USB (Universal Serial Bus), or Bluetooth (wireless) interface. The program interfaces with the vehicle's computer to log sensor data and other real-time parameters. Automotive diagnostics software is used with the ignition key in the accessory position for some purposes, but the engine can also be running for advanced troubleshooting or tuning. This makes automotive diagnostics software particularly useful for logging real-time data. Voltage readouts, oxygen sensor testing, and monitoring of various systems are all included functions of automotive diagnostics software. It is important to note that there are three types of OBD-II compliant systems in vehicles today. Automotive diagnostics software that can read all three flavors of OBD-II is known as "universal" auto diagnostics software. This software will be more flexible for multi-car families or for future vehicles than automotive diagnostics software designed to read just one of the three protocols. Before purchasing any software, check to see what kind of OBD-II system your vehicle has.
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