Diagnosing problems in today’s automobiles often requires a diagnostics test. This test reveals hidden problems that you may not know about without the test. As you can imagine, the quicker we can diagnose and repair your automobile the less expensive the bill due to reduced labor costs. Let’s talk more about engine diagnostics in your automobile below.
Engine Control Unit
The engine control unit or module is the main computer chip in your car, truck, or SUV. This chip controls many things including the balance of air and fuel in the combustion chamber and the firing order of the spark plugs. System sensors report data to the engine control unit at all times well your vehicle is running so it knows that the systems are working as they should be. If the sensors report a problem to the engine control unit, it will try to resolve the problem on its own.
System Sensors
Let’s talk more about the system sensors. All of your vehicle’s systems including the brake system and the fuel system have sensors. When you first ignite your vehicle, you will see all of the dashboard warning lights light up. During this time, the system sensors are scanning the systems for problems. If everything is all right, they report this to the engine control unit and it turns off the associated warning light. The sensors also continue to monitor the systems while you are driving your automobile.
Dashboard Lights
This is to ensure that you are made aware of problems as they arise. For example, assume you are on your way to work in the morning and all of a sudden, the ABS light turns on. In the course of your commute, something has gone wrong with the anti-lock brake system and the system sensor reported this to the engine control unit. The unit was unable to resolve the problem, so it turned on the ABS light to let you know that there is an issue with the anti-lock brake system.
Diagnostic Test
Enter the diagnostic test. Let’s assume that you drove straight to our shop. In order to determine the specific problem with the anti-lock brake system, we would run a diagnostic test to get the error code that the system sensor used when it reported the problem to the engine control unit. This code will tell us exactly what we need to do to repair your anti-lock brake system.
This is the benefit of engine diagnostics. It allows us to save time in diagnosing and repairing your automobile. Call us today to schedule a diagnostic test.