{"id":13062,"date":"2022-01-21T17:03:16","date_gmt":"2022-01-21T16:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/?p=13062"},"modified":"2022-01-21T17:03:16","modified_gmt":"2022-01-21T16:03:16","slug":"diagnostic-tools-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2022\/01\/21\/diagnostic-tools-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Increase in electronics drives need for diagnostic tools"},"content":{"rendered":"

Diagnostic tools have become essential to maintenance.<\/p>\n

The amount of time diesel technicians spend on electronic diagnostics has grown as the number of electronics on Class 8 trucks has increased, and technicians are turning to diagnostic tools to help streamline repairs and increase efficiency within the shop.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is going electronic and digital. Electronic control modules and electronic control units are showing up everywhere,\u201d said Bruno Gattamorta, vice president of sales and marketing, Cojali USA Inc.<\/a>, which manufacturers the Jaltest Diagnostics tool. \u201cEverything is going to be electronic in a certain element.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jason Hedman, product manager at Noregon<\/a>, a diagnostic repair and data analytic solutions provider, said that on average, trucks manufactured in 2000 contained fewer than three ECUs connected to a vehicle network. Today, the average new truck contains 21 or more.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis major uptick in ECU count opens the door for more electronic and communication errors<\/a>, signifying the importance for technicians to be proficient on tools and applications that help them diagnose, troubleshoot, and repair electronic issues,\u201d Hedman said.<\/p>\n

The use of electronic sensors has not only grown exponentially, but will continue to increase, said Thomas Kotenko, a general manager for NEXIQ Technologies<\/a>. \u201cYou, in essence, have a moving computer. Everything is signaled through electronics,\u201d he said. \u201cNow, a technician isn\u2019t working on an engine; he is working on a computer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allison Whitney, a spokesperson for Autel<\/a>, a developer of intelligent diagnostics, detection, and analysis systems, said scan tools have become essential to repairing and servicing vehicles<\/a> as electronic sensors and components manage multiple systems within the truck.<\/p>\n

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\"Diagnostic<\/div>\n<\/div>
Diagnostic tools have become essential in order to maintain today\u2019s vehicles.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cMost shops will perform a quick triage-like scan as soon as the vehicle enters the bay door and before the hood is popped, just to get a quick idea of the extent of the issues they are dealing with. Without a diagnostic tool, it\u2019s a total guessing game, and techs would need to swap out parts in the hope that they are replacing the right one,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, Gattamorta said fixing electronic issues is more complicated than replacing a component that failed. \u201cWhen you look at wires, there are probably 100 yards in Class 8 trucks,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have to start navigating the wire. Is there interference? Is it a short circuit? Wiring is set up in blocks so you can segment by areas, but as you can imagine, you still have to go in with a detective cap and figure out where the cable went wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

That is why wiring diagrams can be so helpful, but an OEM wiring diagram could take up a whole wall in a conference room, Gattamorta said. The Jaltest Diagnostics tool has a wiring diagram for the entire truck. \u201cIt shows you how everything connects to each other and how you go from system A to system B. You can see the wiring diagram, see the cables, and how they\u2019re connected to the pins,\u201d he said, adding the information can simplify repairs.<\/p>\n

Hedman said trucks have become too complex to simply rely on a code reader and a wrench to diagnose and repair an issue. Today\u2019s technicians must be proficient in multimeters, refractometers, and other handheld tools, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsider the rise in pending faults since the advent of EPA 10 engines. Technicians can\u2019t rely on dash lamps and active fault codes if they expect to dispatch a healthy truck. Diagnostic tools that show pending faults allow proactive repairs to be made, so issues don\u2019t arise when the truck is on the road,\u201d Hedman said.<\/p>\n

With Noregon\u2019s JPRO\u2019s Data Monitor, technicians can chart data points across multiple ECUs to help discover wiring or communication issues. \u201cThis helps technicians discover the general area of a communication failure and use a wiggle test, multimeter, or other method to pinpoint the exact wire or sensor causing the issue,\u201d Hedman said.<\/p>\n

Increased use of electronics is also placing a more significant strain on batteries, and Whitney said battery analysis tools have become necessary as the modern vehicle evolves. \u201cJust consider how much is expected of the vehicle battery with systems such as stop\/start ignitions and the expansive safety and infotainment systems,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Autel\u2019s line of starting and charging analysis tools helps technicians analyze the three components that comprise the starting and charging system\u2014the battery, the starter, and the alternator\u2014giving a clear and concise analysis of each system along the way, Whitney said. The MS909CV now comes with a battery analyzer accessory tool so new tests can be performed wirelessly through the tablet tool. Technicians can test the battery or electrical system components individually.<\/p>\n

Duane Watson, technical trainer for Bosch Aftermarket Service Solutions<\/a>, said knowing the battery voltage is as important as reading codes at the time of vehicle diagnosis. Bosch has built a voltage gauge in its OBD-II diagnostic tool on all of its ADS scan tools. \u201cThese scan tools can be paired with a BAT 120 battery tester. It allows the scan tool to be a full-blown battery tester and electrical system diagnostic tool,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Hedman said many technicians are visual learners, so the JPRO tool interface presents graphics that are easy to understand. \u201cFor example, the visual display during a battery diagnosis in JPRO contains a large graphic consisting of key data points in their respective areas, helping technicians quickly learn which items are out of range,\u201d Hedman said.<\/p>\n

Whitney said that scan tools themselves have advanced significantly as equipment technology has advanced. \u201cOur tools show freeze frame data for each of the codes that can show the technician what was happening prior to the code be setting off,\u201d Whitney said. \u201cThe ability to perform active tests on components is another vital feature.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advanced tools translate into improved diagnostics. \u201cAs technicians like to say, codes tell on one another, and often one code begets another, and the tech needs to go deep and find what is the root of the initial and subsequent codes,\u201d Whitney said. \u201cThat\u2019s where the active component testing becomes an essential feature of a good diagnostic tool.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the trucking industry\u2019s greatest challenges is the technician shortage, so shops need to maximize technicians\u2019 time, Kotenko said. \u201cRather than using the old school method of obtaining a trouble code, technicians can use a scan to be more efficient,\u201d he said. \u201cThe time savings would at least be one- to 10-fold.\u201d<\/p>\n

Technicians simply can\u2019t compete with the efficiency of a diagnostic tool when trying to repair electronic issues, Hedman said, and tools help technicians find the exact location of a failure, resulting in a much more streamlined process.<\/p>\n

Gattamorta said diagnostic tools can guide diesel techs through the repair, which can be helpful for techs not familiar with a particular piece of equipment and can speed repairs for even seasoned technicians.<\/p>\n

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This article originally appeared in Fleet Maintenance<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Mindy Long<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Source: https:\/\/www.fleetowner.com\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Diagnostic tools have become essential to maintenance. The amount of time diesel technicians spend on electronic diagnostics has grown as the number of electronics on Class 8 trucks has increased, and technicians are turning to diagnostic tools to help streamline repairs and increase efficiency within the shop. \u201cEverything is going electronic and digital. Electronic control…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":13063,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[181,53],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13062"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13062"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13064,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13062\/revisions\/13064"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}