On-Board Diagnostics, or OBD, in an automotive context, is a generic term referring to a vehicle’s self-diagnostic and reporting capability. OBD systems give the vehicle owner or a repair technician access to state of health information for various vehicle sub-systems. The amount of diagnostic information available via OBD has varied widely since the introduction in the early 1980s of on-board vehicle computers, which made OBD possible. Early instances of OBD would simply illuminate a malfunction indicator light, or MIL, if a problem were detected—but would not provide any information as to the nature of the problem. Modern OBD implementations use a standardized fast digital communications port to provide realtime 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.
- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
From the definition above one can begin to grasp the importance of understanding this system and how important it is for technicians to increase their awareness about the latest automotive technologies. I have added a few videos to this page that should give you a better idea of exactly how this technology works. Click here for more info.
Reading Trouble Codes
ScanTool CanOBD2 and CarChip Pro
The CCR EOBD/OBDII Code Reader
