The OBD-II and ECM Systems

One of the most beneficial of all the technological advances in the automotive sector – to auto technicians and consumers alike – has been the computerization of vehicles’ components. That’s because now, thanks to built-in processors, sensors and microchips, vehicle diagnostic tools quickly and accurately point to problem areas in a vehicle’s engine or elsewhere, using specialized software. Take, for instance, what Go-Green Auto Service Corp will be covering in this blog: Engine diagnostics with the OBD-II and ECM systems. Engine diagnostics keep emissions low and engines running efficiently. The OBD (On-Board Diagnostics) System is a technological device that detects problems in a vehicle’s engine. This system was created to help control vehicle emissions, and your vehicle basically monitors and diagnoses its own performance with it. Every vehicle built to be sold in the United States since 1996 must have the OBD-II System. It detects malfunctions in the engine and promptly notifies the driver every time something is wrong with the vehicle by triggering your “Check Engine” light on your dashboard. Go-Green Auto Service Corp knows that nothing can knock your day off track faster than a “Check Engine” light popping up on your dashboard. The way the OBD system works is that it sends a message to your engine’s ECM (Engine Control Module) computer system. The ECM is in charge of controlling many of your engine’s processes, such as air/fuel mixture and emissions; it monitors your engine with sensors and keeps emissions low, keeps your engine running efficiently, and, when necessary, it also adjusts emissions and/or engine timing. If your OBD-II system detects a problem, it records and stores the corresponding code for the problem, which can then be accessed by a technician with a special scanner for such. A trained technician hooks up her/his computer to your ECM System to receive the error code and diagnose the problem. Thanks to this marvelous technological advancement, the OBD system has made it all that much easier and precise for a technician to instantly determine what is actually wrong with your engine, and thereby eliminating the guesswork. Separate computers or scanners that also check for problems with your engine are also sold on the market. These are the same scanners that technicians use to receive and diagnose the problems stored by your OBD-II System. You can purchase one of these scanners to periodically check your engine’s performance, or you can continue to rely on your OBD-II System and have your personal technician here at your world-class Go-Green Auto Service Corp inspect your vehicle every time your “Check Engine” light decides to turn on.

The beauty here is that the OBD-II System detects problems before they hurt your vehicle’s performance and become damaging to your engine, expensive to your wallet, or crazes you with stress. These diagnostics help you save time, money, and stress, by letting you take care of problems in their early stages. How simple and convenient that these diagnostics detect problems and immediately turn on your “Check Engine” light to alert you of such! It’s a work of genius, we tell ya! But you must always take it very seriously when your “Check Engine” is illuminated. Always remember that you definitely have a problem with your engine when your “Check Engine” light remains on, and it MUST be checked RIGHT AWAY. You can be gravely damaging your engine when you ignore your turned-on “Check Engine” light. Your vehicle also may not pass its emissions tests when this light remains on. You’re always good, though, thanks to your wisdom of having selected the world-class Go-Green Auto Service Corp to be in your corner on your side. Great for you! For, as you know, of the highest quality and at the greatest prices in the Big Apple, we expertly do it all vehicles under the one same roof, including auto bodywork and paint. Go-Green Auto Service Corp truly is the most complete, full service auto service center around. Much like annual checkups from our physician keep us in good health, the same thing goes for our vehicle: Regular diagnostic tests detect our vehicle’s problems before they require expensive repairs, or worse, leave us stranded on the side of a lonely, faraway road after a late-at-night breakdown. So next time you’re at our shop in Brooklyn, please remind us to show you in person how you yourself can run a diagnostic on your vehicle. It is very simple yet important because we will be teaching you how to take a proactive approach to car maintenance and not simply always wait for the “Check Engine” light to come on. With your engine turned off, you basically plug your vehicle code reader into your diagnostic link connector under your dashboard; you then start your vehicle and follow the auto code reading procedure in your instruction manual. You’ll even be able to have an idea of what is happening with your vehicle before you bring it to Go-Green Auto Service Corp when your “Check Engine” light goes bonkers. Thank you and see you next time!