Car Remapping

Car Remapping

All you need to know about car remapping and the services that can be done to remap a car's engine. If you want know whats done with your engine before you have it remapped please read on through this article and you will have a good knowledge on car remapping. Have you wanted to know more about whats done when a car engine is remapped? Do you want your car engine remapping but not sure what you getting into? This article should give you a better understanding of what car remapping is and what done to your cars engine whilst its under the remap.

ECU Remapping:

OK lets start of with ECU remapping which is the software program that's in control of the "Engine Management System", also known as the "Engine Control Unit" (ECU).

The main reason people go for ECU remapping in their car is because all car manufacturers set a default value to all that's set within the ECU, due to some countries having to have lower settings because of laws and the different climate, weather and a number of other factors. This means that no ECU is set to its max performance for a single country, meaning that its only optimized for a mixed environment. This stops your car from performing at its best levels, the best way to change this and get your car running at its best for our climate is with ECU remapping.

You should preform ECU remapping on your car if you have made modifications such as exhaust, intake mods and engine parts. These "bolt on" modifications such as exhausts will alter the way a car engine flows and a change in air flow to your vehicles fuel ratio will often be caused by this type of modification. You could be losing performance through your fuel tables if you do not have your car remapped after such changes and modifications.

The most common ways in which ECU modifications are performed is by ECU remapping which is when a specialist tuner will use a OBD flash tool to make edits to your vehicles ECU to give it better performance or a replacement of the ECU may be done, this is when your current ECU is replaced with a whole new ECU in its place.

OBD Remapping:

OBD or On Board Diagnostics is the terminology meaning a cars (or any motor vehicles) self diagnostics and reporting capabilities of the vehicles engine. On board diagnostics allows you to access the information about your vehicles state and various other sub systems to allow them to be checked and edited if needed. As OBD has grown and changed through the years we have seen some major changes is the on board diagnostics systems, making what can be done with OBD much better and with more in-depth diagnostic capabilities, since it was first introduced early in the 1980's.

Chip Tuning:Is all about editing a vehicles controls and how it handles, this is done with the editing of the EPROM which if done correctly will give you much better performance in many ways including more power, lower emissions, cheaper fuel and many more engine improvements.

As times have changed so has the possibilities of chip tuning and car remapping, by this we mean the ways that remapping and chip tuning have improved giving us more power with this type of car mod due to the many things that can now be edited and changed in this way. Since the early 1990's remapping and chip tuning have become more and more modern along with all electrical products, opening up more and more ways in which we can edit and improve the cars performance such as; ABS, valve timing, electronic throttle control, automatic transmission, boost control (turbo charged engines), electronic stability control, speed governor and many more factors of a vehicles engine.

For more information on car remapping see Remapping Guides [http://www.aatechnik.co.uk/remap-tuning-guides], also check out Car Remapping Services [http://www.aatechnik.co.uk/services].

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The Diagnostic OBD2 Scanner and Reader

The Diagnostic OBD2 Scanner and Reader

A diagnostic OBD2 Scanner is an electronic device which is considered invaluable in the field of automotive repair dues to its ability to retrieve and provide critical information that will aid in the analysis and diagnosis of any technical issues. It also has a counterpart known as the ODB2 reader which is pretty much similar to that of a scanner in terms of use except it is much less versatile. This is due to the fact that most readers do not have the ability to provide a description when a particular trouble code is given as opposed to most OBD 2 Scanners today. With the reader, you would have to cross reference the codes you retrieved with a list of known trouble codes in order to decipher it. Most OBD 2 scanners also pack a lot of extra features such as a "save on fault screen" and provisions for reading sensor voltages which can prove extremely useful and saves a lot of time in conducting diagnosis which involves a lot of test wherein you are likely to encounter sensor fault issues which would cause other devices to reset and lose data previously retrieved.

Without this feature, you would basically have to start from square one. Most OBD scanners also set provisions to disable an illuminated check engine light should you choose to and provide real time test emission status which is a very important aspect in terms of your vehicles compliance in emission testing. Also note that any vehicle who has an illuminated engine check 

light would automatically fail any 

vehicle compliance test even if it just 

involves minor systems.

The chilton auto repair manual are constantly being revolutionized today and we can only expect to see more advanced features being integrated or introduced due to technological expansions and the development of more advanced interfaces. One good example is a mandatory interface system introduced way back 2008 in the United States which is called the CAN (Controlled are network). This interface is used to relay information throughout various modules that are connected to one another as a network in the on board diagnostics interface. The system as well as the chevrolet repair manual are all linked with the PCM (Power train control module) feeding it with specific constant real time data. The PCM then relays instructions to the power train system based on the information retrieved from the modules in doing a particular task, in what order it is to be done and how much output is required.

Mike has been working on cars and trucks since he got his first Olds 442 in the early 70's. Since then he was worked on many vehicles and is deeply interested in electronics and the new computer controls of todays vehicles. While it might seem they are limiting the DIY'r he thinks just the opposite. With the right OBDII Code Reader [http://www.motorbookguy.com/Diagnostic_OBD_2_Tools_s/6.htm] and Haynes repair Manual [http://www.motorbookguy.com] you can do far more than the days of screwdrivers and timing lights.

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On-Board Diagnostics 2 Codes

On-Board Diagnostics II Codes

Codes, possibly one of the most prolific things in this Earth not counting the cockroaches. Bar codes, country codes, zip codes and a lot of other codes are perhaps the shortest and most convenient way of "tagging" and object or instance. Codes seem to be an impressive and daunting array of incomprehensible numbers but once you get the trick of knowing how to understand them, it all becomes as easy as pie. This kind of convenience has been in use in almost all modern technologies from consumer goods to computer errors. The On-Board Diagnostics 2 or OBD 2 systems are no exception, these systems also use codes called On-Board Diagnostics 2 Codes or OBD 2 Codes to express in short whatever vehicular problem and/or malfunction. The On-Board Diagnostics 2 systems are simply a monitoring device used in keeping track of your car's "health." The OBD 2 Codes are essentially the systems way of telling you what the problem is and is linked to a probable solution or solutions.

The OBD 2 Codes are technically referred to as OBD 2 PID's or "Parameter ID's," which is of course is just a fancy term for error codes or messages. These codes are used as a means of requesting and relaying data from the vehicle's brain which is the Engine Control Unit or ECU. The OBD 2 Codes are part of the standard 1979 OBD 2 interface which was required to be installed and standardized in all cars made in the United States of America. To make use of these codes a technician or the vehicle owner himself will connect a reader to the OBD 2 interface which will enable the owner and/or technician to know what's wrong with the vehicle.

OBD 2 Codes are usually expressed in hex followed by the specific error code. All PID's are preceded by a hex or a six-digit number and then the error code which can be alpha-numeric or just numbers; it depends on the situation and problem. However, even with the standardization of the OBD 2 systems there are still some manufacturer specific OBD 2 Codes; sometimes there are even model specific OBD 2 Codes. Having knowledge of OBD 2 Codes is still useless without a scanner or reader device for your OBD 2 System. These scanners let you, the user, know what the error code is and therefore let you know what to do in order to fix the problem. There are a wide variety of OBD 2 scanners and/or readers available on the market, these devices are a valuable tool in vehicle maintenance, upkeep, and repair. The OBD 2 scanner is a device which is attached to the OBD 2 interface and displays the current "health" of your vehicle. The OBD 2 reader is not very different from the scanner since some of their functions overlap, the difference only is that the OBD 2 readers provide you a "translation" of the different OBD 2 Codes that tell you what's wrong or what might go wrong with your vehicle.

Mike has been working on cars and trucks since he got his first Olds 442 in the early 70's. Since then he was worked on many vehicles and is deeply interested in electronics and the new computer controls of todays vehicles. While it might seem they are limiting the DIY'r he thinks just the opposite. With the right OBDII Code Reader [http://www.motorbookguy.com/Diagnostic_OBD_2_Tools_s/6.htm] and Haynes repair Manual [http://www.motorbookguy.com] you can do far more than the days of screwdrivers and timing lights.

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OBD to Keep Your Vehicle In Top Shape

OBD to Keep Your Vehicle In Top Shape

How many of us drive brand new vehicles? In this economy I would wager that most of us are driving a pre-owned car, SUV or truck at least for one of our vehicles. I know I have only had one new vehicle in all my years of driving and I know that owning a used vehicle can mean a possible increase in maintenance issues.

Not all of us are mechanics or even mechanically inclined, but we are aware of the value of keeping our rides in good shape. Changing oil on regular basis, having the brakes checked or changing and rotating tires are all things we can easily take care of. But what about keeping our engine performing at peak efficiency?

Did you know that since 1968 all vehicle manufacturers were required to have emission control systems on their vehicles? To meet this requirement, manufacturers developed fuel and ignition systems that were controlled electronically through an onboard computer. These systems employed sensors that measured engine performance and adjusted the systems to provide minimum pollution and be easily accessed to provide diagnostic assistance.

Initially, there were few standards and each manufacturer had their own systems and sensor signals. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) came up with a standard connector plug and set of diagnostic test signals In 1988, which the EPA also adopted. The result was what is known as OBD I or On-Board Diagnostic protocols. In 1996 the SAE came out with OBD-II which enlarged the on-board diagnostic standards and practices. developed by SAE and instituted in 1996.

So what does that mean to you and me, the average car owner? It simply means that your vehicle has evolved into a set of complex systems that would boggle the mind of any shade-tree mechanic from back-in-the-day. Figuring out what is wrong with your ride requires the use of special diagnostic tools that can access the on-board computer system to retrieve the codes sent by the various sensors and stored in the computer. Once you have those codes you can take the next step to determine what the code means and how to fix it.

Even though your mechanic has all these special tools, you also have access to OBD ii scan tools that allow you to read the codes and determine the cause of any malfunction in your vehicle's performance. There are variety of auto code scanners available in various price ranges and capabilities so there is no reason not to have one in your toolbox.

To find out more about OBD ii scan tools and how they can be a benefit to you including how they can save you money go to http://www.obdiiscantoolreviews.com.

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OBD II Code Reader Or OBD II Scanner

OBD II Code Reader Or OBD II Scanner

OBD Scan stands for On-Board Diagnostic Scan. It was originally used for tracking auto emission from automobile. Essentially, you can plug  Handheld OBD automotive scanners into automobiles located along or on the underside of the dash using OBD cable for a comprehensive diagnosis of the engine. All gasoline powered automobile in the United States manufactured from 1996 onwards are fitted with a plug-in that allows scanning by an OBD II code reader for anything related to the engine or engine troubleshooting. Most vehicles prior to 1996 use the older version known as OBD 1. The differences between the two is that in the case of OBD 1, there is no uniform system in identifying problems associated with the engine failure since each automaker used their own codes and definition.  

The development of OBD II  scanner has simplified the problem of identifying engine failure for multiple auto brands by standardizing onboard diagnostic system in all automobiles manufactured from 1996 onwards.  

Once the handheld OBDII scanner is plug-in, live data related to your automobile's engine will appear on the scanner's LCD screen. It can also be used to check engine light and provide information on the automobile's fuel injection efficiency and throttle related problems. Most importantly you can check your engine emission status whether it is in compliance with the state mandated smog emission.  

Should there be failure in the engine, such as anything related to oxygen sensor, temperature sensor, throttle sensor, temperature sensor, it will show up and recorded on the screen under DTC or Diagnostic Trouble Code. This is just an indicator giving warning about the engine's fault. However, do not buy any replacement parts just yet because such warning could just be due to a bad sensor or blockage causing abnormal high or low reading. Whether it is a bad indicator or otherwise, it is a good start to discover any real problem with your engine. It is then necessary for a further investigation onto the specific area around the problem indicated before you go out and purchase any replacement parts.  

The OBD scan devices can be further connected via a serial port to a computer to show complete diagnosis or troubles with your engine. OBD diagnostic tools are a must for auto owners and what used to cost thousands of dollars can be purchase for less than  $100 to $400 each. Whether you are a DIY enthusiast or a professional technician, a comprehensive PC based report can be generated to tell you the problems and a solution database to help solve the problem also. You can engage a professional technician for $100 who will be using a similar OBD scan tool for diagnosis of your vehicle or you can get one and identify the problems on your own.

Basically, there are two types of OBD automotive scanners in the market today. A handheld scanner that incorporates OBD 1 and OBD II code reader are much more expensive. There is also OBDII scanner prior to 1996 that have different plug requirement. For older models between 1991 and 1995 such as GM, Ford or Chrysler, have different connector for plug-in to the OBD scan devices. As for the makes, there are many choices to choose from ranging from the more popular brands such as Equus OBD, Actron scanners, Autoxray scanner and OTC Genisys to name a few.  

The author shares his passion for cars and trucks and related auto issues. His interest dates back to having his first job as a part-time car salesman more than 20 years ago. Since then he has shared his interest and knowledge among friends and family members. For those looking for OBD 1 and OBDII scanner, used cars for sale by owner or cheap used trucks, cars under 1000, be sure to visit: http://motoringdiscount.blogspot.com/ for further information.

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