Aftermarket March 2022

W hen it comes to diagnosing vehicle electronics issues, ACtronics CEO Thijs Jasink believes the key is to keep it simple: “The end of the lockdown may be a welcome positive for business, but the renewed bustle also means that tasks have to be carried out quickly and smoothly. One of the biggest challenges is diagnosing electronic problems. This can be very time consuming.” Thijs continued: “As experts of vehicle electronics, we at ACtronics know how hard it can be to perform a good diagnosis. Car manufacturers are increasingly forced to reduce emissions, causing modern engines to be hugely complex. At least, so it seems, because underneath all those wires and clever devices there are still cylinders moving up and down, compressing a mixture and causing combustion. Maybe that’s what you always have to keep in mind; Start with the basics. “How does fuel get injected, compressed and sometimes ignited? You’ll need a device that’s capable of receiving and sending signals; an ECU. Besides an ECU you also need sensors that can detect things, like an AFM, and actuators that can perform tasks, like injectors or turbo actuators. It doesn’t stop there. Modern cars also have computers to perform other tasks, such as the braking system. To put it simply an ECU can receive signals from sensors, send signals to actuators and communicate with other computers. “Now let’s go back to diagnosis. When you have an ECU that’s triggering fault codes, you really have to keep in mind the story above. Does the fault code point to a specific sensor or actuator? If so, check if the sensor or actuator works properly and if the signal really reaches the ECU. This way you can detect failing sensors/actuators or broken wiring. Does the fault code indicate a problem with the ECU itself? Check power supply, fuses and mass really carefully. Are there any communication problems? To what devices? Check the communication lines, often twisted pairs, for any damage. Also try to determine what device is causing the most problems. Is it the ECU or another device?” Thijs added: “It all starts with a certain mindset. Solving these problems in a structured way can really save you time. Speaking of saving time, if the ECU really is at fault, just send it over to us for remanufacturing. This way you don’t have to reprogram anything. Our solutions are plug and play.” Critical service Bob Wiffen, Workshop Solutions Director at LKQ Euro Car Parts commented: “While their official lifespan is 8-10 years, ECUs often need replacing far sooner due to their location within a vehicle. Damage can be caused by engine heat, water or dirt. If not addressed quickly enough, this damage can lead to full system failure, making ECU repairs 40 AFTERMARKET MARCH 2022 VEHICLE ELECTRONICS AND ENGINE MANAGEMENT www.aftermarketonline.net You need to make sure you are on top of vehicle electronics and engine management, as there is a lot going on in there GET THE MESSAGE a critical service for independent garages to offer customers. “That said, ECU repairs are notoriously challenging. As a result, very few garages have provision to service them in- house, meaning they often have no choice but to return vehicles to dealers for repair or replacement. This is a significant missed opportunity for garages, and doesn’t deliver the best results for drivers. The cost of a new ECU from a dealer can be upwards of £1,200, while garages could profitably deliver a repair for a third of this price.” For more information, visit Omnipart .eurocarparts.com Function When it comes to engine management, you need to think about the whole system. In this vein, NGK Marketing Manager Mark Hallam said garages should ensure they fit a new Lambda sensor whenever they replace a vehicle’s catalytic convertor: “A worn or failed sensor can result in drastically reduced control of the fuelling system which could result in increased fuel consumption, uneven running, generally poor performance or failure of an MOT emission test. This means replacement is good news for the customer, garage and distributor. NGK recommends that the function of the sensor is checked every 20,000 miles or annually. He continued: “A malfunction of an associated part may directly affect the performance of a sensor. An oscilloscope and gas analyser is a much more accurate way of assessing sensor performance than relying on fault codes Above: Keeping it simple is the key to successful fault diagnosis