Automotive - The Diagnostic OBD2 Scanner & Codes

A Diagnostic OBD2 Scanner is a very vital tool to keep your engine healthy. All modern engines from 1996 onwards use the On-board Diagnostic 2 (OBD II) management system which need a Diagnostic OBD2 Scanner when the 'Check Engine' is On. These systems are very reliable, more fuel-efficient and most importantly pollute less than older fully mechanically controlled engines.

The main layout of the internal combustion engine development hasn't been changed since it's introduction, excluding material development and changes together with tolerances which became much and much smaller.
What has changed significantly are the intake fuel mixture devices and the ignition which is used for the combustion. The main differences are that previously these were all controlled and metered mechanically, now these are all managed through electronic management systems which incorporate electronic, electrical and mechanical technology combined together.
As all operational things, these do fail at some time even though they are relatively robust and seem to be maintenance free. The engine now is equipped with various sensors all feeding specific data to the Engine Management System (EMS).
When a fault is flagged through the OBD II system, a compatible Diagnostic OBD2 Scanner is needed to trace the faults. The scanner's main role is to download the faulty OBD II codes registered by the system on it's display. These specific codes are deciphered, fault is analyzed and finally repairs are done. The Diagnostic OBD2 Scanner is also used after repairs to clear the faullt logs and reset the 'Check Engine' warning lamp. The professional scanners are capable of much more monitoring and diagnosis features like reading a sensor's parameters, live data recording of various sensors and much more.
Any OBD diagnostics should be carried out with the appropriate reader or preferably scanner to avoid unnecessary tempering and changing of components. This will prove not only to be safer but cheaper in parts too as most guess work is eliminated.

The Diagnostic OBD2 Scanner can also be used as a health check on engines. Some states are using these scanners for the emission tests instead of the traditional lengthy tailpipe test. This however differs from state to state, some use both types per vehicle, some use just the OBD2 scanner for testing while others use the traditional tailpipe test.
More information can be obtained from Automotive Diagnostic OBD2 Scanner.