20 Jul
2007
20 Jul
'07
4:23 p.m.
A while back I hated newer cars because of all the
controls and
computers. But after buying a service manual it isn't that bad. If you
want to know and fix everything, take a look at http://www.megasquirt.info/
Hmmm.. I have the workshop manual for my father's new car -- all 11
volumes of it. Said car has about 10 'ECUs' (Electornic control units)
interconnected by a pair of CAN buses.
Yes, I can follow the manual. I can plug the diagnotic tester into the
socket under the dashboard, see what it says is wrong. Then follow the
proceure in the book -- check the resistance between point A and point B,
check the voltage on this pin, and so on to see if it's the sensor (more
likely) or the ECU input at fault. And I can change the appropriate bit.
But I don't really understnad just what is going on in the same way that
I understoof the old distributor, carburettor and automatic gearbox valve
block. And I can't really repair the units, they are full of custom and
house-marked components.
Now can I do this sort of thing at the roadside if said car breaks down.
I could trace faults in the older systems using little more than a brain
and a test lamp (which if I didn't have, I'd 'borrow' from a dashboard
warning lamp or similar).And even if I could find the fault, I have a lot
mroe chance of 'bodging' an older car than this thing...
-tony