Plug a frayed, damaged, or shorted-out wiring harness in, and extreme damage to that ECM, and other systems, is likely. It’s used for various purposes, including the monitoring and manipulation of a wide range of electronic functions. The OBD port is a specialized connector with many individual pins and wires connected to that ECM. Plug a module into the OBD port, and you’re effectively patching into the vehicle’s engine control module, or ECM, which is the vehicle’s computer brain. That didn’t happen in this case, but the randomly manifested short circuits were causing a multitude of problems with vehicle systems, all of which were controlled through the vehicle’s ECM, to which this module was attached via the OBD port.
Though the OBD port uses a fairly small amount of electricity, in theory, the exposed wiring could have caused a fire, or some electrocution. There was some rust visible too, indicating that the exposed portions of wiring had been in contact with water, probably from wet shoes.” The rubber insulation had worn through in several areas, exposing the bare wires inside, which was causing short-circuiting. “Over time, after being stepped on and kicked around, the cable that connected this module to the OBD port had become badly worn. Goof of the Month: Wasting Money on DIYĮxample of frayed wiring ( ).Goof of the Month: From Boosted to Busted.Goof of the Month: Warning Light Bingo Ends in Rage.Thing is, the customer had simply left the cable, and the module, lying on the floor of the vehicle near the pedals. The device was connected via a foot-long cable, presumably to facilitate some flexibility to its installation location. This device is meant to remain plugged into the OBD port, which all vehicles have beneath their dashboard. The vehicle’s owner had installed a small module that tracks and monitors driving habits, providing information to her insurance company that could be used to save money on insurance premiums. “I noticed, right away, that this was plugged into the vehicle’s OBD port, and that the wiring was in pretty bad shape.” When driving the customer’s car into the shop, he noticed a black cable and module near his feet, in the footwell. The cause of this wide array of problems was a simple but somewhat surprising one, and Swinden stumbled upon it by accident. Sometimes, you see a few warning lights, but in this vehicle, every one of them was on.”
Literally, every warning light on the instrument cluster was lit up. “As soon as we see symptoms like this, with lots of warning lights and trouble running smoothly, we plan on an electronics system scan,” Swinden says. This prompted her to bring the vehicle in for a look. Then, the customer’s engine started to stall, at random, while she was driving.
Initially, the customer said her vehicle had been experiencing random warning light illumination, random non-functionality or unintended activation of certain features and functions, and more lately, random bouts of poor engine performance. Swinden had a customer arrive in a newer crossover that was experiencing numerous issues, which were getting worse. It highlights a simple but important lesson about modern vehicle electronics, and a few good reasons to use care if you plug something into your ride’s on-board diagnostic (OBD) port – including, perhaps, a data recorder provided as a money-saving measure by your insurance company. This month’s story comes to us from Jon Swinden, a dealer service advisor in Sudbury, Ontario.
#Toyota diagnostic port under hood how to#
Welcome to Goof of the Month! Every month, we highlight a story or situation that reinforces the need for drivers and shoppers to understand their vehicle, how to maintain it, and how it works.
0 kommentar(er)
