What Is The OBD Port and What It Is Used For?
Most of the owners have heard of the OBD port, but where exactly is an OBD port location? What is this used for?
When we go to the car maintenance shop, we will see a mechanic take a dedicated computer tester, accessing the ideal position of the socket. Then the vehicle’s fault code is cleared.
The throttle after cleaning is no longer has an error. This port is not as mysterious as the imagination, and for the owner, learn to use the OBD interface can make you become a car master.
What is the meaning of OBD?
OBD as a proper noun abbreviation, it is all called On-Board diagnostics.
This system can do real-time monitoring for the engine electronic control system and other functional modules when vehicle running
if found abnormal conditions, it will determine the fault according to a specific algorithm, and store the data in the form of diagnostic fault codes (DTC, Diagnostic trouble codes).
After the system has been diagnosed, the useful information will be helpful for the maintenance of the vehicle.
Maintenance staff can read the fault code by using the car’s original particular instrument. So that the fault can be quickly positioned and reduce the artificial diagnosis time.
Difference between OBD1 and OBD2?
Initial OBD system (obd1) has different manufacturers, and they were independent and incompatible. to unify the standards, the American Association of Automotive Engineers (SAE, Society of Automotive Engineers) in 1988 set the OBDII standard.
OBDII implements standard testing procedures and has strict emissions targeting for real-time monitoring of vehicle exhaust emissions.
As a system to monitor exhaust emissions, OBD has gradually expanded its scope of control in later development. With the increase of various sensors and electronic degree of vehicles, the OBD has incorporated different monitoring functions into its jurisdiction.
Now we’re talking about OBD generally using the word OBD port because we can only see the transmission interface of the system in the vehicle. Still, it’s combined the whole vehicle control system in the back.
The early OBD interface uses the K-line communication method, which is based on the ISO protocol. It connects with the external device through the computer standard serial port communication way. But the efficiency is low, so this kind of communication way has been eliminated.
In recent years, CAN-BUS has a very strong expansibility. The popularization of this agreement has made the vehicle detection work significantly simplified. A tester can be used to detect multiple brands of vehicles.
What does an obd2 Scanner do?
OBD2 scanner has three essential functions. If you want to know what is the best obd2 scanner,
please refer to Best OBD2 Scanner Reviews
1.Computer data display
OBD Port as the communication interface of the vehicle monitoring system, in addition to reading the fault code to repair the car, the primary function is to provide a variety of vehicle operating conditions.
Except for the vehicle display data, the actual data recorded in the driving computer is much more, including a lot of vehicles without a traffic computer display configuration. The various fuel consumption records, battery voltage, air-fuel ratio, throttle opening, number of explosions, and other data are recorded in the system. But some OEM manufacturers remove the traffic computer display due to price allocation and other factors in the lower configuration model vehicle.
It makes users can not refer to these useful data. Therefore, there are some individual computer display products on the market.
There are two types of this product. One is connected to the vehicle’s OBD interface through a dedicated data line. The data readout and then displayed to the matching display. It is equal to install traffic computer displays.
Another type of product is the wireless OBD interface adapter + smartphone-side software. This OBD port reader transmits the OBD interface to the smartphone by Bluetooth or WiFi and presents it to the user through the software on the handset side.
2. Change the code to achieve more functionality
Today’s electric control system can access the CAN-BUS of the vehicle control system through the OBD interface. It can adjust the function of each control module of the vehicle.
The most popular application is the data line developed by Ross-Tech and the VCDS system diagnostic software.
Most drivers love to use this equipment to adjust the system of public car system functions.
3. Read, Brush and Write ECU TCU program
With the hardware upgrade of the onboard computer system, the program memory of the electronic control unit of the modern vehicle is changed from the previous read-only to the brushable type.
The company is set up to keep the ECU Control procedures to update, like the phone’s firmware upgrade. The engine will adapt to a variety of different working environments for different driving areas or conditions through the upgraded ECU system program.
Taking the stability and economy of the original ECU program into consideration, it is generally reserved for the power output.
And tuning manufacture can improve the power out by modifying the original ECU data.
The modified program can make automatic transmission smart and improve the performance of the vehicle.
Everything will be more accessible when you have an old port. Just connect your computer to the port by data wire and complete your work.
