Before I figured out how to work on cars, onboard computer systems scared me. I’ve had no formal training, after all, so the idea of a car’s complex electricals and countless sensors made DIY work ...

The Ancel AD310 scanner is a well-built device with a nice size LCD display (128 x 64 pixels) that has a white backlight and contrast adjustment. It is able to display the test results directly on the ...

We've all been there—that pesky check engine light pops up on your dashboard. Instantly, thoughts of expensive mechanic bills, weeks of it being repaired in the garage, and inconveniences galore flash ...

The check engine light is both a friend and foe. For those who take their cars to the shop for repairs, it’s a symbol of impending treachery and rising credit card bills. But to those who shoulder the ...

I tend to hold on to my vehicles for a long time, which means things eventually wear out or stop working the way they should. I also try to handle repairs myself whenever it makes sense. Sometimes ...

The Actron PocketScan is a good entry-level OBD code reader for the driveway mechanic.Actron The primary purpose of the OBD-II connection is for emissions testing, but one of the first and most ...

The OBD (On-Board Diagnosis) system in your Toyota Corolla will enable you to see what’s wrong with it without going to the service if you choose the low-budget DIY way. Of course you have to know how ...

From the late '80s onward, cars were becoming more and more technically advanced, and an old-school toolkit could only do so much. So, following some development (and the limited OBD-I design), the ...

I was recently at a seminar going over some diagnostics for some of the problematic and reoccurring fault codes. The general discussion led us in an interesting direction about the nature of fault ...