For the technician and vehicle owner this analogy might be played out with the Stability Control System’s warning light illuminating courtesy of the ABS module simply because a lean condition is brewing in the PCM.

For the doctor and patient this means a compressed disc in the patient’s back can cause a pinched nerve that results in a pain in their foot. Occasionally the root of one system’s problem lies in an entirely different system. Using this analogy we can conclude that even if warning indicator for the stability system is on, for example, we should look at all trouble codes in all modules. As professional automotive techs, we have to think like a good physician that takes into consideration the entire body and not just one subsystem. The first real world diagnostic benefit with the Delphi Electronics / Delphi SAE compliant J2534 pass-thru device allows for a quick assessment of what modules are answering on the bus during the whole vehicle bus check. Using the Delphi scan & flash tool on a vehicle with a serial bus communications problem can be advantageous for a variety of reasons. Knowing your way around a DMM (meter) and DSO (scope) is essential but knowing how to get the most from your scan tool and reprogramming tools are equally essential. Diagnosing serial bus circuits such as the latest CAN bus systems can be challenging to say the least.

Delphi laptop diagnostic