While we all enjoy cruising our old Mopars around, most of us also have a newer Mopar car or truck in our stable as well. Though not as nostalgic as our older cars, the new products offered by Chrysler have a lot to offer in the way of performance, comfort, and reliability, so it's no wonder many of us choose newer cars or trucks as our daily drivers. And let's face it, if you race or show your classic Mopar, a late-model Dodge Ram is probably your vehicle of choice to tow your car around with. Fortunately, the new cars and trucks by Chrysler are very reliable, but what happens if there's a mechanical problem with one of these vehicles? With computers controlling many of our new car's or truck's functions, how do we know how severe a problem is when the "check engine" light comes on? Luckily, Black & Decker's new Smart Scan diagnostic tool makes this problem a lot easier to deal with.
Cars have come a long way since the muscle cars we enjoy were designed, and computers now control nearly every function of a vehicle including the engine and transmission. While this new technology offers much in the way of reliability and convenience, it also adds the complexity of engine and transmission sensors, solenoids, and relays that our older cars didn't have. So if your idea of diagnosing a car's problem is popping the hood and breaking out a test light, there's a good chance you're lost when your new car has an issue or when a warning light illuminates in the dash. Even worse, having the dealership or a professional mechanic check the problem can be expensive, especially when correcting the problem may be as simple as replacing a sensor and resetting the fault code in the car's computer.
Luckily, the folks at Black & Decker have developed their Smart Scan handheld diagnostic computer to read the computer fault codes in newer cars and reset the "check engine" light as well. By simply plugging the Smart Scan into your car's or truck's diagnostic port under the dash, the tool will not only tell you what fault codes your vehicle has, but will also give a level of urgency to let you know if it's OK to drive the vehicle. Additionally, the Smart Scan allows you to reset the vehicle's annoying "check engine" light once the problem has been corrected. This tool is great if you plan to maintain your vehicle yourself, and will even help avoid unnecessary costs at the shop if you plan to have a professional work on your car. Follow along and we'll show you how easy it is to use.
The sophistication of new...
The sophistication of new cars is great as long as everything is working properly, but what about when the "check engine" light comes on? Fortunately, diagnosing problems with your new Mopar just got a lot easier thanks to Black & Decker's new smart scan handheld diagnostic tool.
New cars are comfortable and...
New cars are comfortable and convenient, until they break down. With all the sensors and wiring under the hood, diagnosing a problem is difficult without being able to read the car's fault codes.
With the ignition in the run...
With the ignition in the run mode, but without the engine running, the Smart Scan is plugged into the vehicle's diagnostic port.
In order to test the tool,...
In order to test the tool, we unplugged the inlet air temperature sensor of our car and started the engine. We immediately got the "check engine" light, so we plugged the Smart Scan in to see what it read.
After reading the code, the...
After reading the code, the Smart Scan will ask if you'd like to erase it. In our case, we reconnected the inlet temperature sensor and erased the code so the "check engine" light would go off. If we had a real problem, we would repair it first and then erase the code. Costing less than taking the car to a shop to be diagnosed, this tool is a great addition if you're driving or working on a newer Mopar.
With the Smart Scan plugged...
With the Smart Scan plugged in, it immediately told us we had a code and assigned a low level of urgency.
When we looked up the code...
When we looked up the code in the supplied list, it was indeed the inlet air temperature sensor. This is nice to know in case you want to fix the problem yourself, or to let the mechanic who will fix it know what the problem is.
Most cars produced since 1995...
Most cars produced since 1995 use the same OBD style diagnostic port. This port is usually located under the dash on the driver side of the vehicle.
As we would expect, our new...
As we would expect, our new Challenger didn't show any fault codes. Note that the arrow is above the green indicator, letting us know it's OK to drive the vehicle.