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Anyone who repairs late model vehicles today for a living knows that diagnosing complex emissions and driveability problems is not as simple as reading a code and replacing a part. OBD II is a great system that has a tremendous amount of self-diagnostic capability, but it only identifies faults in particular circuits or systems. It does not tell you which component to replace. That can only be determined after doing additional diagnostic work to isolate the fault.

The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) or CHECK ENGINE light as it is more commonly called, is essentially an emission warning light. If the light comes on, it means the Onboard Diagnostics II system (OBD II) has detected an emissions-related problem. OBD II is designed to turn on the MIL light if a problem occurs that may cause emissions to exceed federal limits by 150 percent. The problem has to occur more than once, and it must be significant enough to create a potential emissions problem (one serious enough to prevent a vehicle from passing an emissions test).

There is a number of scan tools and software available on the Internet, from simple OBDII code readers to sophisticated software that can turn your laptop into a powerful scan tool. Prices vary, but for about $150-$200 you can get nice software for your computer with the adaptor that you can connect to your car's OBD connector. Once connected, you can read the trouble code(s) that turned on your "check engine" and reset it if you want. You also can see some of the engine parameters live on your computer screen. OBDII scan tool should work on any US-sold car after 1996. Search Google for 'OBDII scan tool' or 'OBD2 scan tool software'.