EOBD is an abbreviation of European On- Board Diagnostics.
All petrol cars sold within Europe since 1 Jan 2001, and diesel cars manufactured from 2003, must have on-board diagnostic systems to monitor engine emissions.
These systems were introduced in line with European Directive 98/69/EC to monitor and reduce emissions from cars.
All such cars must also have a standard EOBD diagnostic socket that provides access to this system (as shown below).
For information on the pins used within the port, please click here .
Only the latest scan tools and code readers can be relied upon to read the diagnostic information through the EOBD socket.
'Check Engine' light
The 'Check Engine' warning light on the dashboard is often the first an owner knows about a problem with their car.
This provides very little information to the owner, or to the garage asked to investigate the problem.
Problem diagnosis
With the modern tools, skilled technicians should be able to diagnose and solve many of the problems, which prior to this, required the sophisticated console tools of main dealers.
New technology
The introduction of European on-board diagnostics standards has opened up new opportunities for car garages and owners.
A range of low-cost tools are now available to read and clear error codes, to view live/stored readings from sensors within the car, and to switch off the 'Check Engine' light.
What information is available?
EOBD systems monitor and store information from sensors throughout the car, e.g. air flow sensors and oxygen sensors.
Sensor values outside an acceptable range, trigger a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC). New diagnostic tools can help you read and interpret these codes, and view the live sensor output. |