Automotive electronics are the most expensive to fix, as well as, hardest to diagnose. Why you ask? Well lets look into it. Many things have changed over the years in the Automotive industry. In my opinion the biggest is automotive circuitry.Back in the day everything was 12VDC and either series or parallel circuit. Today voltage varies and we have Controller Area Network(CAN Bus) circuits. Gone are the days of sticking a test light into a wire and checking for power or ground! In fact, with SRS (air bag) and high voltage systems it can be down right dangerous!
Today’s Automotive Technicians have to understand what system they are working on BEFORE they start working. Sensor voltage is typically low with 5v being the most common. Some injector systems can be 48v or even 110v. A data line may not hardly show anything on it, but believe me there is work going on. They are like in the PC networking world, a communication system between computers, micro controllers, and other components. So the radio knows how fast you are driving and will change volume to keep up with road noise. Throttle sensor signal is sent to the engine controller and the transmission controller. The list goes on…
Pop the hood on a modern car and you will know exactly why Buick’s new slogan is “Is that a Buick” and why the modern mechanic is more programmer than grease monkey!