Snap-on Training Solutions® helps you get the most out of your TRITON-D8™ diagnostic tool. This training module covers the intelligent diagnostics functions.
The complexity in today's vehicles and the amount of research required to diagnose various systems can be overwhelming. Intelligent Diagnostics compiles all the necessary information which we term diagnostic workflow. Diagnosing vehicles can sometimes be pretty time consuming. The most time consuming part of diagnosing these vehicles is the research that needs to be done. Intelligent Diagnostics is designed to increase your speed and diagnosis, create certainty on your findings and allow you to increase your shops productivity and profitability. Intelligent Diagnostics is a companion feature of the scanner function. From one menu, it can provide the following code-specific information; OEM Technical Service Bulletins, safety recalls and campaigns, top repairs graph, which is a graph of the specific parts and procedures most frequently used to fix the selected code or symptom. Smart data, a custom PID list highlighting specific PIDS that are operating outside known good values, functional tests and reset procedures and SureTrack® Real Fixes and Tips.
Getting Started
This training module assumes you already have knowledge of the basic scanner operations. To review, scanner operations, see the Scanner Codes training video in this series. Tap to highlight of code and press the Intelligent Diagnostics icon. To use Intelligent Diagnostics, the diagnostic tool must be connected to a Wi-Fi network with Internet access. This icon tells you the status of your connection to the intelligent diagnostic server. Intelligent Diagnostics also requires current software with either a software subscription or data package. The code results drop down menu allows you to quickly change the active code within Intelligent Diagnostics and see the related information. So even though we chose P0300 initially, we can easily change our code from this drop down. The top repairs graph shows you the most common verified fixes, and/or probable causes for the code, based on information obtained from actual repair orders. In our example, the most common fix for the code was replacing the spark plug. This fix was verified 537 times and occurred the most. 130 times in vehicles at about 125,000 miles. Technical Bulletins should be the first thing to check for when performing any diagnosis. The Technical Bulletins card makes it easy by giving you quick access to the available OEM recall, TSB and campaign information for the selected code. If the icon on the card is red, the number displayed indicates the total number of recalls, TSBs and OEM campaigns that have been found. To see the list of the available TSBs, recalls and campaigns related to the code, just tap the card. The Technical Bulletins card returns campaigns, recalls and TSBs, the three of which I'll refer to as bulletins. These bulletins are provided by the OEM or the National Transportation Safety Board. When they have noticed a pattern failure and the OEM wants to release information to technicians servicing their vehicles. The latest TSBs are returned first. The benefit is techs know right away if there's a bulletin for this issue. These bulletins are specific to the code viewing on the diagnostic platform. ProDemand® and ShopKey Pro® narrow down the process of looking through all the bulletins. Just see those related to your search term. To view a specific bulletin, just select it. You can then read through the bulletin on the tool. Let's take a look. These are the exact bulletins a factory technician would have available to him. Some TSBs include pictures. Often techs view TSBs after time has been spent trying to diagnose the vehicle only to discover that the OEM is already uncovered the root cause. Sometimes you can discover the problem quicker by just looking at a picture in a bulletin.
Smart Data
Now let's select the Smart Data card. Smart Data is just that, it gives you a custom list of PIDs that are related to the selected code. It filters out all the non-relevant PIDs and shows you only what you need. It's important to remember that when using Smart Data the engine should be at idle speed and up to normal operating temperature. Accessory engine loads should be turned off as well. In addition, specific PIDs are pre-armed using known good upper and lower trigger values. This saves you time and allows you to see issues immediately. Let's take a look at these PIDs. In Smart Data PIDs that display a flag have been preset and pre-armed. A blue outlined flag indicates the PID is armed and operating within its normal expected limits. In other words, the trigger has not been activated. When the flag turns red, the PID has exceeded the upper or lower limits. As the PID crosses the Min/Max value, the tool also captures a recording of the PIDs. Technicians use this movie to help determine cause along with the next testing steps or corrective action. With the PID now triggered Smart Data uses colored lines to help show when the PID crossed the Min/Max value. In graph view, take a look at one of the triggered PIDs. We can see that after a PID trigger has been activated, a red cursor line is displayed on the graph of the PID with the activated trigger to indicate where the trigger occurred. Green cursor line is displayed on all the other PID graphs to indicate their relationship to where the trigger occurred. This allows you to see what was happening with the other PIDs at the time that the triggered PID exceeded the Min/Max values. After a PID trigger has been activated, a short data recording is automatically saved. The gray line shows the point where the data was saved. The recording can be viewed by returning to the Home page. Then select View Saved Data. The latest saved data recording is always at the top of the list with a date and timestamp. The X icon clears the data and restarts the recording. You will be prompted if you want to clear the scanner data and start over. The functions of the other icons are covered in the scanner navigation training modules. Select the back button. Selecting the Custom Data List check mark opens the menu for selecting parameters to display. Check marks to the left of the parameter description indicate which parameters are selected for display. Here we see the Select All icon. Use it to select or deselect all the parameters. Touch a parameter and add it to the Custom Data List. Touch it again to delete the check mark and delete the parameter from the list. When you have created your Custom Data List, select the check mark to return to the data display and view the list. Custom Data Lists can significantly accelerate the speed of the data display by processing only the vehicle data that you need so you can find tough intermittent failures faster.
Functional Test and Reset Procedures
Selecting the Functional Tests & Reset Procedures card gives access to only those bi-directional tests and component reset procedures that apply to the specific code, filtering out the unneeded tests. Functional tests and reset procedures allow you to confirm the operation of components and validate repairs by allowing you to manually control certain component operations. There are bi-directional controls like turning a fuel pump on and off or an oxygen sensor heater on and off and reset procedures such as resetting fuel trim values or relearning the ECM due to a newly installed component. Code-specific tests are listed on the top of the screen. Additional functional tests and reset options may be displayed at the bottom of the screen depending on the vehicle. This gives the technician access to every functional test based upon the system selection.
Guided Component Tests
For this example, let's take a look at the throttle position sensor. We see component information and two tests. Select Component Information. Vehicle specific information is available at your fingertips for the exact components selected. We see an explanation of sensor operation, a connector pin-out illustration, the best location to access a connector, a component locator and timesaving tech notes explaining common failures. factory updates and recalls. Use the scroll bar along the edge of the screen to view additional information. You get a complete explanation of how the component normally operates and how to test it. Use the back button to return to the component test menu. The other listed selections are tests that we can perform. Let's choose DC Voltage Test. The meter appears and is preconfigured for the test. Additional information on guided component test functions are available in the Guided Component Test training module in this series.
SureTrack Information
Towards the bottom of the main menu, the most common SureTrack Real Fix for the selected code is displayed. This is typically displayed in a complaint, cause and correction format and the Fixed It! number on the right indicates the total number of verified fixes using this information. Just below that are the Real Fixes and Tips cards. Select the Real Fixes card to view a list of code-specific procedures and tests that have been gathered from actual shop repair orders. Using the Real Fixes card, you can review all the potential failures seen by over 30,000 shops. In some instances, this reduces the need to have a tech line since it shows each instance a component was either replaced or cleaned as a result of this specific code. To read an article, simply tap the blue link. Select the Tips card to view a list of code-specific tips gathered from industry professionals. To select a related Tip from the list, select the blue link.
Snap-on is dedicated to helping you get the most out of your diagnostic tool and keep your customers happy. Be sure to watch the rest of the modules in this Training Solutions series.