Actron 9040 manual About OBD, Safety Precautions

Safety Precautions

To prevent accidents that could possibly result in serious injury and/or damage to vehicles and/or test equipment, carefully follow all safety rules and test procedures:

• Always wear approved eye protection.	• Never leave vehicle unattended while
• Always operate the vehicle in a well-	testing.
ventilated area. Do not breath exhaust	• Always keep a fire extinguisher suitable
gases — they are very hazardous.	for gasoline/electrical/chemical fires
• Always keep yourself, tools and test	readily available.
equipment away from moving or hot	• Use caution when working around the
engine parts.	ignition coils, ignition wires, and spark
• Make sure the vehicle is in Park (auto-	plugs. These components produce High
matic transmission) or neutral (manual	Voltage when the engine is running.

transmission). Set parking brake and • When performing road tests, never

block the drive wheels.	operate the tool while driving the vehicle.
• Never lay tools on vehicle battery.	Always have one person drive the
Terminals may short together causing	vehicle and the other operate the tool.
harm to yourself, the tools or the battery.	• Always turn ignition key OFF when
• Never use the Code Scanner if it has	connecting or disconnecting electrical
been exposed to any moisture.	components, unless otherwise
• Never smoke or have open flames near	instructed.

vehicle. Vapors from gasoline and • Always follow vehicle manufacturer’s

charging battery are highly flammable	warnings, cautions and service
and explosive.	procedures.

All information, illustrations and specifications contained in this manual are based on the latest information available from industry sources at the time of publication. No warranty (expressed or implied) can be made for its accuracy or completeness, nor is any responsibility assumed by the manufacturer or anyone connected with it for loss or damages suffered through reliance on any information contained in this manual or misuse of accompanying product. The manufacturer reserves the right to make changes at any time to this manual or accompanying product without obligation to notify any person or organization of such changes.

About OBD II

OBD II stands for On-Board Diagnostics version II. OBD II is a system that the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) developed to standardize automotive electronic diagnosis to minimize vehicle pollution and to allow you to use the same tool to test any make and model without special adapters. The SAE established guidelines that provide:

•a universal diagnostic test connector, called the data link connector (DLC), with dedicated pin assignments.

•a standardized location for the DLC, visible under the dash on the driver’s side.

•a standardized list of Generic diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) used by all manufacturers. Certain DTCs are reserved for the manufacturer.

SAE publishes recommendations, not laws, but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) made many of SAE’s recommendations legal requirements that car makers were required to phase in over a three-year period. Beginning in 1994, vehicles with a new engine management computer

–about 10% of each manufacturers fleet – were supposed to comply with OBD II standards. For 1995, OBD II systems were to appear on about 40% of the new vehicles sold in the USA. Some of the 1994-1995 OBD II systems were not fully compliant, so the Government granted waivers to give manufacturers time to fine-tune their systems. Beginning in 1996, most of the new vehicles sold in the USA were fully OBD II compliant.

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