How to decrypt an error code without service equipment

Diagnosing a car can be quite expensive if you don't have a friend in the garage, which is why many drivers choose to buy the equipment online. All kinds of Chinese-made testers are especially popular, and some are trying to create their own equipment.

However, not everyone knows that important information about vehicle damage can be obtained without any additional equipment, but only with the help of pedals. Of course, for this, an on-board computer must be installed in the car.

check engine

If the Check Engine light comes on, it is clear that it is time to pay attention to the engine. The problem is that this signal is too general information. At the same time, most modern cars are equipped with on-board computers that collect fairly complete information about the current state of the equipment.

They can provide information on errors and malfunctions in the form of codes, and to view them, you can use a combination of the car's pedals.

Search for error codes on "mechanics"

How to do it on vehicles with mechanical speed: Simultaneously press the accelerator and brake pedal and turn the key without starting the engine. The computer then displays the fault and error codes, if any. The numbers that appear should be written down so that it is easier to decipher them. Each individual value indicates a different problem.

Search for error codes on the "machine"

How to do it on cars with automatic speeds: Press the accelerator and brake pedal again and turn the key without starting the engine. The transmission selector must be in drive mode (D). Then, while still keeping your feet on both pedals, you must switch the ignition off and on again (without starting the engine). After that, the codes appear on the dashboard.

How to decipher the error code

To determine what a certain value corresponds to, it is worth paying attention to the instruction manual. If such documentation is not available, you can search the Internet for information.

All this will help you understand the specific cause of damage before contacting service. This will reduce the likelihood that the technician will make the wrong "diagnosis" or force you to make unnecessary repairs ("it would be nice to change cables" or something like that).

Basic data

Codes displayed during self-diagnosis are called ECN. As a rule, they consist of a letter and four numbers. The letters can mean the following: B - body, C - chassis, P - engine and gearbox, U - interunit data bus.

The first digit can be from 0 to 3 and means, respectively, universal, "factory" or "spare". The second shows the system or function of the control unit, and the last two show the error code number. In such a not cunning way, you can conduct an independent diagnosis, for which they will take money in the service.