OBD II Update: Proposed Changes Boost Information Access; Bolster Emissions , Troubleshooting Capability, Larry Carley, ImportCar, August 2000

For the past couple of years, you’ve probably seen a growing number of OBD II-equipped vehicles coming in with Check Engine lights on or in need of emissions-related repairs. Get used to it, because the numbers are only going to increase.

Second generation Onboard Diagnostic (OBD II) systems have been required by federal law on all vehicles since the 1996 model year. The phase-in actually started on some models in 1994 including the Lexus ES300, Toyota Camry V6 and T100 pickup 3RZ-FE 2.7L, plus a number of Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Volvo models.

Because OBD II is only found on late-model vehicles, it’s taken a few years for OBD II to find its way into the aftermarket. Today, virtually all new cars and trucks have a 3-year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, and many come with extended powertrain warranties (such as Hyundai’s 10-year/100,000-mile warranty). The longer the OEM warranty, the longer vehicle owners keep returning to their new car dealer for service and repairs. Even so, the number of OBD II vehicles that are now out of warranty is continuing to grow with each passing model year.

Under current federal OBD II regulations, the powertrain control module, diagnostic connector and catalytic converter are all covered under a federally mandated 8-year/80,000-mile emissions warranty. But the sensors and rest of the hardware in the system are only covered by a 2-year/24,000-mile emissions warranty (except in California where the standard warranty is 3 years/50,000 miles).

THE IMPACT OF OBD II
The first and most noticeable impact of OBD II on the aftermarket has been the need to upgrade scan tools. The change in data protocols and diagnostic procedures requires some type of OBD II update cartridge to make your scan tool OBD II compliant — if it even can be upgraded at all. Many pre-OBD II scan tools cannot be upgraded and must be replaced with a new scan tool to work on OBD II vehicles.

Another much appreciated change that has been brought about by OBD II is the use of a standard 16-pin diagnostic connector — which will eventually reduce the need for special data link adapters for different makes of vehicles as time goes on.

OBD II has also generated a greater need for diagnostic expertise, training and service know-how because many more things can now cause the Check Engine light to come on. Prior to OBD II, the Check Engine light would only come on if a vehicle’s computer detected a gross failure or reading that was out of range in a sensor circuit or other monitored component. But with OBD II, the Check Engine light may come on if the engine experiences intermittent misfire, a steady misfire, a loss of converter efficiency or a performance problem with any of its monitored emission control systems, including evaporative emission controls (fuel vapor leaks).

Almost any emissions problem that causes hydrocarbon emissions to exceed 1.5 times the federal limit can cause the Check Engine light to come on with OBD II — even if there is no noticeable driveability problem accompanying the emissions problem. Consequently, many motorists aren’t sure what to do if their Check Engine light comes on. They don’t know if it indicates a serious problem or not.

For technicians, the advanced diagnostic capabilities of OBD II can be a tremendous help when troubleshooting emissions-related problems as well as engine performance problems. OBD II can not only detect random misfire (which may indicate a lean fuel condition due to a vacuum leak, low fuel pressure, leaky EGR valve, etc.), but can even tell you which cylinders are misfiring — provided you have a scan tool that can read the OBD II codes.

OBD II also monitors the operation of the catalytic converter with a second oxygen sensor on the tailpipe side of the converter. By comparing upstream and downstream O2 sensor values, OBD II can determine how well the converter is functioning and turn on the Check Engine light if it detects a drop in converter efficiency.

It can also detect fuel vapor leaks (evaporative emissions) in the charcoal canister, evap plumbing or fuel tank by pressurizing or pulling a vacuum on the fuel system. It can even detect a loose or missing gas cap.

OBD II systems also have the capability to capture snap-shot data to provide you with a picture of what’s happening with various sensor readings when a fault occurs.

MORE CHANGES?
All of the existing features of OBD II are here to stay, and as time goes on more new features will be added. One new capability that regulators would like to add is the ability to detect elevated oxides of nitrogen (NOX) emissions. Current OBD II systems can’t do that and can only detect malfunctions in the EGR system which may affect NOX emissions.

Mike McCarthy of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) said his state’s policy is to review the OBD II regulations every two years to see if any changes, revisions or improvements are needed. At a workshop held in the fall of 1999, CARB published a proposal that would add NOX emissions to the catalyst monitor. This could be done using the existing downstream oxygen sensor to monitor both HC and NOX levels, or a separate NOX sensor could be used.

If adopted in California, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would also add the NOX monitor requirement to their regulations. The EPA’s OBD II regulations essentially follow the California regulations. Any vehicle that meets the California OBD II requirements also meets the EPA’s federal OBD II requirements.

Another change that’s being proposed is to add a monitor for cold start emissions. One "trick" some vehicle manufacturers use to reduce cold start emissions on some engines is to retard ignition timing for 10 to 15 seconds immediately after a cold start. This keeps the exhaust gases burning as they exit the cylinder head and helps bring the converter up to operating temperature more quickly. Another strategy is to increase the idle speed so more air can enter the engine to help reduce hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide as the engine warms up. What the proposal would require is a means of verifying that all of this is indeed taking place following a cold start. If the engine control system failed to retard timing and/or bump up the idle speed after the cold start, the OBD II system would detect the fault, log a trouble code and illuminate the Check Engine light.

INFORMATION PLEASE!
Another change in OBD II regulations that both California and the EPA are proposing is a provision that would require all vehicle manufacturers to make essentially all OBD II service information available on the Internet. The EPA’s draft proposal in its current form would require the release of all emissions-related service information for any 1994 and newer vehicle equipped with OBD II. The information would include service manuals, diagnostic procedures, technical service bulletins, wiring diagrams, training materials and vehicle strategies that cause the Check Engine light to illuminate. The information would also have to be made available within three months after a new model introduction.

Under current regulations, the vehicle manufacturers are only required to post an index listing various service bulletins and other information available on the fedworld website (www.fedworld.gov). But the current listings do not provide the actual information itself, only a reference as to where the information can be obtained (which usually means purchasing a manual or other printed materials from the vehicle manufacturer).

The new proposal would require the vehicle manufacturers to make all OBD II service information available at "reasonable cost" in electronic form, and to make it available on the Internet as well as to third-party companies (such as aftermarket scan tool manufacturers). Furthermore, the proposal would also require the information be readily accessible using current web browser and computer technology (no proprietary software or hardware). Vehicle information would be searchable by year, make and model, and VIN number.

If adopted, the new OBD II proposal would make available to the aftermarket much of the service information that we need to fix our customers’ vehicles — including much of the "dealer only" information that is unavailable or difficult to obtain. What’s more, revealing the strategies that trigger the Check Engine light would certainly help technicians understand many difficult-to-diagnose driveability and emission problems. But as great as it sounds, the vehicle manufacturers have some serious concerns with certain aspects of the proposal. The proposal is still just a proposal and is open to public comment. But the EPA says it wants to finalize the proposed changes to the OBD II regulations by the end of this year or by early 2001.

In a public comment letter received by the EPA from the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers (AIAM), the car makers listed a number of concerns they have with the proposed rule changes as they stand now. The AIAM opposes the release of the "secret" diagnostic strategies that are used to illuminate the Check Engine light because the car makers feel the information is confidential. The vehicle manufacturers don’t want to share this information with their competitors or the aftermarket, and they don’t think technicians need the information to diagnose and repair vehicles. We disagree and favor the EPA proposal as it stands now. But that’s a matter the EPA and AIAM will have to work out.

The AIAM also said making training materials (particularly multimedia or interactive CD-ROM-based training materials) available over the Internet is not practical. The program content in most cases is simply too large to allow easy on-line access or downloading with current model technology. Downloading a 650 megabyte program over a 56K model could take days. Streaming video capabilities are also very limited with today’s Internet connections.

There is also the question of cost. Service materials that are already in electronic format can be easily converted into Internet web pages and hyperlinks, but older printed materials can only be converted at considerable cost and effort. So it’s unlikely emissions-related service information for pre-OBD II vehicles would be included in the proposal.

REPROGRAMMING
The new OBD II proposal would also require the vehicle manufacturers to provide vehicle reprogramming information via the Internet. As envisioned, the proposal would allow anyone with a scan tool or special reprogramming tool to download the latest vehicle programming information and install it directly into a vehicle computer. This requirement probably would not go into effect until model year 2003, and would only apply to new vehicles from that year on.

The actual programming code would be scrambled to prevent tampering and would require some type of reprogramming cartridge for a scan tool or a special stand-alone reprogramming tool.

To correct an emissions or driveability problem, a technician would go on-line and visit the vehicle manufacturer’s website. There, he would pay a small fee to download the update, then download the data through his tool and install it in the customer’s vehicle. The cost of this service could be passed along to the customer.

Currently, only new car dealers are authorized to reprogram a vehicle’s computer if reprogramming is necessary to correct an emissions or driveability problem. This would be a major change in the way things are done now, and allow independent shops to better compete with new car dealers.

AIAM has not yet taken a firm position on this issue because the technical details for a "pass-through" reprogramming system are far from finalized. Even so, the costs might be prohibitive for independent shops (or so they hope!) because most of the reprogramming that occurs is done during the first few years following a new vehicle introduction. Consequently, the small number of vehicles that might need to be reprogrammed at a later date may not be enough to warrant the cost of buying a special reprogramming tool or cartridge.

AIAM says the EPA should work with the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and vehicle manufacturers to develop standards for "pass-through" vehicle reprogramming. If such standards can be agreed upon, it would probably be feasible to provide pass-through reprogramming by model year 2004 and apply it retroactively back to 1994 model year vehicles with OBD II systems.

DEALER-ONLY TOOLS
Another aspect of the EPA’s proposal would require vehicle manufacturers to make available their "dealer only" diagnostic tools to the aftermarket. AIAM says it supports making available data-stream information for tool and equipment makers to develop their own diagnostic tools that perform the same functions as the dealer tools. But AIAM members don’t want aftermarket tool companies to simply copy the proprietary dealer tools.

AIAM says most aftermarket technicians want a generic scan tool that can service any make or model of vehicle, not just one particular make. They say few independent shops would want to purchase a dedicated scan tool that only worked on one make of vehicle (unless, of course, that shop happened to be one of our readers who specializes in a particular import nameplate!).

AIAM argues it would be too costly to provide dealer-only tools to the aftermarket. They say the tools would first have to be "redesigned to protect anti-theft and personal communications functions that are not emissions related and which manufacturers will not release. If publicly released, this information could jeopardize vehicle security and personal privacy.

"Additionally, some OEM tools contain significant capabilities that, if used incorrectly, could potentially damage a vehicle’s emission control system or powertrain. Prior to making the tool available, a manufacturer would need to redesign the on-board computer to prevent such damage or manufacturers would require the purchaser to undergo rigorous training."

We agree with the training part of their statement (you can never get enough training these days, especially with new scan tools), but question the rest of their argument.

There are no proposed changes for the "generic" OBD II trouble code designations except for the addition of some new code numbers to cover the new NOX monitor and cold start emissions monitor. The vehicle manufacturers would still have the freedom to add as many "P1" dealer codes as they think are necessary, but must also make the "P1" code definitions and diagnostic procedures available to the aftermarket.

EMISSIONS TESTING
Many states are currently considering the addition of an OBD II check to their vehicle emissions testing programs. Because the OBD II system is so good at detecting emissions problems, some have proposed doing away with tailpipe emission tests altogether and substituting an OBD II check to catch emission violators. This could be done in a vehicle test center or authorized repair shop by connecting an analyzer to the diagnostic connector. If no faults are found, the vehicle passes. But if a fault is found, a tailpipe check and/or additional diagnostic work would be required to determine the nature of the problem.

Another approach that has been studied would be to add some type of on-board transmitter tied into the OBD II system that would either manually or automatically report the vehicle’s emissions status to a central agency or a roadside receiver (driveby emissions monitoring). If a vehicle was found to have an emissions problem, the vehicle’s owner would receive a notice by mail to bring the vehicle in for an emissions test or service.

Many motorists don’t like the idea of having a vehicle that rats on itself if it develops an emission problem (yet that’s exactly what the OBD II system does now when it illuminates the Check Engine light). It would eliminate the ability to ignore the Check Engine light.

Many motorists also don’t like the idea of being monitored as they drive their vehicles. Theoretically, a roadside receiver or automatic reporting system could report the whereabouts of a vehicle — which might actually help authorities recover stolen vehicles, but might also allow "Big Brother" to track your travels.

How all of this eventually plays itself out remains to be seen. If some type of self-reporting system is eventually developed, it would probably have a button that the driver would be required to push periodically to report his vehicle’s emissions status. This would avoid the privacy and tracking issues, but would help identify vehicles that were gross polluters in need of repair.