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Your Ultimate On-Board Diagnostics Library of Resources for Car Maintenance and Repair 

OBD2Pros features free resources about car maintenance and repair, using your vehicle's On-Board Diagnostic system.

Navigate the website to find OBD II trouble code descriptions, read expert professional OBDII scanner reviews and choose curated training resources for mechanics and DIY car enthusiasts.

Use OBD2Pros to effortlessly turn the data from your OBD2 scanner into actionable information with curated content written by subject matter experts to help you save you money and time when diagnosing and repairing your vehicle.

OBD2Pros features free resources about car maintenance and repair, using your vehicle's On-Board Diagnostic system.

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Car maintenance and diagnostics is easier and cheaper when you can dive deep into your car's engine electronics and modify performance, read and analyze data from all the systems.

This is what On-Board Diagnostic System and the related tools, software and trouble codes allow you to do.

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What is On-Board Diagnostic System?

On-Board Diagnostic System (abbreviated OBD) is the general system that makes it possible for a car’s computer to be interactive. As the software in the car’s computer has become more and more user-friendly, the OBD has become more of a relevancy to not just car manufacturers, but the car owners themselves. OBD is a technique that helps to diagnose problems and adjust settings within a car’s computer system.

OBD is not a new concept, however, it has been around for decades, and was invented to satisfy two concerns with cars primarily. Firstly, the car needed a way to regulate its emissions system. Secondly, as electronic fuel injection took off in the 1980s, they needed a way for the car to record fuel electronically, which is what the OBD is also known for doing.

What is On-Board Diagnostic System Data Used For?

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History of OBD Diagnosis

Pre-OBD

The Birth of OBD

The Evolution of OBD

OBD Timeline


The Standardization of OBD

OBD and similar computer systems in cars were not only popular over time, but more of a requirement for car manufacturers.

Cars have been known to be highly pollutant machines within the first several decades of their inception. As a means to mitigate this pollution, Congress passed the Clean Air Act in the late 1960s, the inspiration for the founding of the EPA, or Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA over time set standards for car emissions created by manufacturers. For instance, all cars made in 1975 or later required a catalytic converter, a device used to mitigate the range and effects of toxic gasses and pollutants. To help manufacturers control these emissions for their automobiles, computers systems such as OBD or similar were installed into newer cars. Car makers also included ignition and electronic fuel injection systems into their vehicles, which are utilities to help car owners preserve fuel, while also keeping emissions to a minimum.

Diagnostics

What Is An OBD Adapter?

One can buy an OBD adapter that is sold separately from a person’s car. ODB adapters work on any kind of care that is made after 1996. They come in wireless forms, without any messy cables or connections, and cost as much as 20 dollars. There are more expensive adapters for sale that come with additional features, but there is still plenty that one person can do with a cheaper adapter.

OBD adapters today are compatible with smart device apps such as Torque, HobDrive, Carista OBD2 and OBD Car Doctor Pro for Android and Engine Link, EOBD Facile and OBD Auto Doctor for iOS. More expensive OBD adapters come with 3G and GPS compatibility, power saving features, and apps that their own brands develop.

There are also a series of standalone handheld tools that are available to car owners in the form of scanners and other diagnostic tools. These companies that make these products include Kobra Wireless, Bluedriver, OxGord, Autel, Actron, FIXD, Innova and Topdon.

OBD Software In Computers And Devices

Useful Tasks With OBD Adapters


OBD And Legal History

Legal restrictions of OBD systems depend on the country that you may live in, but most nations agree that maintaining air quality is one of the top priorities for having OBD systems. One of the biggest concerns that the world as a whole faces is global warming. In order to mitigate the effects of global warming, such as to improve the visibility overall and to decrease gas emissions, OBD systems were required in 1998 for all car manufacturers in participating countries. In a coinciding manner, the U.S. Congress also mandated commercial cars and trucks to also require OBD 2 systems by the year 2010.


Types of OBD

OBD is split into multiple different versions, such as OBD 1, MOBD, OBD 2 and EOBD, throughout the course of its existence.

OBD 1

OBD 1 is the diagnostic system that analyze emissions from a car’s exhaust. It gives a warning sign or indication in some form to see how the car overall is working.

LEARN MORE About obd 1

OBD 2

About obd2

OBD 2 And GPS Tracking

Comparisons Between OBD 1 And OBD 2

Location Of OBD 2 In Cars

EOBD

European On-Board Diagnostics system, or EOBD, is the standard system adopted by Europe.

LEARN MORE About Eobd

EOBD 2

Despite how this system is named, EOBD 2 is not a newer version of EOBD. While EOBD stands for European On-Board Diagnostics, EOBD 2 stands for something dramatically different, which is “Enhanced On-Board Diagnostics, 2nd Generation”.

LEARN MORE About Eobd 2

WWH-OBD

World Wide Harmonized On-Board Diagnostics (WWH-OBD) is a global system that most parts of the world use for vehicle diagnostics. Implemented by the United Nations, these systems monitor various aspects of a vehicle including emissions outputs and engine fault codes. This type of ODB system is known as one that is future-proof. Unlike OBD 2 systems, WWH-OBD systems can allow for expansions and upgrades in data. In other terms, WWH-OBD expands on the current foundation of OBD 2 and provides the user with much more diagnostic information.

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