February 2023 - 20

TOOL BRIEFING
Tackling electrical
challenges
Maximize your proficiency using the right " tools "
to boost accuracy and efficiency.
By Brandon Steckler, Technical Editor
* Can be activated via key FOB, interior
mechanical switches, or touchscreen interface
display.
* The ramp/kneel system won't function
without proper door position feedback.
* The conversion module drives the
ramp/kneel systems but is initiated by the
OE-system.
As noted in the bullets above, it is quite
clear that the " conversion-systems' components "
have to work in tandem with the
OE-system and its components. So, is the
fault on the OE-side or the conversion-side?
With the engineering of the mobilityassist
systems, included was a procedure to
bypass the conversion system temporarily.
This enabled Leonard to remove the conversion
system from the equation to determine
if the operation of the right power sliding
door (RPSD) was restored. The ramp
and the kneel features would not function
without the proper operation and position
feedback of the RPSD. Leonard focused his
efforts on the malfunctioning RPSD only.
With the conversion system bypassed,
p A DVOM was used to trace the wire to fuse block that supplies voltage to the RPSD terminal B1.
A
s automotive technicians
today, we face hundreds
(if not thousands) of
electrical challenges each year.
Of course, some faults are more
difficult to find than others, and
we have all been down the path
where we get our butts handed
to us. But maximizing our proficiency
through practice will
lead to maximizing accuracy
and efficiency.
Picture yourself as a technician seeing
many new vehicles and having to seamlessly
mate state-of-the-art mobility-assist systems
with the latest factory-installed technologies.
My good friend, Bob Leonard, calls this a typical
workday, as he is a technician for Mobility
Works, a company dedicated to enabling freedom,
with stores across the country.
THE TASK AT HAND
Leonard was presented with a vehicle complaint
that some of the mobility-assist accessories
were not functioning. He was issued
a repair order for a 2013 Honda Odyssey
with the complaint of the right-side power
sliding door being inoperable. Without the
functionality of the door, the ramp and the
kneel-system will not function.
Like many of today's vehicles, even this
2013 minivan has dozens of computers that
communicate on networks to accomplish
tasks. Any number of individual faults can
cause symptoms like the one described
above. We need to get to the root cause of
the symptom, but how?
If the OE-side isn't difficult enough
to decipher, now Leonard has to wonder
if the fault has something to do with the
" conversion-side " of the system. Stepping
back from the vehicle and evaluating the
situation, Leonard decided to use logic
instead of guesswork. Here is what he knows
to be factual:
* Power sliding-door, ramp, and kneel systems
are managed by the electronic control
system.
20 PTEN FEBRUARY 2023 www.VehicleServicePros.com
the RPSD still did not function. So Leonard
went to work on the OE side of the vehicle.
Splitting the system in this fashion eliminates
wasted time and effort.
Leonard went to work on the power sliding
door system as if the van had no conversion
system whatsoever. He performed a
full-vehicle scan and discovered no DTCs
or any lack of communication between the
scan tool and the RPSD control unit. This
forced him to follow factory troubleshooting
procedures with only the symptom as
a reference. The factory flowchart eventually
led to replacing the RPSD control
unit with a " known-good " controller. This
isn't typically an option in the aftermarket
world. A brand-new Honda factory RSPD
control unit was installed, and as expected,
the fault remained.
DISAPPOINTMENT BECOMES THE
DRIVING FORCE
The problem with following troubleshooting
flow charts is that they don't always lead
to the root cause of the fault. For instance,
following the flowchart to the ECU, techs
should verify connector/terminal integrity

http://www.VehicleServicePros.com

February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2023