February_2022 - 46

TOOL BRIEFING
p Figure 4 - Assortment of crimping, de-pinning
and soldering tools.
p Figure 5 - Practicing de-pinning a connector.
proper disconnect of the high voltage systems.
Turn your meter to the " Volts DC "
setting and measure a known low voltage
source, usually the 12V battery of the
vehicle. This proves the correct operation
of the meter and leads, preventing us from
experiencing a false " zero " condition that
could be potentially hazardous.
AFTERMARKET OR
OE SCAN TOOL
An OE or professional level scan tool is an
absolute must when dealing with modern
vehicles, and as such, there are few shops
left without at least one scan tool. Modern
hybrid and electric cars were designed in
such a way as to nearly eliminate the need
for direct measurements of " hot " highvoltage
circuits. What does this mean for
technicians? It means there is an abundance
of data available at our fingertips
which will allow proper evaluation and
pin-pointing of various faults directly
from the driver's seat with minimal need
to interact or disassemble components. A
scan tool that can be trusted is our gateway
to this information.
The hardest part is choosing the " best "
scan tool for the job. I'll be honest here;
there is no single best scan tool - each has
its strengths and weaknesses. Thankfully,
there are a variety of options available in the
aftermarket which allow one to build an
excellent base to cover a wide range of vehicles
and needed functionalities with many
high-level tools now coming equipped with
a J2534 or J-Box communications device.
This allows for Pass-Thru (Figure 2) programming
utilizing OE diagnostic software,
which is available via subscriptions.
After all, many repairs to modern vehicles
can be made by reprogramming their
operating code in any given module. OE
scan tool hardware is also available to the
aftermarket, generally at affordable prices,
due to Right to Repair legislation allowing
near-complete OE level diagnostics and
programming.
For instance, if a shop focuses heavily on
Toyota, especially hybrids, it would be most
cost-effective to invest in the factory hardware
and a yearly software subscription. In
Toyota's case, the Mongoose-Plus cable is
priced at just under $500 at the time of writing
and available through multiple sources
such as AESwave.com. A yearly professional
level subscription to Toyota Information
System (TIS) will cost $1,295 for the year,
allowing you factory level capabilities for
under $2,000, assuming you already have
a laptop available that meets the hardware
and software requirements.
46 PTEN FEBRUARY 2022 www.VehicleServicePros.com
Recently, Tesla opened up access to their
Toolbox 3 Diagnostic Software (Figure 3),
which includes a standalone HV battery
evaluation tool, in addition to their already
available service information subscription.
This is priced at $2,000 a year for the diagnostic
software, which requires specific
cables built or purchased through companies
such as AESwave (part # atl-ConnTESLA
for the Autel specific cables). The
service information subscription comes in
at $3,187 for the year, with other time frame
purchase options available: hourly, daily,
and monthly. This opens up a new segment
for many repair shops, as even total electric
vehicles require routine services to perform
optimally.
EVALUATING AND REPAIRING
WIRING DAMAGE
Every market and area has different failure
types that they see more or less than others.
I run into a large number of damaged
wiring harnesses and connectors. Some
of that is from mice and other animals
nesting and feeding during the colder
months. Others from previous repairs
that were completed less than optimally,
which resulted in pinching or rubbing
unsecured harnesses and broken connector
locks. The proper techniques and tools
http://www.AESwave.com http://www.VehicleServicePros.com
February_2022

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