Show us your Diagnostic Equipment!

[clinebarger]

I'll start off with one of my all time favorite tools....

SUN LS2000 oscilloscope, Bought new in 1994 when I was fairly green at diagostics. Used it every chance I got & it paid off in the end.
I even used it as a volt meter quite a bit even though it was not designed as such, The old timers in the shop would make fun......."He need's a super computer to check battery voltage"......."What are the launch codes for this thing".

It really helped me with OBD-1 3300/3800 Buicks which seemed to be everywhere at the time! They seem overly simple now, But when your used to TBI trucks & HEI Distributors......DIS was high tech stuff.

Techs my age were buying the Snap-on Vantage (MT2400) at the time, While the MT2400 had a fully capable Graphing DVOM, It WAS NOT a true oscilloscope. You had to buy a "KV Module" to even view secondary waveforms....Even then the Sample-Rate sucked compared to a LS2000.

It's now time to retire this tool, The display has been getting weak for years.....You can't really read it anymore.
IF someone wants this tool, Pay the shipping & you can have it! DOES NOT come with ANY leads! Module/Memory Card/Charger/Case ONLY!
I'm sure one of you guys could replace the display, If no PM's by next Friday.....It's going in the trash.

 

[Quattro Pete]

A Carista app on my phone and a Uni-T DMM is about all I've got.

 

[xxch4osxx]

I have a GM Tech 2 with the CANDi module and toughbook laptop to go with it.

 

[Leo99]

Torque Lite is all I've got. That and the Internet.

"My car is doing X"

"Check Y"

 

[andyd]

Just a couple old Fluke 77s and a vacuum gauge. Been fooling with cars since 1962. Mostly learned by breaking stuff and skinning knuckles early on.

 

[clinebarger]

Next up.....My Snap-on MT2500 Scanner, Bought it new in 1997. Probably the most robust/durable scan tool ever made & I still use it just about weekly if not daily.
It's updated to 7.4 (Last quarter of 2007) and VERY capable even on CAN-BUS vehicles.

People like to dismiss this tool as obsolete & slow, While it IS obsolete on cars made in the last 11 years.....It IS NOT slow, It's faster than any scan tool I've ever used.
The Youngsters in the shop like to make fun!

 

[clinebarger]

Originally Posted By: xxch4osxx
I have a GM Tech 2 with the CANDi module and toughbook laptop to go with it.




Yep.....That was my next tool to show!

1999 Hewlett Packard GM Tech 2 with a Vertronix CANdi module, Updated to 2014 by a buddy that works at Arlington Assembly.
I'm very careful with this tool as it's not easily repaired being a HP version, No lines in the screen yet! It even has the OBD-1 Geo adapter!

 

[Silk]

At my last job (just across the road) I had a laptop and MUT III, which was great, not only all the factory stuff, but there were workshop manuals and stuff on there too. We also had an Autel MaxiDas. Across the road and we have an Autel too, and a Launch.

For my own stuff - I bought a Snap-on scanner and a Vantage in 1997 too. The scanner wasn't that good for NZ, but later when they went to a single cartridge that could be updated on the truck, it became a much better tool for NZ vehicles. I sold the scanner with my business, but kept the Vantage...I tell the guys at work it's my $4000 multimeter, because that's what it cost in 1997. It's a fantastic multimeter, and although I had updated the cards, they all died and it's now on the 1997 card. When that fails I guess I will have to toss it. I also got a fluke 98 in 2000, just before they stopped production. A serious bit of kit I seldom use now, most of that info is on a scanner. I used to be really into ignition diagnosis with the Fluke, but these days the spark will jump a 2mm gap with no symtons. The Fluke's problem is battery life...but the Vantage runs for months on a couple of D cells, I still love it.

 

[ls1mike]

Originally Posted By: clinebarger
Originally Posted By: xxch4osxx
I have a GM Tech 2 with the CANDi module and toughbook laptop to go with it.




Yep.....That was my next tool to show!

1999 Hewlett Packard GM Tech 2 with a Vertronix CANdi module, Updated to 2014 by a buddy that works at Arlington Assembly.
I'm very careful with this tool as it's not easily repaired being a HP version, No lines in the screen yet! It even has the OBD-1 Geo adapter!

Yummy.

 

[demarpaint]

Those tools are cool, and they have a tech who knows how to use them! I'd rather have a tech working on my vehicle that knows how to use those older tools and come up with the proper diagnosis of a problem, then a tech with the latest and greatest thinking he made the fix and sending me home only to return with the same problem. How about the tech that plugs in the latest and greatest, sends a customer home saying there's nothing wrong because his tool told him.......... It happens at an alarming rate around here. Knowing how to troubleshoot a problem and make a diagnosis is what matters to me, many techs today lack the knowledge and skills unfortunately.

We need more techs like you and Trav! I'd be doing a little less of my own work if that were the case.

 

[billt460]

All the "tools" I require.

 

[Shannow]

Yep, nothing like someone else getting it wrong and being thankful

 

[Trav]

The full featured scan tool we used on your car that time multiple places wanted to rebuild the transmission provided a lot of data, once the relevant data was interpreted properly it was an easy repair that took less than an hour and the repair has lasted.
I have a few tools, some advanced and some fairly simple, all have their place and do the job at the level I need for that job.

A tool of any kind no matter how good or advanced it is is no replacement for good mechanic and diagnostic skills.

This one works well for most things, lots of data and bidirectional.

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
Yep, nothing like someone else getting it wrong and being thankful


I do the same with landscaping. Except it's more fun to watch them use their "tools" through sunglasses from my pool. The dealer just calls me when they're done..... After including a free wash.

 

[clinebarger]

Originally Posted By: Silk
At my last job (just across the road) I had a laptop and MUT III, which was great, not only all the factory stuff, but there were workshop manuals and stuff on there too. We also had an Autel MaxiDas. Across the road and we have an Autel too, and a Launch.

For my own stuff - I bought a Snap-on scanner and a Vantage in 1997 too. The scanner wasn't that good for NZ, but later when they went to a single cartridge that could be updated on the truck, it became a much better tool for NZ vehicles. I sold the scanner with my business, but kept the Vantage...I tell the guys at work it's my $4000 multimeter, because that's what it cost in 1997. It's a fantastic multimeter, and although I had updated the cards, they all died and it's now on the 1997 card. When that fails I guess I will have to toss it. I also got a fluke 98 in 2000, just before they stopped production. A serious bit of kit I seldom use now, most of that info is on a scanner. I used to be really into ignition diagnosis with the Fluke, but these days the spark will jump a 2mm gap with no symptons. The Fluke's problem is battery life...but the Vantage runs for months on a couple of D cells, I still love it.


$4000 multimeter......Priceless!!! I think the Vantage/MT2400 is a great tool for what it is. I agree that using Secondary waveforms is becoming obsolete.....Especially with COP coils that you can't get to anyway. Though using a Inductive Amp Clamp on the Primary side is more useful than ever & translates secondary issues very well.

The shop I work at has a Snap-on Solus Ultra. Nice tool for most things....
Domestic coverage is A+
Asian coverage is B-
European coverage is D-

 

[Silk]

Diagnostic gear is very expensive here, and mechanics don't normally have their own. When we got the first MaxiDas they were $4000, cheap...and I saw they were $800 in the US, just a weeks pay.

Big problems in the early days - they said this ''whatever'' covers ALL models of cars in New Zealand. No, they covered all models available in New Zealand and Australia, but we had boat loads of domestic Japanese imports coming in every week, there was no data on them, and no scan tool or diagnostic anything would talk to them. We were winging it. One of the reasons I got the Fluke and started to upskill myself. Launch were the first ones to get it - The agent got their reps over, first stop was a car yard, and then they realised their tool was no use in this country, and set about making it cover as much as we had as possible. Even Autel, who would tell us all the stuff it would do - ''you can do key codes on the latest Holden !'' Yeah but, we are not likely to get a brand new Holden in for a key code...but what about this 1996 Nissan Laurel, why can't your scanner talk to it. THAT is what we want. No, we never got that...because they didn't get it.

Kiwi mechanics, we have a reputaion of pulling rabbits out of hubcaps...because we are isolated, with no parts or factory backup. We more than make do, we make the unworkable workable.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Trav
The full featured scan tool we used on your car that time multiple places wanted to rebuild the transmission provided a lot of data, once the relevant data was interpreted properly it was an easy repair that took less than an hour and the repair has lasted.
I have a few tools, some advanced and some fairly simple, all have their place and do the job at the level I need for that job.

A tool of any kind no matter how good or advanced it is is no replacement for good mechanic and diagnostic skills.



Yes that tool was perfect for the job, and you knew in short order the transmission place was full of you know what. Which is what I thought too, but having a proper diagnosis is everything. It has been about 70K miles since you did the repair and that transmission is still working perfectly. In all my years of driving I haven't had a tech work on a vehicle that has a tenth of your knowledge and skills. I laugh at some of these hacks that call themselves skilled mechanics. If you opened a shop on Long Island you'd have more work then you'd want. LOL

 

[George7941]

My first scope was a Napa Balkamp ignition only scope I found at an electronics surplus store for a couple of hundred bucks. I then graduated to a Fluke 98 II, which was the state of the art in automotive scopes in its time. It has severe limitations by current standards. I currently use a Rigol 1052DS. I will be purchasing a PicoScope in the near future for its long record memory.

For scanners, I have an Innova 3130 and a Genuine Vetronix Tech 2 with the Candi module. For trucks I started with the Nexiq Prolink. It has severe limitations (no bidirectional). I then acquired the Nexiq USBLink and then bought Meritor Wabco ToolBox for ABS. Lastly I acquired, on ebay, a laptop preloaded with OEM software (Cat ET, Cummins Insite, Detroit Diesel Diagnostic Link, Freightliner Service Link, etc, etc). The software has been extremely useful for diagnosing truck problems.

 

[clinebarger]

This is what I bought to replace the LS2000 scope.......Snap-on Vantage Pro, Bought it used for $750. My Snap-on guy upgraded it to version 17.4
I also have the matching Low Amp Probe which I LOVE!!
Component test are outstanding, Gives connector locations, Wire colors, & Connector views. I think the LS2000 is easier to use when setting manual triggers & time base.....But the Vantage Pro has presets for all the component test so I don't have to manually set displays very often.

 

[clinebarger]

Power Probe 3, This is my spare one I keep at home. The one at work is beat-up & the "headlights" no longer work.
If you don't have one of these......It's worth every penny!