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Best diagnostic advice? #

Posted by Kris Gordon on April 1, 2015, 8:45 pm
Edited by board administrator April 16, 2015, 12:17 pm

I was watching scanner danner, and he said the vantage tool changed his career. I thought it would be useful to know what everyone else's changing point was, weather it be a Book, training course, particular tool, or method of process.

So far for me it was the essential test procedures course by bosch, the simple but all important basics.

Re: Best diagnostic advice?

Posted by Michael Whitworth on April 1, 2015, 8:57 pm, in reply to "Best diagnostic advice?"
Mike Whitworth - Administrator

As much as I hate to admit it,

It was the Fueler and Eddie Zyla!!

Bur whatever you do don't tell him.

Re: Best diagnostic advice?

Posted by Lee Mackintosh on April 1, 2015, 9:32 pm, in reply to "Re: Best diagnostic advice?"
Lee Mackintosh

Mike,

The Fueler,

Was that a worth while piece of equipment then as I nearly bought it but decided to buy a Crypton Handyscope instead.

I always had a niggling feeling that my money should've been spent on the fueler instead.

Re: Best diagnostic advice?

Posted by Michael Whitworth on April 2, 2015, 7:20 am, in reply to "Re: Best diagnostic advice?"
Mike Whitworth - Administrator

Seriously Lee, No it wasn't, You made the right choice with the Crypton Handyscope.

For me the Fueler opened my eyes to closed loop fuel control at a time when very few people understood it.

The idea behind the fueler was brilliant but in practice it was difficult to use and would often lead you up the garden path. Most people who tried to use it didn't see the point in it and lots of them were left in boxes gathering dust.

Eddie taught me a lot too which I am grateful for but there is a lot I am not so grateful for which I will not go into.

Regards,

Mike

Re: Best diagnostic advice?

Posted by Rob Harris on April 2, 2015, 10:40 am, in reply to "Re: Best diagnostic advice?"
Rob Harris

I wouldn’t know I didn’t get the Fueler that was owed to ME

Re: Best diagnostic advice?

Posted by Shane gray on April 2, 2015, 10:58 am, in reply to "Re: Best diagnostic advice?"
Shane Gray

Hi,
It will have to be my picoscope, opened up a hole new diagnostic approach. Now we test first before replace.
Shane

Re: Best diagnostic advice?

Posted by Nick Favell on April 2, 2015, 12:56 pm, in reply to "Re: Best diagnostic advice?"
Nicholas Favell

Snap on MT red brick. My first scan tool.
First day I had it it paid for itself, local auto specialist told me my Mondeo box needed a rebuild. Snap On brick said position switch - £25 from Ford = job sorted.
Then Andrew Page starting me on the Bosch courses.

Re: Best diagnostic advice?

Posted by Anthony Pickering on April 3, 2015, 12:59 pm, in reply to "Re: Best diagnostic advice?"
Anthony Pickering

For me being thrown in the deep end was my starting point. Learnt a bit that way with a multimeter.

Then doing my ATA master opened my eyes to scopeing.

Bought a cheap two channel scope and tried my best but going on James Dillon's boot camp opened the floodgates and next thing I know I posess a Pico and wps and never looked back.

Also learning a lot from forums helped.

Re: Best diagnostic advice?

Posted by kris gordon on April 3, 2015, 2:33 pm, in reply to "Re: Best diagnostic advice?"

Hi Anthony, was the diagnostic bootamp good? i have just been given a training grant and thinking of attending the next one.

Re: Best diagnostic advice?

Posted by Anthony Pickering on April 3, 2015, 6:47 pm, in reply to "Re: Best diagnostic advice?"
Anthony Pickering

I highly recommend attending the diagnostic boot camp, blue print for hybrid is also very good.

Bosch courses are top notch from what I have heard, not attended any but from what people have said definitely worth looking into.

Sometimes on courses during a break some golden nuggets are floating about in general conversation so its always good to talk and listen.

Re: Best diagnostic advice?

Posted by Lee Mackintosh on April 4, 2015, 11:23 am, in reply to "Re: Best diagnostic advice?"
Lee Mackintosh

I think its a combination of a few things for me,

Haynes PFCR - my first scantool
Crypton Handy Scope - unfortunately never got much use
Forums & Car Mechanics Magazine monthly

Forums help to explain the results of your scanner readings and dtc's and you can then progress.

Re: Best diagnostic advice?

Posted by Pete Greenow on April 7, 2015, 8:01 pm, in reply to "Re: Best diagnostic advice?"

Hi

I too remember the Fueler, I did not purchase one however. If you ask what started my interest in being more than just a jobbing mechanic, and get to understand the science behind things, then my first such tool was a Crypton 350 Motorscope with an add on 316 free running time base scope attachment. It cost a fortune, and was bigger than most current family cars !

What probably was the catalyst for my strive for greater knowledge though maybe possibly traced to a much more humble and possibly maligned bit of "diy" kit, the gunsons colour tune. It was incredible to see the impact that timing, dwell and carb settings had on the colour of combustion!

Happy days, I guess most won't have a clue what I am on about, but it sure brings back memories.

Regards

Pete

Re: Best diagnostic advice?

Posted by Michael Whitworth on April 7, 2015, 8:15 pm, in reply to "Re: Best diagnostic advice?"
Mike Whitworth - Administrator

Hi Pete.

I never have a clue what you are going on about.

Mike

Re: Best diagnostic advice?

Posted by Tom Yates on April 7, 2015, 8:49 pm, in reply to "Re: Best diagnostic advice?"
Tom Yates

Now for me that would be when my hobby which was Computers at the time collided with my work, and I connected a Commodore Vic-20 IO port to a Ford EEC IV three pin plug, then set about writing the software to access the pulsed codes from the system and searching a database for the results, this was just before Blue point manufactured the red hand held code readers, and this was my first of many Code readers. and I remember Mike in his mobile tuning van around the same time.

Re: Best diagnostic advice?

Posted by Michael Whitworth on April 7, 2015, 9:37 pm, in reply to "Re: Best diagnostic advice?"
Mike Whitworth - Administrator

Wasn't that about the time you told me you were not going to buy anymore diag kit Tom cos it was getting stupid? lol

Re: Best diagnostic advice?

Posted by Lee Mackintosh on April 7, 2015, 10:24 pm, in reply to "Re: Best diagnostic advice?"
Lee Mackintosh

Don't gunson still sell the colour tune kit now. I remember at college using a motor scope of some sort, a dirty great big yellow box on wheels with a timing light and a 2 gas analyser.

Crypton I guess, then in m y last year they had a Sun MSA3000 (I think) which was a more modern crypton with a nicer tv screen to look at with some extra colours rather than green.

Now we have a Verus Pro or a pico. How technology moves on.

got to admit though, with them nice big machines rhey did look the part and expensive so must of impressed the customer.

Re: Best diagnostic advice?

Posted by Robin Harris on April 8, 2015, 12:30 pm, in reply to "Re: Best diagnostic advice?"
Rob Harris

The best diagnostic advice I have personally come across is Michael Whitworth I go down one route get totally lost phone Mike he verbally abuses me and then sends me down the right route thank you Mike better than any scanner or meter

Re: Best diagnostic advice?

Posted by Jon Morgan on April 8, 2015, 1:42 pm, in reply to "Re: Best diagnostic advice?"
Jon Morgan

The Mike Whitworth tool sounds remarkable value Robin, do you have the phone number?

I may give it a try!

Re: Best diagnostic advice?

Posted by Robin Harris on April 8, 2015, 2:58 pm, in reply to "Re: Best diagnostic advice?"
Rob Harris

Nope he will kill me John LOL

Re: Best diagnostic advice?

Posted by Pete Greenow on April 8, 2015, 9:48 pm, in reply to "Re: Best diagnostic advice?"
Peter Greenow

Hi Robin / Jon

I can confirm that Mike Whitworth is a tool !

Regards

Pete

Re: Best diagnostic advice?

Posted by Michael Whitworth on April 8, 2015, 11:22 pm, in reply to "Re: Best diagnostic advice?"
Mike Whitworth - Administrator

Love you too Peter no need to get personal.

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