This month, we are featuring a guest article from Tanner Brandt. Tanner is the owner of Tanner’s Auto Clinic, a mobile diagnostic and programming business. He also teaches for CARQUEST Technical Institute and Worldpac Technical Institute and is a guest contributor to VehicleServicePros.com. “Helping to better the automotive industry through training and networking is a passion of mine, and I enjoy sharing that passion with my students,” says Brandt.
Vehicles on the road today are packed with sophisticated technology, sometimes incorporating more than 2 dozen computers. It’s no secret that, because of this, repair procedures have changed drastically over the last 15 years. With more modules onboard as well as more complex communication systems, the repair and replacement procedure for these on-board computer modules has also changed. Whether you are replacing an engine control module for a drivability problem, a body control module for a lighting problem or a blind spot detection module after an accident, you are going to have to program the module after it is installed. Sometimes you are required to load an updated flash file to fix a customer complaint, such as a transmission shifting concern or a heated steering wheel problem on a Jeep. Who would have thought that one day we would have customers complaining that their steering wheel won’t keep their hands warm? What’s even more interesting is that many of these complaints can be fixed without doing any mechanical repair!
When it comes time to program or update a control module, there are a few steps that we need to take. First, we need to consult service information or the document that informed us that an update was needed. Let’s look at a Service Bulletin for a 2016-2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee to see why it’s important to read the documents first.
The second page of this bulletin also has some very important information that pertains to the set up of your equipment needed prior to performing the update. The bulletin mentions that a battery charger needs to be installed and voltage needs to stay above 13.2 volts but cannot go above 13.5 volts during the flash process. That’s a small voltage range and requires a battery power supply that can be manually programmed for a specific voltage. After the flash is performed, you must wait 2.5 minutes for the shifter to upgrade PRNDM software.
Toyota calls for their GR8 battery diagnostic station to be installed and it MUST be used in power supply mode to maintain a battery voltage of 13.5 volts. The GR8 is a massive battery charger on wheels that in my time with Toyota was affectionately referred to as R2D2 by the technicians. After the programming is completed, all that’s needed is a test drive to verify the complaints have been rectified.
Now let’s look at the changes to general repair and collision when it comes to vehicle programming. Almost any time a vehicle is involved in an accident, the repair is going to involve replacement of a module that will require programming. Whether it’s a computer that has to do with the engine, the airbag system or one of the various driver assistance features found on today’s vehicles, there are very good odds programming will need to be performed.
To summarize this article, the battery charger MUST be able to maintain 13 volts and MUST be connected correctly to avoid problems caused by the vehicle’s load shedding feature. The power supply charger’s positive lead is connected to the positive battery terminal, but the chargers negative lead MUST be connected to vehicle chassis or engine ground (not to the battery terminal). If the battery charger is not connected properly, load shedding may occur and module programming may be corrupted. The same procedure must be followed when jump starting.
Lastly, let’s talk about ADAS and what changes this brings to the arena when it comes to vehicle repair. Every module associated with a vehicle’s driver assist system either has some type of programming or calibration that must be done when a component is replaced. I recently was called out to a shop to program a Side Obstacle Detection Module on a Ford Escape. Although this module does not require aiming or set up using some of the ADAS targets, you may have recently
As you can see, the above examples cite some of the most popular vehicles on the road. Grand Cherokee, Tacoma, Escape. These vehicles are neither high end nor exotic. In 2017, US sales of each model referenced was 308,296 for the Ford Escape, 240,696 for the Jeep Grand Cherokee and 198,124 for the Toyota Tacoma. A total of 600,000 vehicles for which common repairs include (and sometimes are exclusively) module reprogramming of some sort. The need for reprogramming grows with each model year and is unlikely to retreat anytime soon.
Achieving an Optimal Reprogramming Environment is Easy with PRO-LOGIX
The PL6100 adapts its charging approach based on the needs of each battery or battery pack it services. Such adaptations can include activating a soft start mode on deeply discharged batteries, a battery repair mode on older/distressed batteries and temperature compensation when charging in extreme temperatures. It also incorporates numerous features to make charging safer for the operator and the vehicle/battery being charged, including over-voltage protection, reverse polarity protection, smart clamp technology and battery fault detection.