The hardest part of fixing a vehicle is often diagnosing what the problem actually is. If you are having trouble figuring out what exactly is wrong with your Ford vehicle, you can use a code reader to get a diagnostic trouble code from the vehicle’s computer. You may not get the specific answer about what is wrong with the vehicle, but you can identify trends to help you diagnose a problem by getting the diagnostic trouble code.
Step:
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- Rent a code reader at your local auto parts store. Most auto part stores require you to put a certain amount of money down to rent the code reader and will then refund your money when you bring the code reader back.
- Plug the code reader into the computer of your vehicle. The code reader will give you a trouble code. Some code readers will give you a brief description of what the code means; other code readers will provide only the trouble code.
- Write the trouble code down and use it to diagnose problems with your vehicle.
- Go to your local auto parts store and get help looking up what a trouble code means. You can also try entering the trouble code into an Internet search engine and find results that way.
Note:
- Ports for code readers on older, fuel-injected codes will be OBD-I; newer vehicles will be OBd-II.