Maintenance of Automobiles and Motorcycles Through Prism of OBD II Diagnostic Tools

The automotive maintenance is often based on the sensor electrical information. The sensor data can be measured directly by the means of multimeters or oscilloscopes, or it can be read through OBD-II communication port. OBD-II protocol is the standardized communication protocol, and it is used for vehicle diagnostic. The development of this protocol and devices begun back in 1968, and to this day many features have been developed and integrated in the modern diagnostic devices. Service codes and sensor values are often processed under common codes, and sometimes it is difficult to detect the cause of malfunction through common error codes. For this purpose, most automotive manufacturers use their own communication lines and can give more insight into engine malfunction. Besides malfunction detection in workshops, the OBD-II devices are more and more used for vehicle annual inspection (MOT) during annual vehicle registration renewal. This paper gives an overview of existing OBD 2 devices on the market (in 2023 year), and their technical possibilities with regard to automotive maintenance technologies. Introduction gives short historical introduction of OBD technology, second chapter gives basic OBD-II pinout, basic protocols and basic engine error codes. The third chapter gives an overview of technical data for the commercially available OBD-II hardware modules. Fourth chapter gives overview of application in the field of maintenance technologies.