Let’s equip the diagnostician’s workstation

The very first task of a beginner diagnostician is to assemble his workspace with car diagnostic devices.

Without claiming to be the ultimate truth, this article will try to give recommendations on this issue.

We’ll have the price-performance ratio as the main criterion in selecting car diagnostic devices, because beginners mostly don’t have enough resources and the choice is limited by the available amount of money. In the future, you’ll have to buy more professional and expensive devices, which may not be necessary at the first stage, but with a serious approach to the business are required.

There are three main types of diagnostic devices — scanner, motortester and gas analyzer — and additional equipment for specifical measurements and operations.

Car diagnostic devices: scanners

If resources allow, it’s better to purchase dealer scanners specifically for those car brand that you often deal with. We have an entire section for Diagnostic tools on the website.

It would be better to buy a multi-brand car scanner that has a module structure. It means that you can buy a basic configuration for a relatively small amount of money, and later buy additional modules for those car brands that you tune most often, as the need arises. This allows you to invest a minimum amount at the very beginning and get a decent multi-brand device in the long term.

Good multi-brand scanner is ScanDoc, developed in Taganrog (Russia) by Quantex Laboratory. It’s close to the dealer level in its functionality regarding Toyota, works fine with right-hand-drive cars. Japanese and Korean vehicles are its strengths.

Advantages: lifetime warranty and car brand updating.
Disadvantages: there’re a lot of problems considering particular car brands, unfortunately, it’s typical for almost every multi-brand scanner.

The interface of the device is user-friendly, very easy to work and find the required car brand and model.

We can also recommend another multi-brand scanner — MT10 developed by New Technological Systems enterprise in Russia. It’s a dealer scanner considering VAZ cars, all LADA service centers use it specifically. It performs well regarding other brands. If there’s very little resources available you can begin with fairly cheap, but good-working scanners that are also produced in Russia.

First device worth mentioning is a Scanmatic 3 scanner. It works with the whole Russian car pool, including KAMAZ vehicles, and also Mitsubishi, KIA, Hyundai, Daewoo, Chevrolet and many other Chinese brands. With another car brand the scanner allows connection via standard OBD-II protocols. If the vehicle doesn’t support OBD-II, it isn’t possible to work with. However, a great majority of cars support this protocol.

If you don’t trust Russian production, you can buy a scanner of CarmanScan series. It’s a famous multi-brand scanner. The company takes its work seriously, you can find a lot of interesting articles on the diagnostic topic on their website, recommended to read.

Probably another the most well-known multi-brand scanner is a Chinese LAUNCH X431. What is there to say? It’s a good device. There’s an expression between diagnosticians — LAUNCH works with everything. But it has its own weaknesses, that are sometimes very significant, but not a single multi-brand scanner is safe from troubles.

If you have to work with right-hand-drive cars a lot, and with Asian vehicles in general, scanner G-Scan would be a good decision.

Car diagnostic devices: motortesters

We often receive questions like: «What motertester should I buy?» There is a misconception that tools made in CIS countries are not of good quality. It is not true. In the vast expanses of the former USSR, devices of quite a world-class level and even higher were created. For example, some unique functions, such as alternative diagnostic methods, are implemented only in them.

Here are some examples.

Motortester MotoDoc III. It’s a high-quality device, with outstanding configurations for its type. The developer gives a lifetime warranty for the device, and it’s not just words. Motortester operates on any voltage from 6 to 30 volts, defines the polarity of the voltage automatically, is fool-proof and pardons its user for any inaccuracy. The device is easy to use.

Unfortunately, it’s off-sale, and can only be bought secondhand. A new device MotoDoc IV, that should be a replacement in developer’s intent, isn’t yet for sale.

Another worthy motortester is DIAMAG 3. It’s a professional motor tester for fast and accurate fault detection in any engine of any car. The Diamag 3 software has all the functions that a modern motor tester should have.

It’s a high-quality device, with outstanding configurations for its type. The developer gives a lifetime warranty for the device, and it’s not just words. Motortester operates on any voltage from 6 to 30 volts, defines the polarity of the voltage automatically, is fool-proof and pardons its user for any inaccuracy. The device is easy to use.

There’s another good motertester — MT-10 (the same exact scanner!) Essentially, it’s a combination of scanner and motortester. There is an opinion that in terms of price-quality ratio the MT-10 motor tester is not the best choice. There’s another opinion that good equipment can’t be cheap.

From CIS-countroes products we would like to mention AutoAs Profi3 (АвтоАс Профи 3), but again, we have no experience with this device, although according to reviews the device performs well.

Among non-CIS-made motortesters, there’s also something to choose from.

Of course, you can buy BOSCH, but are you ready to pay that much for it? Especially considering that it doesn’t differ much in features from Russian products. Never fall for a trap like «2-in-1» device — scanner plus motortester. It will either be a weak scanner, or it will be just a «motortester» in name.

Attention! You can choose any motortester, of course. But when choosing it, ask if it has a cylinder pressure sensor. If it doesn’t — refuse the offer! Cylinder pressure is the main parameter, a lot of important conclusions can be drawn from it.

Car diagnostic devices: gas analyzers

The next important device is gas analyzers. Foremost we would like to notice that this amazing device lost its position in the past few years. A decade ago, diagnostic was impossible without it: a great part of the cars required fuel supply control. It’s not only carburetor vehicles: in late 90s — early 2000s cars with fuel injection were mass produced, but still required controlling.

Therefore, at the moment a gas analyzer isn’t a necessity. If you work with a fairly old fleet of vehicles and you have the opportunity to buy this expensive device, then buy it. And if you’re mostly working with new cars, you don’t really need a gas analyzer.

There are two gas analyzer manufacturers in Russia: Infracar (Инфракар) and МЕТА. META manufactures gas analysers under the brand name Avtotest, and also produces tool control lines and everything related to it.

Gas analyzers from other countries don’t differ in anything, but price. The fact is that the measuring element in all gas analyzers is either Japanese or Italian; they are simply not manufactured in Russia. So buying an Infracar for 500 USD or an Italian device for 1000 USD would mean you are buying basically the same device.

Gas analyzer isn’t an essential device. But if we were offered a workplace without it now — we can’t imagine how we would work there.

The results of gas analysis show how the fuel burns, how the catalytic converter works, and what deviations there are in the engine operation. We know, some people don’t need that data, but personally we can’t work without the device.

It should be noted that a four-component gas analyzer is required. Second rank precision is enough, we aren’t in the laboratory, just in the engine diagnostic space.

Additional diagnostic equipment

It is also a significant part of a diagnostician’s workplace. First of all, you need, а fuel pressure gage kit as additional equipment. It would be best to order a set in a suitcase, with a large number of adapters for engines of different manufacturers.

Here’s what you will probably need:

• A pressure gauge;

• Smoke generators will be very useful for finding leaks;

• A pneumatic tester will also be useful for assessing the condition of the CPG;

• An endoscope;

• A good set of tools is a must;

• A compression gauge and a multimeter, but these are very inexpensive devices.

Additional equipment list can be endless. You can also include discharge switches, sensor testers and tools for coil check. Examples of such devices can be DST-6 from Samara (Russia), light testers and so on. You can do easily without most of them, but must have a fuel pressure gauge.

We would like to single out the stand for testing and ultrasonic cleaning of nozzles or injectors. Although it refers to additional equipment, it is very expensive. You can do without a stand at first, but in the future I highly recommend buying one. For example, the well-known Launch stand for six CNC-602 nozzles. Among other things, it includes an ultrasonic bath for cleaning the nozzles.

Information resources for diagnostician’s work

Databases will definitely be required for that kind of work. You may also check forums such as MHH or find software programs with databases.

Safety considerations

When assembling your workspace, safety must come first. At least one fire extinguisher is required.

Furthermore, it needs to have proper ventilation to remove the exhaust gases. At least have a pipe with its end outdoors. It would be better to buy a radial fan and appropriate pipelines. It can be made even from regular sewer pipe, laying it along the walls and ceiling. It is easy and cheap to assemble.

You can buy a fan from any company that deals with industrial ventilation, you can even buy a used one. Unfortunately, many people underestimate the importance of a good air extraction system. Headache, exhaustion, loss of concentration — the least harmful consequences of working without an exhaust gas extraction system.

Finally, let’s make one of the beginner-diagnostician equipment set options, based on the sum of 600 USD.

The set would be:

• Scanner Scanmatik

• A fuel pressure gauge

• A laptop. A cheap or pre-used one will do.

• Tools set

• Compression gauge

• Air pump

• Nozzle ultrasonic cleaning stand

• Multimeter, even a cheap one for 10 USD will do

The total is about 600 USD.

Considering that you’re reading the article, you should already have a laptop or PC. There’s not much left to add to the workplace. With such little equipment set, you can work quite confidently with a CIS or any budget car. Of course, many operations will be made by hand, for instance, valve timing check.

It’s an example of a starter-pack. In the future you’ll have to accumulate more professional equipment.

Everything written above is nothing more than a private opinion. Some people may think differently, someone won’t need a gas analyzer, someone won’t need a motortester. As they say, to each their own.

We don’t claim to have the only correct opinion, but we sincerely hope that this material will help you in choosing equipment for the diagnostician’s workplace.