Federally Mandated Access to OBD II Repair Information

Availability Of OBD II Repair Manuals
One of the basic goals of OBD II is to make emissions-related diagnosis and repair information more accessible to the service industry. Legally, all manufacturers must make this information available to anyone who requests it. Most manufacturers will probably distribute their OBD II-related manuals through a third party, such as one of the publishers of aftermarket repair manuals.

Enhanced VS Generic Manuals
You, as a SAAB dealer, will receive what we will call an enhanced service manual for each one of our OBD II systems. This Manual, to use the TRIONIC system as an example, will have all information found in the current 2:7 TRIONIC manual, modified and expanded to cover OBD II.

An independent repair shop will probably choose to purchase what we will call a "generic" manual. The name is derived from the fact that this manual will support the DTCs (fault codes) as they would be read on a generic scan tool such as those used in I/M 240 emissions testing facilities.





Scan Tool Data
All manufacturers must write their OBD II diagnostic software in a way which will allow inspection stations and independent repair facilities to read emissions- related codes and data with any scan tool programmed to "talk" to OBD II systems.

As with this manual, the intention is that the availability of information should not be the limiting factor in determining who can attempt to repair an OBD II car.

Generic Vs Dedicated Scan Tools
A very basic OBD II concept is that if the MIL is on, there will be a matching fault code. The reverse must also be true, you can't store an OBD specified code (0 in the second position, I.E. P0300) without turning on the MIL.

Manufacturers are free to add codes in an effort to make the technician's life a little easier by providing additional information. These codes will have a 1 rather than a 0 in the second position. The rules governing these "1" codes are a bit more flexible.

As in OBD I, only emissions-related codes must turn on the MIL.

Intellegant Saab Tester (ISAT) will display generic information in the format defined by the regulations (select GSM on the main menu) PLUS an enhanced version of our traditional information (select TRIONIC OBD II/M96). The enhanced shop manuals are written to take full advantage of all the additional information available in the TRIONIC and MOTRONIC menus.

Generic tools will not access the TRIONIC OBD II/ M96 or similar MOTRONIC menus.