We regularly hear of trucks or buses needing to be sent long distances back and forth to dealerships, even huge towing fee's that are often over 50% or in some extreme cases equal to the cost of purchasing a quality diagnostic system outright. 5 - 10 minute procedure's resulting in long expensive vehicle down time for a simple ECU system reset. The major inconvenience due to unnecessary truck down time on today's modern fleets makes owning a quality scan tool an essential and justifiable purchase.
The OPUS CMT Advanced is a very high level, professional diagnostic system which specialises in European truck, bus and light duty commercial models such as Volvo, Scania, Mercedes Benz, MAN, DAF, Iveco, Renault plus many more and also including some Asian and USA makes. This is a Windows XP to latest 8.1 based system which easily allows the operator to perform diagnostic functions via a Bluetooth or USB connection to the vehicles diagnostic link and able to be loaded to multiple computers for workshop or service vehicles.
Some examples of the functions supported by the OPUS CMT Advanced system include Diagnostic Trouble Code read and clear, Data Analysis, Component Activation, Diesel Particulate Regeneration (DPF or DPD) cylinder balancing, brake pad thickness calibration, clutch calibration, injector programming, Ad-blue calibration- reset, air suspension calibration plus much more. There are many vehicle systems covered including the Diesel engine, Brakes, Instruments, Climate control, Transmission, Steering, Suspension and Supplemental Restraint Systems, importantly the necessary service support functions which are a must and these are covered to a high level to keep fleet maintenance complete.
One very important function often requested on a late Volvo trucks such as the FM, FH, FE models is the ability to reset the electronically controlled air dryer warning message which displays when the air dryer cartridge requires replacement. The electronic air control monitors the volume of air which passes through the desiccant cartridge and when its preset limit is reached an in-cab service indicator will illuminate indicating that the cartridge needs to be changed. The replacement of the air dryer cartridge needs to take place at the earliest convenient opportunity and the service indicator must be reset using suitable diagnostic equipment.
There is a grace period once the service indicator displays which relates to the additional number of litres of air that can be processed. If this volume is exceeded then the vehicle management system will not allow the engine to start until the cartridge is changed and the service indicator reset. The reset procedure can be carried out using the OPUS CMT Advanced diagnostic system. The image below is an example of a fault code retrieved using the OPUS scan tool due to the air dryer requiring replacement. In this particular case, the warning message was also intermittently appearing in the display in the cabin.
Multifunction (Vehicle ECU - MID144)
DTC Description
MID144-PPID279 - Air dryer, dry agent reservoir
- Signal too high
- Inactive
First error occurrence 22/03/2014 06:31
Last error occurrence 08/04/2014 12:18
Frequency counter 34
FMI-0
Note the additional detail indicating the dates and times of the fault occurring and also the number of times the fault has occurred. To perform the reset function after the air dryer has been replaced is very easy to follow. See the image below:
The OPUS CMT Advanced diagnostic interface is a sophisticated diagnostic system which allows the technician to quickly and simply print out quality diagnostic reports for a professional job, capture data logs to find that intermittent problem using Flight Record mode, and easily perform diagnostic functions following on screen instructions.
The OPUS CMT Advanced scan tool allows the heavy duty truck and bus diesel technician a quality affordable option to cut down diagnostic time, complete the job and get trucks back on the road faster, at a very reasonable cost. The tool is manufactured in Sweden supported by a development team of over 40 Swedish engineer's, offers regular updates. It is a certified, simple to use and cost effective safe option.
A cautionary note, beware of cheap or illegal tools claiming to cover everything, an increasing number of customers report they end up buying a second scan tool after learning the hard way. One scan tool won't cover every brand, just ask the salesperson "where is it made, is it genuine and please supply a specification list". Opus has over 4000 pages of detailed systems coverage transparently detailed for specific reference.