Automobiles have come a long way since they were first wheeled out in the late 19th century.
Not only have they changed in looks, but the inner workings have changed as well. Just about the only things they have in common with the autos of today is four tires and a steering wheel.
Even the term for those who work on vehicles has changed from mechanic to technician.
Some of the major changes can be attributed to technology.
“Most of the functions of the car are computer controlled or computer monitored,” said Ron Haefner, industrial teacher at Columbus High School.
Haefner said there are only two systems in automobiles that aren’t ran or monitored by computers: the lubrication and cooling systems. Virtually every other part of the vehicle, including newer additions such as navigation systems, are computer controlled.
The move toward computerized automobiles began in the mid-1970s, Haefner said, even though it was fairly crude at the time. It developed fairly rapidly in the 1980s, and keeps changing today.
Haefner said those who want to go into automotive technology as a career are looking at 4-5 years of training because so much of the diagnostics relies on computers. Not only does one have to learn the mechanical side of vehicles but also about electrical systems and electronics.
Wayne Babel, auto repair technician at Schneider’s OK Tire, said because technology is always improving, it is a constant learning process for him. He has to keep up to date on all the changes by attending training programs and reading up on information sent to them by manufacturers.
It isn’t uncommon for vehicles to have multiple computers in them. Babel said when you flick the turn signal switch you may think you are turning on the turn signal bulb, but you are actually telling a computer to turn the light on.
When automobile problems arise, technicians use computerized shop equipment along with the more traditional hand tools to diagnose and fix the problem.
At a service shop, a technician generally asks the customer what is wrong with the vehicle to narrow down a problem, and possibly do a test drive. But to get at the real root of the problem they do computerized diagnostic testing using a scanner. The scanner is hooked up to a sensor called an Onboard Diagnostics (OBD II) system in the vehicle. Automobile manufacturers began making vehicles with OBD II systems in 1996. The sensor is located under the dash on the driver’s side.
The most common reason why an automobile is brought into a shop is because the “check engine light” is on, Babel said. The light indicates that the vehicle’s computer self-diagnosed that something is wrong. Using the scanner helps determine what that problem is.
A hand-held scanner is plugged into the OBD II system, and when a problem is detected, a code description of the problem appears on the display screen giving the technician a better idea of what is wrong.
While it may seem like the vehicles of yesteryear are gone because of the new technology, especially with the growing popularity of hybrids and electrical autos, Haefner said that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“I hear people talk about Model-T’s and how good they were, but have you ever got into one and drove one? The say they don’t make cars like that anymore. Thank goodness they don’t,” he said.
Vehicles today, he said, are much more fuel efficient, lessening the emissions. They also don’t need to be tuned up as often and repairs aren’t as frequent.
Haefner said when computers started to be incorporated into vehicles that he thought that might be the end of the hot rodders and those who like to tinker with automobiles. But some of those people are buying scanners along with hand tools to work on vehicles at home.
“Twenty years ago people used to buy hardware. Now you can buy hardware and software,” Haefner said.
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