Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

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jamescarruthers
480 Is my middle name
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Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

Post by jamescarruthers » Wed Feb 07, 2018 10:30 am

I am really pleased that I have secured the Volvo System Tester so that we can do proper diagnostics on the engine ECUs now of, I think, all 480s.

The connector goes in between the car's ECU and plug and "break out" the signals. This means that live data and diagnostic tests can be performed.

On my old B18E I have easily read live data. I ran out of time for diagnostics (seemed to take ages and at the time the car was in a garage so I thought I might choke to death!). It confirmed that I wasn't getting a temp signal as it said coolant COLD. That information in itself is helpful to me.‎

It looks like it will read: B18E (Fenix 1.0 and 3.2), B18F, B18FT & B18FT(M) (EZ210K + LH-2.2). It will also read 200/300/700 series ECUs (see picture below) ‎

The guy also threw in a Volvo Diagnostic Key which he forgot he had. This seems to plug in to the diagnostic post on the suspension turret (conformed by looking at Frenchfries car). I haven't tried this yet as my car is too early to have one.‎  This reads EZ116K, LH 2.4, REX, Regina and TCU (Turbo Control Unit) for B204 FT and GT‎ engines. I don't think any of these are relevant to the 480.‎

This cost £400, but it seemed like something that we must have access to, especially the old cars which can't blink codes out.

My thinking is that ‎I make this available to club members at meets and at my house should anyone want to come for a 480 diagnostics session. A small sort of rental donation would be welcome in this case. Does that seem reasonable? I suppose when I am off work (I work shift so get lots of time off) I could consider‎ trips to visit poorly 480s with this kit if necessary. ‎
1987 Volvo 480 ES, 507274, 217 - Red (Ness)
2006 Citroen C6 Exclusive 3.0 petrol/LPG
2008 Mini Cooper convertible (Mau)

Previous 480's:
J123 CFU -- ES
J449 MNL -- ES auto
D864 CPV -- ES
L691 JFC -- Turbo
F70 MNR -- ES
H858 FGV -- Turbo auto
E981 KHM -- ES (509849)

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jamescarruthers
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 2501
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2003 3:19 pm
Location: Cambridge

Re: Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

Post by jamescarruthers » Wed Feb 07, 2018 10:45 am

System Tester:‎

Image

Image

Image
Last edited by jamescarruthers on Thu Nov 12, 2020 8:09 am, edited 2 times in total.
1987 Volvo 480 ES, 507274, 217 - Red (Ness)
2006 Citroen C6 Exclusive 3.0 petrol/LPG
2008 Mini Cooper convertible (Mau)

Previous 480's:
J123 CFU -- ES
J449 MNL -- ES auto
D864 CPV -- ES
L691 JFC -- Turbo
F70 MNR -- ES
H858 FGV -- Turbo auto
E981 KHM -- ES (509849)

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jamescarruthers
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 2501
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2003 3:19 pm
Location: Cambridge

Re: Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

Post by jamescarruthers » Wed Feb 07, 2018 10:46 am

Image

Image

Image
Last edited by jamescarruthers on Thu Nov 12, 2020 8:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
1987 Volvo 480 ES, 507274, 217 - Red (Ness)
2006 Citroen C6 Exclusive 3.0 petrol/LPG
2008 Mini Cooper convertible (Mau)

Previous 480's:
J123 CFU -- ES
J449 MNL -- ES auto
D864 CPV -- ES
L691 JFC -- Turbo
F70 MNR -- ES
H858 FGV -- Turbo auto
E981 KHM -- ES (509849)

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jamescarruthers
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 2501
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2003 3:19 pm
Location: Cambridge

Re: Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

Post by jamescarruthers » Wed Feb 07, 2018 10:46 am

Image

Image

Image
Last edited by jamescarruthers on Thu Nov 12, 2020 8:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
1987 Volvo 480 ES, 507274, 217 - Red (Ness)
2006 Citroen C6 Exclusive 3.0 petrol/LPG
2008 Mini Cooper convertible (Mau)

Previous 480's:
J123 CFU -- ES
J449 MNL -- ES auto
D864 CPV -- ES
L691 JFC -- Turbo
F70 MNR -- ES
H858 FGV -- Turbo auto
E981 KHM -- ES (509849)

User avatar
jamescarruthers
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 2501
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2003 3:19 pm
Location: Cambridge

Re: Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

Post by jamescarruthers » Wed Feb 07, 2018 10:51 am

Diagnostic Key:

Image

Image
Last edited by jamescarruthers on Thu Nov 12, 2020 8:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
1987 Volvo 480 ES, 507274, 217 - Red (Ness)
2006 Citroen C6 Exclusive 3.0 petrol/LPG
2008 Mini Cooper convertible (Mau)

Previous 480's:
J123 CFU -- ES
J449 MNL -- ES auto
D864 CPV -- ES
L691 JFC -- Turbo
F70 MNR -- ES
H858 FGV -- Turbo auto
E981 KHM -- ES (509849)

User avatar
jamescarruthers
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 2501
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2003 3:19 pm
Location: Cambridge

Re: Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

Post by jamescarruthers » Wed Feb 07, 2018 10:51 am

Image

Image
1987 Volvo 480 ES, 507274, 217 - Red (Ness)
2006 Citroen C6 Exclusive 3.0 petrol/LPG
2008 Mini Cooper convertible (Mau)

Previous 480's:
J123 CFU -- ES
J449 MNL -- ES auto
D864 CPV -- ES
L691 JFC -- Turbo
F70 MNR -- ES
H858 FGV -- Turbo auto
E981 KHM -- ES (509849)

frenchfries
Advanced 480 rookie
Posts: 561
Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2017 8:11 pm

Re: Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

Post by frenchfries » Wed Feb 07, 2018 10:53 am

LOL

This thing is huge, there was no room left in your boot :P
1993 Turbo auto called Skip for the important stuff
2011 Juke 190 for everything else

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WRDendy
Can tell where the 480 was built
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Location: Oxford

Re: Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

Post by WRDendy » Wed Feb 07, 2018 11:41 am

That's some nice hardware, I bet it cost a small fortune back in the day when it was new.

Even though it's not much use for my car, I think it's great that we now have access to one of these in the community, and hopefully it will help people out in the future. James' proposal to make it available at meets and in general in return for a small donation sounds reasonable to me, particularly if he's willing to do home visits!
Formerly known as 'Jaster'
Current: '94 GT & '88 ES
Former: '89 ES

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brinkie
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Re: Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

Post by brinkie » Wed Feb 07, 2018 12:28 pm

Great find, though a bit costly. I have seen a similar set for sale at the Volvo Klassiekerbeurs (Volvo Classics fair every September) last year, the price was way too steep for me to take it home. But I wished I had one a couple of weeks ago when I was trying to fix a problem with an ECU in an early 480 with B18E-engine. This set is especially usueful for the B18E and B18FT (Turbo) engines, as they lack diagnostic features which later engines (B18EP/FP and B20F) do have. I have the matching service manual, though it is in Dutch but I might find an English manual.

This was state-of-the-art technology in the late 1980s, I remember well to have played with such electronics when I was a student. I think that, once you have secured matching connectors, you can build your own test set using Arduino (or perhaps Raspberry Pi) controllers, but the development would take ages for a hobbyist who has to reverse-engineer all values.

Once again: great find!
Robert.

Present cars: 1994 Volvo 480 GT 2.0i, 1999 Volvo S70 2.5 Europa, 2010 Volvo V70 2.0F Momentum

balto8
Knows an Aerodeck isn't a 480
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Re: Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

Post by balto8 » Thu Feb 08, 2018 8:41 pm

Sweet hardware! :D
1991 480 Black Turbo
2012 Seat Exeo ST
2013 VW Polo TSI DSG

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jamescarruthers
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Re: Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

Post by jamescarruthers » Fri Feb 09, 2018 11:23 am

Jaster wrote:
Wed Feb 07, 2018 11:41 am
That's some nice hardware, I bet it cost a small fortune back in the day when it was new.

Even though it's not much use for my car, I think it's great that we now have access to one of these in the community, and hopefully it will help people out in the future. James' proposal to make it available at meets and in general in return for a small donation sounds reasonable to me, particularly if he's willing to do home visits!
Oh yes! I forgot about the 2 litre engine!

I am going to take a guess that this would interrogate it, if we had the correct software cartridge. The wiring might be the same, we'd have to check the pin outs. 

It was made by Autodiagnos‎ so there is a chance they could help after all these years.
1987 Volvo 480 ES, 507274, 217 - Red (Ness)
2006 Citroen C6 Exclusive 3.0 petrol/LPG
2008 Mini Cooper convertible (Mau)

Previous 480's:
J123 CFU -- ES
J449 MNL -- ES auto
D864 CPV -- ES
L691 JFC -- Turbo
F70 MNR -- ES
H858 FGV -- Turbo auto
E981 KHM -- ES (509849)

Alan 480
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1489
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2011 9:03 am
Location: Aberdeen

Re: Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

Post by Alan 480 » Fri Feb 09, 2018 12:51 pm

isn't the two litre the same as the Fenix 3.2 ? ?

or am I just havering?

useful bit of kit if it can do all those, and if it does the other Volvos more potential 'rental'
Alan

480 ES 2litre 'Celebration' ? , C30 1.8ES, SS1

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jamescarruthers
480 Is my middle name
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Re: Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

Post by jamescarruthers » Fri Feb 09, 2018 12:58 pm

Alan 480 wrote:
Fri Feb 09, 2018 12:51 pm
isn't the two litre the same as the Fenix 3.2 ? ?

or am I just havering?

useful bit of kit if it can do all those, and if it does the other Volvos more potential 'rental'
Maybe, never owned one. Hopefully someone can enlighten us
1987 Volvo 480 ES, 507274, 217 - Red (Ness)
2006 Citroen C6 Exclusive 3.0 petrol/LPG
2008 Mini Cooper convertible (Mau)

Previous 480's:
J123 CFU -- ES
J449 MNL -- ES auto
D864 CPV -- ES
L691 JFC -- Turbo
F70 MNR -- ES
H858 FGV -- Turbo auto
E981 KHM -- ES (509849)

Alan 480
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1489
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2011 9:03 am
Location: Aberdeen

Re: Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

Post by Alan 480 » Fri Feb 09, 2018 1:06 pm

I'll look tonight :-)
Alan

480 ES 2litre 'Celebration' ? , C30 1.8ES, SS1

Rachel
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Location: Bucks

Re: Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

Post by Rachel » Fri Feb 09, 2018 1:52 pm

Awesome find James. I definitely be happy to donate for a read out! :D
'95 Storm Grey 323 Manual Turbo, Richmod
----------------------------------------------------------
'95 Flame Red Celeb, Nos.191, 2 litre, LPG, used to be Adams ;) SOLD
'95 Vase Green Turbo~ Vanessa~ 'Serendipity' manual, Richmod. RIP
'90 Light Blue 480 Turbo auto....RIP
'68 VW Type 3 1.6 auto Lotus White,Swedish import. SOLD
Audi 80 coupe Gold...pimp my ride! RIP
'76 Bug, Ocean Blue, lowered, Empi wheels.RIP
'72 Bay window VW Camper 1600 twinport. Sold

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jamescarruthers
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Re: Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

Post by jamescarruthers » Fri Feb 09, 2018 9:49 pm

Rachel wrote:
Fri Feb 09, 2018 1:52 pm
Awesome find James. I definitely be happy to donate for a read out! :D
You'll be pleased to know that it's on its way to jifflemon to try out on a Turbo.
1987 Volvo 480 ES, 507274, 217 - Red (Ness)
2006 Citroen C6 Exclusive 3.0 petrol/LPG
2008 Mini Cooper convertible (Mau)

Previous 480's:
J123 CFU -- ES
J449 MNL -- ES auto
D864 CPV -- ES
L691 JFC -- Turbo
F70 MNR -- ES
H858 FGV -- Turbo auto
E981 KHM -- ES (509849)

Alan 480
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1489
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2011 9:03 am
Location: Aberdeen

Re: Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

Post by Alan 480 » Fri Feb 09, 2018 10:10 pm

Alan 480 wrote:
Fri Feb 09, 2018 1:06 pm
I'll look tonight :-)

HBOL says Fenix / Bendix 3B (bravo), no idea what the chnages are between the 3.1 / 3.2 / 3B ??
Alan

480 ES 2litre 'Celebration' ? , C30 1.8ES, SS1

eye of ra
Can tell where the 480 was built
Posts: 355
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 7:33 pm
Location: Derbyshire

Re: Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

Post by eye of ra » Sat Feb 10, 2018 11:42 am

Oddly I purchased a green book recently that includes a “how to” of the Volvo System Tester and was wondering if any where still around.

I could scan it if you don’t already have a copy?
Current:
480 ES Auto 1989
480 Celebration 187
480 ES Auto 1991
CLK430 Conv 2001
Hyundai i10 2015

eye of ra
Can tell where the 480 was built
Posts: 355
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 7:33 pm
Location: Derbyshire

Re: Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

Post by eye of ra » Sat Feb 10, 2018 12:04 pm

According to the green books the Fenix 1 and 3.2 were only used on the B18E. The B18U, B16F, B18EP/FP and B20F used the 3B.

Quoting a service bulletin the difference between the 1 and 3.2 is
wrote:The Fenix 3.2 has a new electronic control unit and two new sensors: the induction air temp sensor and coolant temp sensor. Both sensors are of the NTC type and can be recognised by the blue connectors.
The Fenix 3.2 also controls the air-con (if fitted). The new system is NOT interchangeable with the old.
Current:
480 ES Auto 1989
480 Celebration 187
480 ES Auto 1991
CLK430 Conv 2001
Hyundai i10 2015

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jamescarruthers
480 Is my middle name
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Re: Volvo System Tester Acquired to Perform Diagnostics

Post by jamescarruthers » Sat Feb 10, 2018 12:29 pm

eye of ra wrote:
Sat Feb 10, 2018 11:42 am
Oddly I purchased a green book recently that includes a “how to” of the Volvo System Tester and was wondering if any where still around.

I could scan it if you don’t already have a copy?
That would be fabulous!
1987 Volvo 480 ES, 507274, 217 - Red (Ness)
2006 Citroen C6 Exclusive 3.0 petrol/LPG
2008 Mini Cooper convertible (Mau)

Previous 480's:
J123 CFU -- ES
J449 MNL -- ES auto
D864 CPV -- ES
L691 JFC -- Turbo
F70 MNR -- ES
H858 FGV -- Turbo auto
E981 KHM -- ES (509849)

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