1. Troubleshooting How to Read Flowcharts A flowchart is designed to be used from start to final repair It s like a map showing you the shortest distance But beware if you go off the map anywhere but a stop symbol you can easily get lost START f x Be Ot bold type Describes the conditions or situation to start a troubleshooting flowchart ACTION Asks you to do something perform a test set up a condition etc DECISION Asks you about the result of an action then sends you in the appropriate troubleshooting direction STOP The end of a series of actions and decisions describes a final repair action and sometimes directs you to bold type an earlier part of the flowchart to confirm your repair NOTE The term Intermittent Failure is used in these charts It simply means a system may have had a failure but it checks out OK at this time If the Malfunction Indicator Lamp MIL on the dash does not come on check for poor connections or loose wires at all connectors related to the circuit that you are troubleshooting see illustration below e Most of the troubleshooting flowcharts have you reset the Engine Control Module ECM and try to duplicate the Diagnostic Trouble Code DTC Ifthe problem is intermittent and you can t duplicate the code do not continue through the flowchart To do so will only result in confusion and possibly a needlessly replaced ECM Open and Short are common electrica 2. l terms An open is a break in a wire or at a connection A short is an acci dental connection of a wire to ground or to another wire In simple electronics this usually means something won t work at all In complex electronics like ECM s this can sometimes mean something works but not the way it s sup posed to TIGHT 11 58