Auto Electrical Systems Course

Lesson 1 • Reading Automotive Wiring Diagrams

Teaches schematic symbols, diagram conventions, and multi-sheet navigation. Proficiency here is prerequisite for every diagnostic chapter that follows.

Lesson 2 • Vehicle Wiring and Harness Fundamentals

Explains wire gauges, insulation types, connector families, and harness routing. Students gain the ability to trace physical wiring paths in a vehicle.

Lesson 3 • Safety Practices in Electrical Work

Covers shock hazards, arc flash risks, PPE selection, and safe battery handling. Establishes non-negotiable safety habits before hands-on lab work begins.

Lesson 4 • Automotive Electrical Components Overview

Identifies resistors, capacitors, diodes, relays, and fuses used in vehicle systems. Connects component function to circuit behaviour covered in the previous section.

Lesson 1 • Alternator Operation and Output Testing

Details rotor, stator, rectifier, and voltage regulator functions within the alternator. Students measure output voltage and ripple to confirm proper charging system operation.

Lesson 2 • Lead-Acid Battery Construction and Chemistry

Explains cell construction, electrolyte chemistry, and state-of-charge indicators. Provides the chemical basis needed to interpret battery test results accurately.

Lesson 3 • Battery Testing and Replacement

Covers open-circuit voltage tests, conductance testing, and load testing methods. Students select correct replacement batteries and perform safe installation procedures.

Lesson 1 • Cranking Current Draw Testing

Teaches inductive amp clamp use, current draw specifications, and interpretation of high or low draw results. Links battery condition to cranking performance.

Lesson 2 • Starter Motor Design and Operation

Covers field windings, armature, brushes, and commutator function in DC starter motors. Establishes mechanical and electrical principles before circuit-level diagnosis.

Lesson 3 • No-Crank and Slow-Crank Diagnosis

Provides a structured diagnostic strategy for no-crank and slow-crank complaints using voltage drop and resistance tests. Students isolate faults to specific circuit segments.

Lesson 1 • Wiring Repair and Connector Service

Covers splice techniques, terminal replacement, heat-shrink sealing, and connector cleaning. Students perform repairs that meet manufacturer quality and durability standards.

Lesson 2 • Relay-Controlled Accessory Circuits

Details relay wiring, coil energisation, contact operation, and common relay faults. Students test relay operation and substitute relays to confirm diagnosis.

Lesson 3 • Diagnosing Open, Short, and High-Resistance Faults

Applies voltage, resistance, and voltage drop tests to locate opens, shorts to ground, and high-resistance connections. Builds the core fault-finding skill set used throughout the course.

Lesson 4 • Interior Lighting and Convenience Circuits

Explains dome lights, courtesy switches, map lights, and illuminated entry systems. Connects switch logic and timer relay operation to circuit behaviour.

Lesson 1 • Crankshaft and Camshaft Position Sensors

Covers reluctor wheel design, Hall-effect and magnetic sensor operation, and signal waveform characteristics. Students verify sensor output and diagnose no-start and misfire faults.

Lesson 2 • Engine Management Sensor Circuits

Covers MAP, MAF, TPS, ECT, and O2 sensor circuits including signal types and reference voltages. Students use scan data and waveforms to distinguish sensor faults from circuit faults.

Lesson 3 • Ignition Coil and Primary Circuit Operation

Explains mutual induction, primary switching, and secondary voltage generation in ignition coils. Students test primary resistance, secondary resistance, and coil output waveforms.

Lesson 4 • Misfire and No-Spark Diagnosis

Provides a structured diagnostic path from symptom to confirmed ignition fault using scan tool DTCs, live data, and oscilloscope captures. Integrates all ignition section skills.

Lesson 1 • CAN Bus Architecture and Protocol

Details CAN high and low signal lines, differential voltage, message framing, and arbitration. Provides the network theory required to interpret bus waveforms and fault codes.

Lesson 2 • Body Control Module Functions and Inputs

Explains BCM input processing, output driver control, and integration with vehicle systems. Students map BCM-controlled functions to their physical circuits.

Lesson 3 • Network Fault Diagnosis and Bus Testing

Applies oscilloscope waveform analysis, resistance measurement, and scan tool network tests to locate bus faults. Students distinguish open, short, and module-induced bus failures.

Lesson 4 • Additional Network Protocols

Covers LIN, MOST, FlexRay, and Ethernet protocols used in modern vehicles alongside CAN. Students identify which protocol governs each vehicle subsystem.

Lesson 1 • Scan Tool Data Interpretation

Teaches PID selection, freeze frame analysis, mode 6 data, and bi-directional control use. Students correlate live data streams with physical circuit measurements.

Lesson 2 • Intermittent Fault Diagnosis

Covers data logging, freeze frame correlation, wiggle testing, and thermal cycling to capture elusive faults. Students design capture strategies for faults that do not set current DTCs.

Lesson 3 • Digital Storage Oscilloscope Mastery

Covers probe selection, time base and voltage scale setup, triggering, and waveform capture. Students capture and annotate waveforms from sensors, actuators, and network buses.

Lesson 4 • Structured Diagnostic Strategy

Presents a repeatable six-step diagnostic process: verify, gather, analyse, plan, repair, verify. Students apply the process to multi-symptom case studies.

Lesson 1 • High-Voltage System Architecture

Maps HV battery pack, inverter, motor-generator, DC-DC converter, and HV cable routing. Establishes system-level understanding before component-level service is introduced.

Lesson 2 • HV Battery Management System Diagnosis

Explains cell balancing, state-of-charge estimation, thermal management, and BMS fault codes. Students interpret BMS data to assess pack health and identify weak cell groups.

Lesson 3 • Charging System and Regenerative Braking Diagnosis

Covers on-board charger operation, EVSE communication, and regenerative braking energy flow. Students diagnose charging faults and verify regenerative braking system output.

Lesson 4 • Insulation Resistance and HV Circuit Testing

Teaches insulation resistance testing with a megohmmeter and HV circuit continuity verification. Students identify insulation breakdown and HV circuit faults safely.