These are only “ballpark” estimates if something is close to failing, because only the OEM software engineer really knows how close is “real close” for each individual vehicle. With the EScan, the Mode 6 Test Values that come close to failing are highlighted in yellow and when they fail, they are red. On the Toyota in Figure 1, we can see the Toyota passes all of its tests with flying colors.

Units, simply, tells us what unit of measurement is used for the test. So, anything below the Min or above the Max will set a DTC. The Max Limit is the maximum allowable test result that will not set a DTC. The Min Limit is the minimal allowable test result that will not set a DTC. The Test Value is the actual result of the test. The Test ID (TID) tells us what specific test is being run. The OBD Monitor ID (OBD MID) tells us what is being tested. Further, it lets the technicians pick specific Mode 6 tests and update the test results in real-time. The ATS EScan is the only scan tool that not only decodes Mode 6 information, but allows the user to see it all at once. As we can see, Mode 6 gives us six different sets of data (see Figure 1). To help us understand Mode 6, let’s look at a photo capture on a known good 2004 Toyota Prius using the ATS EScan. It is also worth noting that not every vehicle has it, as it only started finding its way into vehicles beginning in the early to mid 2000s. This means that every single vehicle has different criteria. To begin understanding Mode 6, it helps to know exactly what it is: Mode 6 is the criteria that software engineers use to allow us to see the information that causes the Check Engine light to illuminate on a specific vehicle. We leave it to you to decide if it is a worthwhile part of your diagnostic arsenal. They boast that it helps quickly diagnose cars and gives us a window into what the software engineers were thinking when they made the criteria for what turns on the Check Engine Light.įor our purposes here, we are going to cover how to read Mode 6 and in the real world, how it helps us diagnose a vehicle.

Yet, there are a school of technicians and instructors who think that Mode 6 is the best thing since sliced bread. Technicians have often not made much use of it because they find it confusing and often not that informative. Mode 6 has been around for many years now. Technicians Truglia and Fred Byron took part in diagnosing the different vehicles in this article. A former shop owner and editor of several automotive repair magazines, Truglia combines his Columbia University education with the real-world experience he sees daily in the automotive repair field. Craig Truglia is an ASE A6, A8,and L1 certified technician who presently works as a service writer for Patterson Auto Body, a repair facility in Patterson, N.Y.

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