Breakout Boxes

[komobu]

Thinking about purchasing a breakout box. Not sure if it is worth the investment. We have a small independant shop and work on pretty much everything minus European imports.

If all we worked on were Fords, it would be a no brainer, but with varied cars we get in, I'd hate to buy one that will only work on 10% of what we get in.

If you have used one, do you find it useful? Do you know of any that will work on multiple vehicle platforms (say all Asian or all domestic)

Thanks for any advice

[Fedwrench]

A breakout box is one of those tools than will gather alot of dust during the year but, when you need it, you have to have it. Just like aftermarket scan tools are a compromise compared to their factory counterparts, so are generic breakout boxes. You can get some with additional overlays but, they may end up being a 80% solution. I would look on Ebay for a used Factory one that matches what you work on most and look at thexton for the generic model.:beer:

[volvo420coupe]

Maybe I am thinking about something different, but all the breakout boxes I have had to use in the past have been very manufacturer specific. One box, lots of adapters that only fit that particular brand of car. To have them on hand for all vehicles that come into an independent shop would be pretty expensive I think.

[Uncle Buck]

What the hell is a breakout box? I have never even heard the term. Obviously the first two posters know what the term means. I am going to take a big leap here and assume that they are another way of describing scanner and code reading type devices? So is the term breakout box just fancy wrench bender jargon for scanner or what?

I would love to see other posters follow me and man up to the fact that you have no idea what the term "breakout box" means, and you had never heard it used before this post!

[CD360]

What the hell is a breakout box? I have never even heard the term. Obviously the first two posters know what the term means. I am going to take a big leap here and assume that they are another way of describing scanner and code reading type devices? So is the term breakout box just fancy wrench bender jargon for scanner or what?

I would love to see other posters follow me and man up to the fact that you have no idea what the term "breakout box" means, and you had never heard it used before this post!

ive never heard of the term either, but i would think it is a scanner.

[volvo420coupe]

The breakout box I'm referring to is a device that hooks up in series to an electrical connector on a vehicle (kind of like when you hook up an aftermarket performance computer to a diesel truck. But anyway connected to this series connector (vehicle specific is a box that has tons of holes in it that you stick your multimeter probe into to measure the voltage of a specific wire without interrupting the operation (or non operation) of the vehicle. and you don't have to poke holes in the wire insulation

[CD360]

The breakout box I'm referring to is a device that hooks up in series to an electrical connector on a vehicle (kind of like when you hook up an aftermarket performance computer to a diesel truck. But anyway connected to this series connector (vehicle specific is a box that has tons of holes in it that you stick your multimeter probe into to measure the voltage of a specific wire without interrupting the operation (or non operation) of the vehicle. and you don't have to poke holes in the wire insulation

cool.. learn something everyday. would you happen to have a link to one or a pic? i would like to see one.

edit: i googled it and found this. this is what you are talking about right?

http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/thx126.html

[nate379]

Can't backprobe? That's all I've ever done. Just bend up a paperclip.

[CD360]

Can't backprobe? That's all I've ever done. Just bend up a paperclip.

thats what i do if i need to probe something. paperclip ftw.

[bushhawg73]

I too had no idea, thanks for the info.

[vssjim]

I only backprobe same as a couple people listed above a breakout box is something the car didn't come with that may bandaid a bad connection and give you a false positive or negative test result, I check it with the car the way it is driven.

[russlaferrera]

I too had no idea, thanks for the info.

I learned something new. I don't see be buying one in my lifetime. I now realize most of what I know is now becoming useless. :lol_hitti