Intermittent Diagnosis: Notes

By definition, an intermittent problem is one that does not occur continuously and will occur when certain conditions are met. All these conditions, however, may not be obvious or currently known. Generally, intermittents are caused by:

• Faulty electrical connections and wiring
• Malfunctioning components (such as sticking relays, solenoids, etc.)
• EMI/RFI (Electromagnetic/radio frequency interference)
• Aftermarket equipment

Intermittent diagnosis requires careful analysis of suspected systems to help prevent replacing good parts. This may involve using creativity and ingenuity to interpret customer complaints and simulating all external and internal system conditions to duplicate the problem.