Confusing terminology? [closed]

Question

I posted this question at motor vehicle stack exchange but I believe it's more suited for this.

I've noticed that many computer errors (diagnostic trouble codes PXXXX) in cars use confusing terminology to describe similar issues and I can't distinguish them, for instance here are three different sensor with various issues relating to them.

P0105 Manifold Abs.Pressure or Bar.Pressure Voltage supply

P0106 Manifold Abs.Pressure or Bar.Pressure Range/Performance

P0107 Manifold Abs.Pressure or Bar.Pressure Low Input

P0108 Manifold Abs.Pressure or Bar.Pressure High Input

P0109 Manifold Abs.Pressure or Bar.Pressure Circuit Intermittent

or

P0116 Engine Coolant Temp.Circ Range/Performance

P0117 Engine Coolant Temp.Circ Low Input

P0118 Engine Coolant Temp.Circ High Input

or

P0120 Throttle/Pedal Pos.Sensor A Circ Malfunction

P0121 Throttle/Pedal Pos.Sensor A Circ Range/Performance

P0122 Throttle/Pedal Pos.Sensor A Circ Low Input

P0123 Throttle/Pedal Pos.Sensor A Circ High Input

What exactly is meant by Malfunction, Range/Performance, Low Input, High Input and Circuit Intermittent? I've looked all over the place can't find a good explanation for these terms, are they generic terms used for all kinds of electric circuits or specific to cars?

Answer 1

There are no specific standards for the content of error messages in engineering. It is up to the individual manufacturer to designate the terms. Given that, some of them are relatively easy to interpret: Low Input means the sensor is generating a signal below its minimum expected value. High Input similarly means the sensor is generating a signal above its maximum expected value. Circuit Intermittent probably means that the sensor output is varying more than expected or disappearing entirely at times. The other terms are too general and one would need to refer to maintenance information for that product. Many consumer devices simply provide error codes and one must refer to the manual to find the meaning of these codes.