Where to Find the Right Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis Book?
 

Hi guys, I have the 1995 model year specific Mustang Service Manual (SM) and Electrical and Vacuum Troubleshooting Manual (EVTM) for my car through Bishko, but not the Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) volume. I've been getting by like this for a while now, but I'm at a point where I really need that third volume. Where can I find it?

Bishko doesn't offer it, so I've been checking eBay, and I'm trying to figure out which is the right one to get. I'm not seeing anything Mustang-specific... am I correct in assuming that this volume is supposed to be applicable to multiple models? Because my search results are also turning up a PC/ED book specifically for a 1995 Windstar. So does that mean that there is one for a 1995 Mustang that I should be looking for?

The closest thing I'm seeing is NOT Mustang-specific, and the front cover reads:
Now there are TWO different books that look like this. One is labelled "On Board Diagnostics I", and the other "On Board Diagnostics II". I would assume that these are just separate books for OBDI and OBDII applications (I only need OBDI). BUT first I want to be absolutely sure that this isn't actually one "On Board Diagnostics" document split up into "Volume 1/Volume 2".

Also, is the PC/ED document that I need available on CD anywhere? My SM and EVTM are both digital, and although I hate staring at computer screens, the text-search function is pretty great. Any chance that there's a digital version of the PC/ED book?

(Edit: I dunno how the word "preview" got added to the title of this thread. Weird. All I can do is remove it from the title of this post.)

Forgot to update this thread!

So I found one, via eBay. Couldn't find a digital version, so I ended up with a massive physical book. It's the "On Board Diagnostics I" volume, which covers all sorts of Fords, not just Mustangs. But it is 1995 model year specific.

Now I haven't gotten my hands on a "On Board Diagnostics II" book, so I can't confirm whether that's "part 2" of the same thing, or if it's just for OBDII-equipped vehicles. But FWIW the book I got looks pretty comprehensive, at least for OBDI, so I'm going to hold off on ordering the second book for now.

Holy Spugoly Batman!!!! You need a engine hoist to lift that.I see what ya mean about wishing for a digital or cd version.Just think about the extra time it took to locate something specific in that manual while Ford service depts were charging $100+ per hour for repair work.When a Ford mechanic
took an hour to search through that book to pinpoint a cause for the problem or to get directions on how to access a part,the cash register would sound off from another benjamin getting added to the bill.
JUST CURIOUS: IF one were to search receipts from the 80's/90's and compare them to receipts from today,for the same car & job,if the labor charge
1) would be the same
2) would be cheaper,since its much quicker to locate that same info now
3) would be the same,but the Ford mechanic would be finishing the job an hour or two sooner,while still charging the original labor rate/time.

Haha yeah it's a beast. 6 Chiltons thick. And that's JUST diagnostics. No wrenching stuff or wiring diagrams.

I looked high and low for a digital version, and at this point I'm pretty sure that it doesn't exist. Which is weird, since there are digital versions of the other manuals. Some of the pages in those other manuals are slightly crooked though, suggesting that it was scanned one page at a time. So somebody probably decided that it wasn't cost-effective to scan this one too, as they would surely sell many more copies of the other manuals.

Newer manuals aren't like that though. I saw one for a 2003 that looked super-clean, almost like it might have been the source file, ready for printing. So they've probably gotten better at streamlining the whole process. I'd bet that dealer techs have access to newer car manuals through Oasis or whatever, and they can probably jump right to it plus any TSBs after entering the VIN (or scanning a barcode!).

Not sure what they do for older cars, though. If a digital version of this book really doesn't exist, then the technician is probably left going off of his own personal experience, or following diagnostic procedures for a newer car and taking them with a grain of salt.