5. Troubleshooting Fundamentals

Troubleshooting, the systematic approach to identifying and solving a problem, depends primarily on the individual circumstances and on direct observation of the symptoms. Careful attention to exactly what is happening, and under what conditions, is the most powerful tool available to get to the problem.

The basic rule for troubleshooting is: never overlook the obvious. Always start with the basics and work toward the more complex. Lots of time and money has been wasted on exotic testing only to find, eventually, that the problem was a loose wire or an empty fuel tank.