OT: OMG OBDII, Any advise on readers...? |
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OT: OMG OBDII, Any advise on readers...? |
fiid |
Mar 24 2006, 11:11 PM
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#1
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Turbo Megasquirted Subaru Member Group: Members Posts: 2,827 Joined: 7-April 03 From: San Francisco, CA Member No.: 530 Region Association: Northern California |
Hey all,
So the "Check Engine" light popped up on the Miata today. Am I right that OBDII is on all cars more recent than 1996? Is there a consumer/prosumer reader that is cheap and reasonable quality? Can I actually use said tool to reset the "check engine" flag when I figure out WTF is going on? Last time this happened the car had been driven with the gas tank lid not tightened properly and it cost $100 to have the flag reset. Thanks in advance for the advice! |
racerx7 |
Mar 25 2006, 12:13 AM
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#2
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Member Group: Members Posts: 119 Joined: 28-January 06 From: Belmont, CA 94002 Member No.: 5,489 |
Who charged you $100??? They should be shot. The law is anything 1996 or new is suppose to be obdii. A few manufactures did a few models a little early. Some manufactures got a little extra time (pickups, etc..) I would say 98% (just a wag) are obdii in 1996. Post your link with specs of your reader and I will check it out for you. Some of the cheaper ones just read codes. That is it. Since your on this board with an old car, I am going to assume you like to work on your own car. If that is true I would pay more money and get a scanner that can datalog and get streaming data. It will help you solve many drive ability problems latter. |
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TimT |
Mar 25 2006, 12:29 AM
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#3
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retired Group: Members Posts: 4,033 Joined: 18-February 03 From: Wantagh, NY Member No.: 313 |
I have a reader made by Autotap you can reset the CEL , and diagnose many problems
I bought mine years ago, and have kept up with the upgrades, It now is can read CAN bus on the latest cars etc.. there are other readers out there as well |
jonwatts |
Mar 25 2006, 12:34 AM
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#4
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no rules, just wrong Group: Benefactors Posts: 2,321 Joined: 13-January 03 From: San Jose, CA Member No.: 141 |
Fiid, I can clear your code but I won't have my equipment with me tomorrow (if you're coming to breakfast).
If it's the gas cap that caused the problem (again) try driving the car for a while with the cap on and the light might go out (called a soft code). It's basically just telling you "hey there's a huge leak in the evap system." There are other soft codes that might correct themselves too; but we can at least get your started looking in the right direction (which is the whole point of a scan tool in the first place). Jon |
MecGen |
Mar 25 2006, 06:30 AM
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#5
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8 Easy Steps Group: Members Posts: 848 Joined: 8-January 05 From: Laval, Canada Member No.: 3,421 |
Hi
Code readers are made for the DIYers. Problem is that they do not read P1,P2 codes. P0 codes that the code reader will find, would work well for your needs. The therory behind it is if the reader doesn't pick up a flag, you need a qualified garage. Check Ebay, they have some on the cheap Ebay Reader Good luck (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/beer.gif) |
Tom Perso |
Mar 25 2006, 07:12 AM
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#6
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Crazy from the Cold... Group: Members Posts: 647 Joined: 8-August 03 From: Kalamazoo, MI Member No.: 1,003 |
Autozone reads ODBII codes for free. My 2000 Dakota flipped the CEL on, I drove over there and they read the gas cap was loose (it wasn't). They cleared the code and I was on my way.
Can't beat that. Tom |
Brian Mifsud |
Mar 25 2006, 08:40 AM
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#7
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Mechanical Engineer Group: Members Posts: 981 Joined: 3-March 03 From: Penngrove, CA Member No.: 384 Region Association: None |
If you are scheduled to have your car smogged soon, wait a few weeks (of driving). Apparently, you will fail the test if the computer has been cleared within a few days priot to the SMOG test (and I'm told that reading the codes will clear it).
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racerx7 |
Mar 25 2006, 10:30 AM
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#8
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Member Group: Members Posts: 119 Joined: 28-January 06 From: Belmont, CA 94002 Member No.: 5,489 |
This is in correct. Reading codes does not clear codes. The reason you will fail you smog test if you clear your codes by disconnecting your battery before the smog test is, you car has to go through all its "obdii drive cycles". I don't know why they have us do it in this order. Reading the obdii output from your car is one of the last steps. So, all your can information would have been sent to dmv/sac. Even it passes all the other test if it does not pass the drive cycle part you failed the smog test. It is not the mechanics fault. All he can do is hook up the machine and run it in the order machine is programed to run it in. If you recenently replaced your battery and your due for a smog test I would ask them to hook up a scanner and see if all your drive cycles have completed before you take the test. |
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Marlow |
Mar 25 2006, 12:38 PM
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#9
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Member Group: Members Posts: 311 Joined: 14-August 03 From: Manassas, VA Member No.: 1,027 |
I've used this one on my 2000 Tundra, worked fine. Diagnosed two failed oxygen sensors (common problem on early Tundras). If you do some Google searching you can find the model/manufacturer specific codes for your vehicle. It works fine and will clear codes too.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/disp...temnumber=46030 |
kdfoust |
Mar 25 2006, 12:58 PM
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#10
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 694 Joined: 2-January 03 From: Riverside Member No.: 71 Region Association: Southern California |
I have an Auto Xray system. It's a bit more than a code reader and IMO well worth it. It will display error codes but also shows sensor states (O2 sensor voltage, throttle position, RPM, ..., bunch of other stuff I don't remember).
Later, Kevin |
Elliot_Cannon |
Mar 25 2006, 01:12 PM
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#11
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Senior Member Group: Retired Members Posts: 1,922 Joined: 26-March 03 From: Orange County Ca Member No.: 480 Region Association: None |
What the hell are you guys talking about? Most of my cars are too old to have this problem.
Cheers, Elliot |
Cap'n Krusty |
Mar 25 2006, 01:39 PM
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#12
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Cap'n Krusty Group: Members Posts: 10,794 Joined: 24-June 04 From: Santa Maria, CA Member No.: 2,246 Region Association: Central California |
OBD 2 will clear gas cap codes after like 40 drive cycles (assuming you've got a good cap and it's on tight). The Cap'n |
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