OK, everyone who’s ever been frustrated by the idiot light on the dash that says “Check Engine” please raise your hands. 

OK, looks like quite a few of you have. Next question, raise your hands if your ticked off that the dealer wants, in some cases, as much as a $100. Just to plug their big fancy scanner into it to tell you, you need to tighten the gas cap, or something equally stupid? We won’t mention the time you wasted waiting for them to get around to it. 

Wow got a few more for that one. last question; who’s ever priced on of those little hand scanners and decided that $150 more or less is a tad over the limit you want to lay out for something that is used only occasionally. Still got a fair number for that one. 

Well gentleman, and ladies, I have also been a victim of the OBDII “system”. I have been frustrated by the dealer and that little government mandated annoyance aptly referred to as the “Check Engine” idiot light. I think it was designed to turn you into an idiot, by driving you nuts trying to figure out what its trying to tell you. 

I have also decided that the cost of some, or most of the hand held scanners is just a bit more than I’m willing to part with for occasional usage tools. But have heart my fellow sufferers, I may have found a solution to our mutual “Check Engine” light dilemma. 

Its always been a curiosity to me, being in the business, that as the computer revolution in desk tops and lap tops has grown and the computer systems on cars and trucks have correspondingly grown in sophistication no one seemed to make anything that would allow average people to take advantage of the enormous computer power available to them in the form of the common laptop. 

Well I was wrong, a small company called “OBDII Automotive Diagnostics” has partially solved our common problem. They have produced an interface that will allow you to connect your laptop or desktop to the OBDII port under the dashboard of your car or truck and not only read out the code “number”. Just like most of the less expensive code readers. But using the free downloadable interface software on their web site it will tell you what that number. The one that makes no sense to you means. I’m not going to tell you it will tell you that X,Y, or Z screw is loose. But it will tell you what the generic error code number is supposed to mean. You still need to decide for yourself what’s broke, or causing the error. 

For example my idiot light goes on and I use the interface and program to find out that I have a P0401 error. Now I have no idea what the heck that’s supposed to mean, I doubt there are many people outside of dedicated dealer mechanics who would. Worst I’ll bet many of them wouldn’t know either, that’s why they have books. 

But just moving the courser over on the display and tapping a button will give you a listing of all the errors in the code. In this case it tells me that my P0401 error means; Exhaust Gas Recirculation Flow Insufficient Detected. Now that doesn’t tell me what’s broke but I can make an educated guess and say I probably need to replace the EGR valve assembly. 

Ok so now I have replaced the ERG valve but the idiot light is still on. That’s normal, its supposed to do that, with many errors it will eventually go off by itself. But the error will live on in the memory. Fortunately the software allows you to erase codes in memory and mercifully turn off that annoying idiot light.

The software allows you to monitor many different functions while you drive if you like. Just remember to pay attention to the outside while you do it. Digital style displays are the norm but you can select an analog display in the Windows version that looks a lot like your dashboard. I wouldn’t trust it as a substitute for the one in your truck as it isn’t displayed in real time. Rather it samples your selection of readings one at a time and displays a kind of snapshot of that individual reading.

Then it goes on to the next one, so for things that you may need to know right now, like your speedo it’s a bit ‘slow’. The readings are only accurate when they are taken and stick there till they are next updated. The OBDII port communications protocol it would seem doesn’t allow for simultaneous readings of everything going on in the ECU all the time. The connector under your dash would have to be the size of the one under the hood for that to happen. Besides its still trying to talk through the serial port on the laptop and that only has two pins for sending and receiving data. So you can’t have everything, drat. 

All that being the case it isn’t a real handicap for diagnostic purposes but it might be a problem if your try using it to stay under the speed limit. 

The software will also allow you to print or save readings you want. That can be handy if your looking to compare reading over a period of time to see if anything changes.

Now before you ask the obvious, no its not going to allow you to modify the computer settings. It will only read out what’s there. For modifying the ECU programs your going to need a different kind of system. You’ll need to go to Super Chips or other manufacturers that make that kind of specialized equipment. 

But there is a bright side to it in that it will work on nearly any vehicle made after 1996 that uses the mandatory OBDII system. So now if I need to I can use it on my kids Neon as easily as my Ranger or the wife’s Escape. The complete unit comes with a very long cable, about 13’ long. This could easily allow you to set up an older desk top computer in your garage with all kinds of repair information in it and use that to make your very own test center. 

The best part is its available as a bare bones kit that gives you only the proprietary parts, the ones you can’t get out of the local Radio Shack for $38. A complete kit with all the parts you need to make it yourself for $55. Or a complete assembly ready to use for $88, $93 in Canada, sorry guys. All prices include priority mail shipping, and I can attest to the fact that I ordered a completed unit on Sunday using Pay-Pal. Even with Monday being a holiday and the post office closed I still got it in the mail the next Saturday. 

 

So if your looking for a lower cost, but more informative alternative to the hand held scanners you might want to give this thing a closer look. It might be just what your looking for. http://www.obddiagnostics.com/index.html. TRS