From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@yahoo.com)
Date: Tue Feb 11 2003 - 13:06:39 MST
--- Mike Linksvayer <ml@gondwanaland.com> wrote:
>
> Neat info. I've never owned (nor leased) a car for lack of need
> and to avoid the psychological and financial drain. Effective DIY
> computer diagnosis of problems would lessen my perception of "drain".
> I gather from a few minutes of surfing that all 1996 and newer
> vehicles (and a few slightly older ones) are "OBD II" compliant,
> and an OBD II code reader like
> http://www.iequus.com/3100.asp?CatShort=3100
> sells for ~$125. One plugs the reader in and looks up the code on
> the readout via something like
> http://www.iequus.com/3100.asp?CatShort=CodeDef, right? What other
> features can a code reader (is a code scanner the same thing?) have?
Yup, though some will just display the codes, while others will
actually have text info about what the codes mean. If you only have one
that displays the codes, you need a manual (generally $50-90) to tell
you what the codes mean. Milage may vary, you get what you pay for...
etc. The Mac kit for the Visor has info on what the codes mean, though
not as much text as is in the manuals.
Some scanners will provide real time performance data: horsepower,
torque, load percentages, governor settings, RPM, as well as pressure
and temperature of oil, coolant, fuel, and air, turbo boost pressure,
system voltage and knock volts, fuel injector delay times, and lots of
other things. Some will let you run tests of various sensors and
calibrate things like electronic ignition, injection response, etc.
OBD II became the legally required code standard in the US as of 1996.
It was around since 1992 and a number of different vehicles in the
92-95 period use it. Most other vehicles still had their own
proprietary code systems, for which you can also buy code readers. Even
older vehicles, like my 87 Cherokee, have a dashboard response, giving
you x number of blinks of the dash lights for a given code. This is a
pretty normal interface technique. The ABS systems on the diesel buses
I work on use a similar system, while the engine computers use a code
scanner that also gives realtime performance data (MPC is the
manufacturer of this scanner), calibration info, trip and lifetime
data, etc.
If you are a technoid, investing in some good diagnostic equipment may
be a fun and money saving extension of your computer hobby into the
garage. Most equipment sold today has interfaces to allow you to store
data to your home PC if you want to do more in depth analysis, if you
want to get into tweaking your engine performance, or if you just want
to store data for insurance/warranty purposes.
What I'd really like to see is a wireless interface, so when you are on
the road (or someone else is on the road with the vehicle) and trouble
occurs, you can wirelessly interface with your home system for
telemetry download of data.
=====
Mike Lorrey
"Live Free or Die, Death is not the Worst of Evils."
- Gen. John Stark
"Pacifists are Objectively Pro-Fascist." - George Orwell
"Treason doth never Prosper. What is the Reason?
For if it Prosper, none Dare call it Treason..." - Ovid
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