Buy inexpensive scan tool?
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Buy inexpensive scan tool?
I have spent a couple hundred dollars this year on diagnosis. Been poking around the net and seeing bidirectional scan tools for under $400, Seems might be a good Xmas present from my wife. Are they difficult to learn to use? Has anyone purchased or used the economy type ones and have a recommendation??
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I've been happy with the "Car Scanner Pro" app on my iPhone and a $30 ODBII reader. This combo works over wifi. Along with the usual parameters, Car Scanner allows me to monitor the transmission temperature of my 4L80E. Today I used it to read camshaft retard offset (other apps do not seem to have this) and dial in my distributor to 0 degrees offset.
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I made the mistake of buying Roswell made in china. returned it and wrote irate letter w bad review on amazon because it was impossible to get reply to email or any live human help whatsoever 9also wanted to force me to bypass all installed security on my computer. . .)
I bought the ACTRON , a bosch product , about $160 right from bosch website , using a credit card which gave a double of warranty. ACTRON offers live human help who speaks English or Spanish, call in on the tech support line on a trouble line, you get help .
the actron . can upload all data to any non Macintosh computer. so you can print it, send it etc. actron can give immediate read of DTC when the the little yellow engine trouble lite on the dash. I would d rive w my actron connected to the OBDII port. when the MIL lite lit up the passenger in my car pressed RECORD DATA. then when I stopped I'd pull not only the freeze data but everything else it stored. on runs where no MIL code showed up, I d record that d at a too trying to compare no code runs with MIL code runs. I kept a paper calendar with mileage, temp, how much gas in tank at time of MIL, mileage at last fillip etc.
I have to thank mountain man Joe for his help in my trying to diagnose 2 years of intermittent random cylinder misfire p0300 after spending almost 2 0004 on 'new crank case position sensor. . new cm position s Ensor. . new ground straps. . new coil packs new wire new spakplugs 2 gas caps etc etc 9and a couple $140/ hour 're learns. ' and 'diagnostic runs' . joe recommended ' pull the freeze data' so I had to buy a scanner that would let me do that. bought the actron, hand recorded all the data . ( I had the $20 FIXD which would only tell me the p code. not let me see any data ) but with the actron I was able to see the data. with my calendar and hand-recorded freeze data, I saw that the random p 300 misfires usually occurred right after a gas tank fill up AND when I was driving up a steep hill at 65 + mph.
my chevy dealer was no help-- told me 'we cant even look at your freeze data and we cant diagnose it unless it is coding when you bring it in. i wasted about 4 months since when it was coding, dealer could nt even look at it, they'd just set an appointment for 2 weeks later and of course it stopped coding at that time. dealer even told me ' dont you worry yourself using tha scanner we are not allowed to make any diagnosis based on a customers data. . . our flow chart tells us what the problem might be . .
I recorded freeze data a MIL codes , and also all data in normal no-check-engine runs. for a couple months. the acton shows confirmed and pending codes. . my 19.95$ chilton manual lets me figure out what the PID data and the p codes mean. the ACTRON is the best $150 I ever spent. it is powered by being connected to OBDII reader with Key On , or y its own 2 rechargeable batteries away from the vehicle.
I think we have solved the p 0300 by replacing fuel tank pressure sensor AND the vent control solenoid. which will be the topic of a different new thread.
happy shopping and thanksgiving. !
I bought the ACTRON , a bosch product , about $160 right from bosch website , using a credit card which gave a double of warranty. ACTRON offers live human help who speaks English or Spanish, call in on the tech support line on a trouble line, you get help .
the actron . can upload all data to any non Macintosh computer. so you can print it, send it etc. actron can give immediate read of DTC when the the little yellow engine trouble lite on the dash. I would d rive w my actron connected to the OBDII port. when the MIL lite lit up the passenger in my car pressed RECORD DATA. then when I stopped I'd pull not only the freeze data but everything else it stored. on runs where no MIL code showed up, I d record that d at a too trying to compare no code runs with MIL code runs. I kept a paper calendar with mileage, temp, how much gas in tank at time of MIL, mileage at last fillip etc.
I have to thank mountain man Joe for his help in my trying to diagnose 2 years of intermittent random cylinder misfire p0300 after spending almost 2 0004 on 'new crank case position sensor. . new cm position s Ensor. . new ground straps. . new coil packs new wire new spakplugs 2 gas caps etc etc 9and a couple $140/ hour 're learns. ' and 'diagnostic runs' . joe recommended ' pull the freeze data' so I had to buy a scanner that would let me do that. bought the actron, hand recorded all the data . ( I had the $20 FIXD which would only tell me the p code. not let me see any data ) but with the actron I was able to see the data. with my calendar and hand-recorded freeze data, I saw that the random p 300 misfires usually occurred right after a gas tank fill up AND when I was driving up a steep hill at 65 + mph.
my chevy dealer was no help-- told me 'we cant even look at your freeze data and we cant diagnose it unless it is coding when you bring it in. i wasted about 4 months since when it was coding, dealer could nt even look at it, they'd just set an appointment for 2 weeks later and of course it stopped coding at that time. dealer even told me ' dont you worry yourself using tha scanner we are not allowed to make any diagnosis based on a customers data. . . our flow chart tells us what the problem might be . .
I recorded freeze data a MIL codes , and also all data in normal no-check-engine runs. for a couple months. the acton shows confirmed and pending codes. . my 19.95$ chilton manual lets me figure out what the PID data and the p codes mean. the ACTRON is the best $150 I ever spent. it is powered by being connected to OBDII reader with Key On , or y its own 2 rechargeable batteries away from the vehicle.
I think we have solved the p 0300 by replacing fuel tank pressure sensor AND the vent control solenoid. which will be the topic of a different new thread.
happy shopping and thanksgiving. !
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CF Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2022
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Thanks for the responses always greatly appreciated. Got a black friday special on a Xtool D-7 for $328 so bought one. I am going to be so surprised when I open it Xmas morning!