OBD II refers to the On Board Diagnostic port that all new vehicles use to monitor their important functions. I decided to invest in an OBD reader after my truck’s “Check Engine” light illuminated, and my local dealership wanted $90 just to read the trouble code. While I routinely use this dealership for service, but I thought that was way too much money for a 15 minute job. The trouble code turned out to be a simple evaporation system error caused by my fuel cap. I’m glad I didn’t spend $90 just to find out my gas cap was loose.
After researching several consumer OBD readers, I decided that OBDAll-in-one had the most comprehensive and cost effective reader on the market. They use the newest ELM chip, which will work with almost every vehicle that has on board diagnostics. Their OBD kit contains all the software and cables required, and costs only $100. It’s well worth the price, as most dealerships charge $90 per hour for even simple diagnostic work.
I routinely use my scanner to check engine problems, and monitor key engine functions. The OBD info is far more accurate than the “dummy” gauges Ford installs in their trucks.
In order to decipher the various codes that appear on the OBD reader, I use the Ford OBD code database that was compiled by John Griggs. He wrote an excellent little Palm OS based database that works great for Ford Ranger CEL codes.
New info – 10-10-13
I have recently updated my system and I now use an Andriod Nexus 7 along with a bluetooth OBDII reader. I made videos showing the old system, the new system and a comparison. To save time, I have uploaded the information on my YouTube page. Here are the videos:
For more info on OBDII and OBDII readers, I’ve added some links:
Scanning Software – Free:
Scanmaster ELM v.0.4.0.0 – http://www.wgsoft.de
Digimoto Lite – http://www.digimoto.com/
wODB – http://www.werner-digital.com/obd/software.html
ScanTool – http://www.scantool.net/?mode=browseSoftware
OBD2Spy – http://www.obd2spy.com/
EasyObdII_v2 – http://www.easyobdii.com/downloads.php
OBD Logger – http://pages.infinit.net/jsenk/obd.htm
OBD Gauge, PalmOS, Pocket PC – http://www.qcontinuum.org/obdgauge/
Other OBD2 Scan Tools – Compare Price and Features:
Auto Enginuity – http://www.autoenginuity.com/
ScanTool.net – http://www.scantool.net/
Auterra – http://www.auterraweb.com/
AutoTap – http://www.autotap.com/
EASE Diagnostics – http://www.obd2.com/
OBDdiagnostics.com – http://www.obddiagnostics.com/
Tekmate Tools – http://www.tekmatetools.com/
mOByDic – http://www.ozenelektronik.com/
OBD-2.com – http://www.obd-2.com/
SK Pang Electronics – http://www.skpang.co.uk/
ElmCan obd-2.de – http://www.obd-2.de/
Nology PDA – http://www.nology.com/pdadyno.html
Interesting OBD2 links and other products:
OBD2 connector location – http://www.autocenter.weber.edu/OBD
Trouble Code Lookup – http://www.actron.com/code_lookup.php
Trouble Code Definitions – http://www.iequus.com/support/obd2_definitions.php
Elm Electronics OBD2 Chips – http://www.elmelectronics.com/
TunerTools.com – http://www.tunertools.com
OBD-Codes.com – http://www.obd-codes.com
OBD2 Crazy – http://www.werner-digital.com/obd/
Multiplex Engineering – http://www.multiplex-engineering.com/
Proscan – http://www.myscantool.com/
EFILive – http://www.efilive.com/
Trouble Code Chart – http://www.troublecodes.net/
Custom PCM/ECM Programming – http://www.madz28.com/
Custom TBI/TPI Chips – http://www.tbichips.com/
Custom PCM/ECM Chips – http://www.pcmforless.com/
LS1-Edit – http://www.carputing.com/
HPTuners – http://www.hptuners.com/
Romulator – http://www.hondata.com/romulator.html
Internet Forums:
http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/
http://web.camaross.com/forums/
http://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/