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ODB II - What would you do? — Parallax Forums

ODB II - What would you do?

RickInTexasRickInTexas Posts: 124
edited 2012-10-05 19:53 in General Discussion
My wife's 2006 Honda Element just had the "check engine" light and some kind of "emissions control" light come on at a very unfortunate time, the inspection is due.

I know there are diy solutions to plug in and read/interpret the codes that cost the same/less that a single "diagnostic reading" at a shop, but I've no experience or kept up with what's current.

Any recent experience/knowledge of ELM etc that I can obtain and hook up via Propeller, laptop etc?

Comments

  • doggiedocdoggiedoc Posts: 2,245
    edited 2012-10-03 15:32
    I think Autozone Stores will read the code for you for free - they usually will offer something to sell that will fix in many cases. Perhaps it's nothing serious.
  • frank freedmanfrank freedman Posts: 1,983
    edited 2012-10-03 16:29
    Harbor freight has these for 99 bucks, most auto stores have readers as well. Even at 219.00, mine paid for itself in two uses. Gotta have the codes to figure out what is happening since going straight for the O2 sensor is not always the answer, just one of the more frequent. you also need it to clear the codes after reading. None of your mech buddies has one you can borrow? They really are easy to use w/ a chiltons or equivalent manual for odbc ....

    RickInTexas wrote: »
    My wife's 2006 Honda Element just had the "check engine" light and some kind of "emissions control" light come on at a very unfortunate time, the inspection is due.

    I know there are diy solutions to plug in and read/interpret the codes that cost the same/less that a single "diagnostic reading" at a shop, but I've no experience or kept up with what's current.

    Any recent experience/knowledge of ELM etc that I can obtain and hook up via Propeller, laptop etc?
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2012-10-03 17:08
    Have you checked online to see if your car can tell you directly?

    I was impressed that the wife's 2005 PT Cruiser could display its own engine service codes on the odometer by cycling the key a few times: http://www.ptcruizer.com/computer-codes.html

    Her car was running rough. I checked the code and got 301, meaning Misfire detected in cylinder #1. Sure enough, the #1 spark plug insulator was cracked. Replacing that plug solved the problem and saved a few bucks at the dealer.
  • CircuitsoftCircuitsoft Posts: 1,166
    edited 2012-10-03 21:29
    If you have a prop plug, go grab one of these and hook it up to the serial interface. It'll power itself off 12v, then you can find an ELM327-based OBD2 reader for your computer.
  • 4x5n4x5n Posts: 745
    edited 2012-10-03 21:43
    I was in the same situation a few years ago. A couple of weeks before I went for emissions check my check engine light came on. I went to Autozone and they had a person check the codes for me. After a few tries at a DIY fix I got to embarrassed to ask them to check the codes again and I bought a low end code reader for less than $100. All it does is check for codes and report on them. It won't tell me what the sensors are reading but the price was right and it did what I needed.
  • Cluso99Cluso99 Posts: 18,069
    edited 2012-10-03 23:31
    Do you get the impression that the service centers might be setting the rego check time so that the faults can show up close to inspection time ??? Or is it just my MS paranoia stepping in???
  • potatoheadpotatohead Posts: 10,261
    edited 2012-10-03 23:50
    http://store.mp3car.com/OBDLink_SX_2_0_OBD_II_Scan_Tool_by_ScanTool_Red_p/COM-145.htm?gclid=COSE_pTh5rICFQWCQgodokAAfA

    I have one of these devices, and it's great. The software is a bit wonky, but it works well. On some cars, the lights come on for no reason other than to trigger a check, BTW.

    The pro grade software, which is more expensive than the device is, will report a much wider range of codes, and allow tuning for those cars that expose it via the OBD port. Been thinking about that for my truck, which could use a tweak or two now that I've data logged it enough to baseline it.

    Having one of these to just log fuel consumption in your normal driving scenario will likely pay off in a short period of time. With the truck, it paid in one month after being able to see where the real serious fuel use was and correctly gauge the positive impact of a good air filter. I'm likely to buy a performance one for a nice additional gain here in the near future. Some small adjustments in how the vehicle was driven, which were counter-intuitive actually, and the understanding when to replace the air filter cut my commute fuel use in half. Seriously. The filters need changing far sooner than one thinks on the bigger rigs, BTW. I stocked up online, now that I know.

    Some small things, like quick start to reach speed then cruise for a nice boost in town seemed excessive compared to just easing it around. Very interesting devices to have around. You will learn a lot. Works with a laptop. I'll set mine in a seat, connect up then data log to view later, or glance at the big display the software can generate for on the spot data.

    IMHO, using the PC is a bit more hassle, but the data abilities far exceed that of the little hand held dedicated units I tried. They are a lot more money too, though they can display some custom manufacturer codes. This device does output raw hex data, so one can just go and look them up too, which is what I do.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2012-10-04 01:34
    Buy an electric motor scooter and avoid all future problems. The insurance and fuel bills are lower too. Of course, you might be a bit cold in a sub-zero winter.

    At least motor scooters haven't attached proprietary software yet. I do have to go in for pollution checks every two years though. And electric would even avoid that.
  • jdoleckijdolecki Posts: 726
    edited 2012-10-04 01:48
    Auto Zone will read it for free and even give you a printout of what the trouble codes were.

    Spark-fun has a bunch of stuff if you are inclined to build your own reader.

    https://www.sparkfun.com/search/results?term=obd&what=products
  • wmosscropwmosscrop Posts: 409
    edited 2012-10-04 10:38
    4x5n wrote: »
    I was in the same situation a few years ago. A couple of weeks before I went for emissions check my check engine light came on. I went to Autozone and they had a person check the codes for me. After a few tries at a DIY fix I got to embarrassed to ask them to check the codes again and I bought a low end code reader for less than $100. All it does is check for codes and report on them. It won't tell me what the sensors are reading but the price was right and it did what I needed.

    Ditto for me about the situation. The code was indicating a bad mass airflow sensor. The dealer wanted $$$ to replace it. Looked up the code on Google and found out that it was a common issue on Corollas, and that CAREFULLY cleaning the sensor could fix it. I spent $8 on a can of mass airflow cleaner (which was probably worth about $2), cleaned the sensor, and presto, no more problems.

    BTW, my reader cost me only $10--from Sears. For some reason they put a current model in the clearance bin @ 1/10 the normal price.

    Walter
  • RickInTexasRickInTexas Posts: 124
    edited 2012-10-05 14:46
    Thanks for all the thoughtful replies. My initial (geek) reaction was to go to the local Microcenter and get the Sparkfun unit for $60.

    Then I came across this Bluetooth ODBII Dongle from Amazon for $24. Works great with my Droid and an Android program called Torque, free, $5 for "Pro" version.

    So for <$30 and 24 hours later (Amazon Prime) I had a working solution in hand. The dongle is small (< size of a pack of cancer sticks), so I can just leave it plugged in and get real-time data, (MPG is cool), and data logging on my phone. We have several spare Androids around the house so I don't have to drive around with a laptop, though it would work with one.

    I did find that there are 2 major ODBII chips, the ELM 327 and a more advanced STN1110 that had FREE SAMPLES available. I ordered 3.

    BTW, my wife mentioned that the power windows were real slow. Tightened the battery cables and that fixed everything (surprise).
  • CircuitsoftCircuitsoft Posts: 1,166
    edited 2012-10-05 19:53
    The sparkfun board uses the stn1110 and has all the required circuitry to interface to all manufacturers' ports.
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