OBDII Scanners

jbolt

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I know there are some car guys here so......

My 2013 Subaru is nearing 220k and has thrown some codes recently. I have a basic reader but I'm looking for something with more in depth diagnostics capability but not break the bank. Any recommendations?
 
Harbor Freight has a whole line that's pretty reasonable.
 
@jbolt,

It really depends on what you need.
Basic scan codes have been agreed upon between vendors and many cheap options exist.
However, if you need more advanced features then you need better, more expensive tools.
Much of the advanced stuff is secret to the vendors.

Some personal examples:

1) On an old (~2000?) Jeep Cherokee the manuals said I needed to get into the "ignition sync" menu to adjust the rotational position of the distributor. My basic tools did not provide that, but a few dozen trips with the wrench in my pocket and adjusting at both ends found a sweet-spot that ran great.

2) On the in-laws (2009?) Ford Fusion, we needed more advanced OBD tools than mine to effectively bleed the entire brake system (cycle ABS controller, etc.). I think my FIL eventually went with a tool from amazon and the forscan software.

If you can give the vehicle type, year, and the level of info you need to dump/poke, maybe someone can provide more fulsome information.

I sometime wish for a carburetor to adjust.
At least those were "open source" and fixable!

Good Luck!
Brian
 
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I can diagnose almost all failures when I have realtime "actual values" and "freeze frame" (actual value at failure when it trips a code) data. Reading codes and replace parts is how most people attempt a repair but if that doesn't fixed it then they are baffled. Some codes do not refer to a specific part like "long or short term fuel trim exceeded". While easy to diagnose if you know how the system works, scan-n-repalce doesn't cut it. I'm a 45 year mechanic and most often use a very cheap scanner that reports live actual values.


Edit: more content and picture.

This is a 30 year old cheap scanner that has repaired many thousands of Mercedes-Benz cars and trucks.

IMG_3558.JPG
 
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I've got a blue-tooth dongle that sits in the OBDII port all the time. I then use a phone app called Torque to read real-time sensor values, and read codes. It's pretty handy, especially since it can graph sensor readings which is nice for things like O2 sensors.
 
I know there are some car guys here so......

My 2013 Subaru is nearing 220k and has thrown some codes recently. I have a basic reader but I'm looking for something with more in depth diagnostics capability but not break the bank. Any recommendations?
I usually take the code my basic scanner tells me and look it up at alldatadiy.com. You could also google it along with year/make/model, and find discussions on the topic, what fixed it for other people.

What is it that you want to know, that your basic reader is not telling you? What does "more in depth diagnostics capability" mean to you specifically? To me, it could mean a lot of different things.

Are you wanting the scanner to give you that AllData level of information (Display Technical service bulletins involving the code, schematics, 3D component locations, etc.)?

Do you want a scanner that tells you that your driver's side power seat in your Range Rover isn't working because it lost communication with the seat memory module in the door?

Do you want a scanner that allows you to change the shift points in your automatic transmission?

The 3 scenarios I described above call for 3 different tools in many cases. Need to know what you really want to give better advice.

There is a lot more than just OBDII going on inside that diagnostics port, and there are a lot more codes than what is described in the OBDII spec. Manufacturers have their own proprietary communications busses and their own vendor-specific codes. In order to have dealer-level capability, in some cases you need the tool the dealer has, which is $$,$$$. In other cases there may be a vendor-specific 3rd party tool you can get for cheaper. But depending on your answer to above, you probably don't need either.
 
You might be better off asking/looking on some Subaru forums . They might know of some software scan tools that are better suited to your vehicle . We had some decent Snap -On and other scan tools through the years but towards the end ( at least for me anyway lol ) we had Ford , Freightliner, Cumins, OEM scan tools and software , it was very brand specific.
 
As a starting point I would say that some of the codes that have come up cover multiple potential failure points within a system. I know a lot of people just start replacing parts starting with the simplest/least expensive then move on up.

It is my understanding that a more advanced scanner can read data like sensor voltage values potentially identifying or eliminating a possible failure point.
 
I sometime wish for a carburetor to adjust.
At least those were "open source" and fixable!

Good Luck!
Brian
I know what you mean. One of my favorite vehicles was a 1957 Willys 4wd pickup. 4 cyl L-head w/1 bbl carb and a generator. Like working on a lawn mower.
 
As a starting point I would say that some of the codes that have come up cover multiple potential failure points within a system. I know a lot of people just start replacing parts starting with the simplest/least expensive then move on up.

It is my understanding that a more advanced scanner can read data like sensor voltage values potentially identifying or eliminating a possible failure point.
Ok, what tool are you using right now? It can't read any sensor values (PIDs)? So I would simply throw it out and get a better basic scanner. Any ELM327 dongle (search Amazon, $10) should be able to read most common PIDs. Incomplete Example list attached

See complete standard PID list here

Screenshot_20220119-182953_Google.jpg
 
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