Should I Buy a Scan Tool?

My Tacoma threw a Check Engine Light. Interstate, 65 MPH, Arizona, about 108 degrees. I fixed an earlier misfire with new plugs and wires about 7,000 miles ago. I'm a mediocre mechanic and a terrible diagnostician. I found this scan tool for $40 online and it seems like the best value.

So what do you think? Will a scan tool be worth it? I've never used one, don't know anyone who's bought one.

Convince me.

David

I have one just like that. Works fine. It identified a faulty EGR on my Ford and I've used it on cars of friends. Simple to use. Sometimes you get multiple codes because it may not be clear what's causing the problem, but at least it can eliminate some of the possible problem area.

I paid around $100 for mine several years ago. It's paid for itself many times over by now, particularly when you have a recurring CE light issue that's hard to diagnose or you just can't get to fixing it right away. Should be a standard item in any gearhead's tool box these days.

do they have AutoZones out there? If so, they'll put a code scanner on your vehicle for free. Not sure if the other parts retailers have caught on to that policy, but i'm positive AutoZone does it....

on my to do list: buy one obd2 usb cable, one reader software.. should be less than $50 for all.. plug into laptop.. end of list...

problemaddict wrote: do they have AutoZones out there? If so, they'll put a code scanner on your vehicle for free. Not sure if the other parts retailers have caught on to that policy, but i'm positive AutoZone does it....

AutoZone does it for free and they also rent the scan tools out as well. Put a deposit down ( usually $150 or so) and bring the tool back when you're done.

I bought a $35 scan tool off another board and it works really well. Even came with a CD and book with a description of all the codes.
It's an Innova 3030.

I bought an AutoTap for my laptop, works excellent! It does code reading and clearing, emissions checking, and real-time sensor readings. You can even do data logging. We ran it on Josh's LS1 RX-7 for a few laps of the Medford track and got all sorts of useful information on throttle %, intake air temp, oil temp/pressure, and water temp during the laps.

I just run to the nearest parts store... just tell em I need to read a code and they toss me the scanner... I'll buy one eventually... but it's not on the short list...

I bought a cheap one for $25 a few years ago. Use it all the time, and for $25 the number of trips to the parts store just to check the code in our cars (well except the MR2) has been way worth it.

I bought a new one a few months ago because I went from working at a hotrod shop to an auto repair business. Make sure you get one that does CAN protocol which is the newest OBD2 "language"

There are a few options. You can get a little pill that just displays the P-code and nothing else, or you can get one that displays the code, logs data, charts inputs, displays diagnostic information, etc. I got an $80 one that does all of the above, but very poorly. Its also updatable with PC, and has tons of manufacturer-specific codes.

So, you can get a pill and look up codes online, or get one that tells you the code right away. My buddy got one off the Snap-on truck for $1700, and I gotta tell you its worth it if you're in the business. The hobbyist doesn't need that, but his reads every sensor parameter in true real-time and allows you to see it as a moving graph, a fixed graph, text, actual sensor values, or their percentage or output.

curtis73 wrote: I bought a new one a few months ago because I went from working at a hotrod shop to an auto repair business. Make sure you get one that does CAN protocol which is the newest OBD2 "language"

+1

And if you can afford it get one that does a real-time data display. A week ago I was at the track with my friend and his SVT Focus. When we went to start the car for a session it did not want to start so we jiggled some wires, etc ad got it started. The car ran fine during that session but after we shut it off it didn't want to start again.

Managed to get it started and put the scanner on it. After looking at the data we discovered that the TPS voltages were reading strangely. Slap on a new TPS and problem solved. Saved most of the weekend of track time.

I just ordered the Autel MS509. I ended spending more to get the real-time information display. This unit also will save the data, graph it, and export it to PC. It also monitors oxygen sensors, and posts the "freeze frame" data corresponding to an error code.

I'm excited to try it. I'll try to post back after I use it the first time.

David

I bought a $40 one at Autozone. Best automotive investment I've ever made.

Salanis,

Which model did you buy?

a $40 CAN capable OBDII code reader is a fine deal. Fancier ones will tell you more, but you really don't need that. Just knowing the code and then reading what that is online is quite enough.

Being able to identify problems and clearing the check engine light is worth quite a bit more than $40. Especially for chronic recurring problems. My Toyota has a purge valve that sticks when cold, and the Volvo has a slugish O2 sensor. Both things cause the vehicles to trip codes frequently and regularly, but it also means there isn't any real problem. It would be most inconvenient to keep going to a parts store to read and clear the codes.

That's a fine $40 investment. In fact, where did you find it for that price?

midknight wrote: Salanis, Which model did you buy?

The one that was on sale. It might have been as much as $65... but I want to say it was a model that was being phased out, and discounted.

I really don't remember. Just a basic one that could read, display, and reset codes.

I figure it paid for itself the first time I used it to not have to spend the time to pay a mechanic to tell me nothing was wrong with my car.

Costco has a "CodeKey" scan tool for $35, item #375265.

The only odd thing is that some stores don't have it and don't know what I'm asking for, while another store in town literally had pallets of them.

Very simple, all it does is read the error and has the ability to clear it - no live datalogging.

I have one and I don't know what I would do without it.

love mine at the very least it cuts down on the panic mode when the little evil light pops on

I use the OBD II reader function of VAG-COM installed on a laptop (this one). So far, it's done the job, although something a little more portable and faster (have to wait for the computer to boot up) would be nice for general code-reading...

If you own a VW and plan to do any wrenching on it, VAG-COM is pretty much mandatory. The program's OBD II function has always worked on the European cars I've tried it on.

Ian F wrote: I use the OBD II reader function of VAG-COM installed on a laptop (this one). So far, it's done the job, although something a little more portable and faster (have to wait for the computer to boot up) would be nice for general code-reading... If you own a VW and plan to do any wrenching on it, VAG-COM is pretty much mandatory. The program's OBD II function has always worked on the European cars I've tried it on.

Me too. I would like to get a cheapie scan tool, for some of the Fords it won't scan, and for the portability/speed thing, but it pretty much does the job.

After one use of my Autel Maxiscan MS509, I'm pleased. The manual is pretty good. It's pretty simple to use to grab codes. The cord long enough to use from the driver's seat or just out the window but I wish it were long enough to reach the engine bay.

So I pulled the P0171 code, then just googled "P0171 1999 Toyota Tacoma V6 or V-6." Read for a while, went and cleaned the MAF sensor with rubbing alcohol, and no check engine light, at least not yet. Yay!

I haven't yet monitored codes in real-time. That's the next project, after I plug it into the wife's Saturn to look into her out-of-control idle.

I figure a mechanic would have charged $85 diagnostic, $100 for the sensor and 1/2 hour at ~$120/hour, or about $250 for the repair. I did the "repair" for $100 and got the tool for "free." That's the sort of stimulus spending I like!

David

David, Did you got it on line?

What they said - for $40, the cost of a tool is as much or less than getting a shop to pull the code for you one time. The Autozone free scan option is a good one, but it's worth something to be able to do it anytime, anywhere you want, I think.