Which scan tool to buy?

[Cranky]

Time to finally break down and buy one but what brand or does it matter? My daughter's car turned on the engine lift minutes after startup this morning and stated surging while driving and hesitating when pulling away from a light. It's a 03 PT turbo. Didn't see any lines loose and it runs too strong when floored for a hose to be off the turbo or for the turbo to be going bad unless it's spooling up when hammered and not spooling up in normal driving?? But I can't hear it spool down after revving it and shutting it off. I also have a 2000 Durango that this needs to work on...

 

[MoparMitch]

Cranky, It all depends on how comprehensive you need it to be. For around $120 you can buy a simple hand held made by Actron and quie a few other makers. On the flip end of that The OTC Genesis are in the thousands of dollers , and lets talk
about Snap On, That price scares the crap out of most people. But these high end scanners can do and read much more than the inexpensive ones . They have features like ,stored codes, can read different values of sytems while vehicle running, snapshot capability, ETC. Hope that helps some. Mitch

 

[Ron 73]

Everyone can say everything about HF tools and there right for the most part, but some things do work great, this scan tool is good, my only problem is if i want it and i never know which son in law to call to get it back.. This is good for 96 and up... Reads a bunch of things... If this ever does quit, ill buy another.. built by Cen-tech

http://www.harborfreight.com/can-obd-ii-code-reader-eobd-scanner-98614.html

 

[HitIt]

The main thing about the cheap ones is that they give you just the error code number which you need to look up in a book or online for the description.

I paid around $120 for my Equus 3100 about 4 years ago and it does the error code and description right on the screen unit's LCD. Makes it pretty convenient. I have used it hundreds of times between my car and friends and family.

http://www.amazon.com/Equus-3100-Innova-CanOBD2-Diagnostic/dp/B000EVWDAK

Some cheaper ones also don't work on Mercedes and BMW OBDII errors if that's a concern for you, the one I mention above does. But of course they also have a manufacturer code port that you can't do anything with unless you have the factory tool.

 

[Cranky]

My nephew has a scan tool and came over with the Harbor Freight ones. His scan tool was different and had to look up the codes with it too but I liked his volt/ohm meter which was from Harbor 'Fright'. My volt/ohm meter is a 36 year old Sears but it still works! Anyways, we found the problem but we spent the better part of Saturday working on it. We did the front wheel bearings on this thing a couple of months ago and spent all day then too. Never did like these cars and I'm liking it less and less as time goes on. I found a really nice Dakota but she wanted a car and the kid and her mom found this Pitiful Thing at a friends used car lot. One bad thing is that it had been wrecked and my 'buddy' probably knew it and the wife and kid didn't notice. I saw it right off the bat....I just love it when I'm not included in stuff like this but then get roped into working on it. And thanks for the replies!

 

[Budnicks]

Cranky I have a Hypertech Scanner programmer for my 99 Dakota 4x4 OBD2 system, it can flash/reflash {OBD2 computer programs} & tell you trouble codes for engine or transmission, sensors, tire diameter changes, speedo recalibrations, fuel type/octane level programming, you can also go back to a completely stock program at any time is you need to for smog compliance or what ever reasoning... The biggest problem really is it reads Vin ID from the vehicles computer & will only work on that individual vehicle, unless you pay {of course} Hypertech to have it reprogrammed for use on another vehicle.... it was like $370 too boot original purchase, but well worth it in the long run if your upgrading a OBD2 type vehicle with performance parts, headers, cams, air boxes/intakes, rocker ratio changes or even just larger tires etc...

 

[racer-x]

I have an old SnapOn MT2500 for my turbocars (it reads up to '96), and I love it. It gives live sensor data, datalogs, and pulls/clears codes. I guess I could use it on my '92 Jeeps...but those damn 4.0's never seem to break!

I need to get updated cards for it though, so I can use it on my '01 Ram diesel and hopefully on the '05 Hemi once its installed in my '72 Satellite... You can find the scanners pretty regularly on eBay for not much $, though. And I've had mine for...well, over a decade with no issues.

If all you want is a code that you have to look up? Turn the ignition key on-off-on-off-on (without starting the car), and either count the check-engine-light flashes (on pre-96 cars; two digit numbers, usually end with a 55), or read the code off the odometer - and save some $. Most OBD-II codes are standardized; any non-standard codes should be in the factory shop manual. My '01 Ram shows them on the odo and I just look 'em up - which for now works fine for me, so I haven't spent on the new cards just yet.

 

[Cranky]

Cranky I have a Hypertech Scanner programmer for my 99 Dakota 4x4 OBD2 system, it can flash/reflash {OBD2 computer programs} & tell you trouble codes for engine or transmission, sensors, tire diameter changes, speedo recalibrations, fuel type/octane level programming, you can also go back to a completely stock program at any time is you need to for smog compliance or what ever reasoning... The biggest problem really is it reads Vin ID from the vehicles computer & will only work on that individual vehicle, unless you pay {of course} Hypertech to have it reprogrammed for use on another vehicle.... it was like $370 too boot original purchase, but well worth it in the long run if your upgrading a OBD2 type vehicle with performance parts, headers, cams, air boxes/intakes, rocker ratio changes or even just larger tires etc...

I may look into the Hypertech unit but I don't do much in the way of modifying these newer cars.

I have an old SnapOn MT2500 for my turbocars (it reads up to '96), and I love it. It gives live sensor data, datalogs, and pulls/clears codes. I guess I could use it on my '92 Jeeps...but those damn 4.0's never seem to break!

I need to get updated cards for it though, so I can use it on my '01 Ram diesel and hopefully on the '05 Hemi once its installed in my '72 Satellite... You can find the scanners pretty regularly on eBay for not much $, though. And I've had mine for...well, over a decade with no issues.

If all you want is a code that you have to look up? Turn the ignition key on-off-on-off-on (without starting the car), and either count the check-engine-light flashes (on pre-96 cars; two digit numbers, usually end with a 55), or read the code off the odometer - and save some $. Most OBD-II codes are standardized; any non-standard codes should be in the factory shop manual. My '01 Ram shows them on the odo and I just look 'em up - which for now works fine for me, so I haven't spent on the new cards just yet.

Yeah, I know about the key flip and I tried it on the PT but it didn't read anything back to me...not even a 55.

 

[racer-x]

That is very weird.

Did you look at your odometer display? My '01 Ram displays "ECM - P0xxx" and scrolls through the codes, then "PCM - P0xxx" and scrolls through those.

You should be able to get one or the other out of the onboard diagnostics...

 

[Cranky]

That is very weird.

Did you look at your odometer display? My '01 Ram displays "ECM - P0xxx" and scrolls through the codes, then "PCM - P0xxx" and scrolls through those.

You should be able to get one or the other out of the onboard diagnostics...

Works on our 2000 Durango buy not on the 03 PT. The Durango has no codes to display and just shows Pdone