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Forum Index : Other Stuff : Car onboad diagnostics OBD2

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domwild
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Joined: 16/12/2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 873
Posted: 12:50pm 28 Aug 2013
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Hi,

Some of us have found out that car warranties are most likely not worth the paper, so we fix our cars ourselves, especially in the bush. Most of the logbook services are just oil and various filter changes anyway, the rest is "Check, check ...".

Whirlpool has an interesting story re Android smartphone and $15 dongle if you have a later model car, ca. 2008 (?). Since that time all cars must have a 16-pin plug near the steering column for on-board electronic diagnostics.

Download the free Android Torque Lite app

https://market.android.com/details?id=org.prowl.torquefree

get the right OBDII ELM327 Bluetooth Adapter that costs all of $18 including postage from Hong Kong and off you go. BUT you have to find out which one of the many protocols (ISO,CAN) your car supports so you buy the right $15 Chinese dongle. Problem with Fleabay is the inability sometimes to contact the seller before purchase to ask if a particular protocol is supported.

My hail damaged Toyota Corolla supports the ISO 9141-2 protocol, where metallic contacts on the 16-pin connector are visible on pins 4,5,7,15 and 16. Whirlpool is full of stories of "Mine did not work", so beware. A much more expensive American dongle supported about six or seven protocols.

Before a certain time in Oz cars had proprietary connectors, so be careful. There is a $3 Torque app with extra features. What I am hoping for to see are any possible error codes or hints, such as: "Change plugs" to assist me in cheap vehicle servicing.



Taxation as a means of achieving prosperity is like a man standing inside a bucket trying to lift himself up.

Winston Churchill
 
M Del
Senior Member

Joined: 09/04/2012
Location: Australia
Posts: 155
Posted: 02:34pm 31 Aug 2013
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As a VM who worked for a lot of dealers in the past I can only fully agree with your first paragraph.

Be careful with the connector you use as no two manufacturers use the same values in all connector pins. ie voltage could be battery (12v), 5 volt or 2 volt etc.
The reason for the "Mine did not work" stories is you could put battery voltage into the low volt port on the computer. Melt down effect.

From memory (and talking to guys using) none of the apps tell you when the plugs need replacing, but most can pinpoint sensors/modules that are giving trouble.
From there check earths etc, as lots of issues are bad earths.

It is a pity we do not use the US OBD2 system as virtually all connectors/pins etc are the same. I think that timing stems from 1995-98. One connector and dongle for nearly everything.


Mark
 
domwild
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Joined: 16/12/2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 873
Posted: 01:22pm 20 Sep 2013
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Australia does use the OBD2 system since about 2005 (?), anyway, there is an article about OBD2 and smartphones in Silicon Chip.
Taxation as a means of achieving prosperity is like a man standing inside a bucket trying to lift himself up.

Winston Churchill
 
M Del
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Joined: 09/04/2012
Location: Australia
Posts: 155
Posted: 10:02pm 20 Sep 2013
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Hi Domwild,

I never said we do not use OBD2 system, just that I wish we used the US system.
All US vehicles have the OBD2 system connector plug wired identically, since 1996.

We have three possible wiring combinations in the Australian connector.
J1850 VPW— metallic contacts in pins 2, 4, 5, and 16, but not 10.
ISO 9141-2— metallic contacts in pins 4, 5, 7, 15, and 16. your vehicle has this.
J1850 PWM— metallic contacts in pins 2, 4, 5, 10, and 16.

All Australian vehicles were supposed to be OBD2 compliant as at 1 Jan 2006, a lot of imports had the system prior to that date, however some local production still had the old components till mid 06.

The important thing is to make sure the connector you get is correct for your vehicle. If not it will not work and there is a risk of damage.

I have not seen the silicone chip article on this, so will access it and read up on what they say.

cheers

Mark
 
domwild
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Joined: 16/12/2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 873
Posted: 12:26pm 22 Sep 2013
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M Del,

Thanks for info.
Taxation as a means of achieving prosperity is like a man standing inside a bucket trying to lift himself up.

Winston Churchill
 
domwild
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Joined: 16/12/2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 873
Posted: 01:08pm 20 Oct 2013
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What I am interested in is the air mass flow rate to check if the air filter needs cleaning as the mechanics do.

Another item of interest would be the condition of the spark plugs, the NOx readings to see how old the engine is getting, etc. A complicated question; I doubt if the sub-$20 items for sale on fleabay give me that info. And you cannot contact the seller BEFORE you have purchased the item.

Caveat emptor - buyer beware!
Taxation as a means of achieving prosperity is like a man standing inside a bucket trying to lift himself up.

Winston Churchill
 
M Del
Senior Member

Joined: 09/04/2012
Location: Australia
Posts: 155
Posted: 10:16pm 20 Oct 2013
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Hi Domwild

For specific item codes you will need the original Toyota codes for your specific model.
But even the local dealers do not always have the correct info.
2 examples, 1 ford, 1 holden, both large regional dealers.
EA falcon, car was always running rough under 3000 rpm. After connecting the reader we got error 22(I think?). This was not in the manuals we had, nor was the info available from NSW service office. Eventually it came in from the US offices, cold engine, or, incorrectly fitted/faulty temp sender which was flooding the engine.
VK commodore 6 cyl, erratic rough running. no error codes but eventually tracked down to malfunctioning air meter sensor.

There are several ways to find the codes.
Your best bet is to talk to a mechanic from your local dealership and get a copy of the codes from the manufacturers manuals, if lucky.
search for the manual on line at a Toyota owners blog, I got the mazda 121 that way.
Also try Repco, as they used to run a technical division which ran workshops for garages on late model stuff. The handouts included the error codes and common faults.

Unfortunately there is no easy answer.

Mark
 
domwild
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Joined: 16/12/2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 873
Posted: 12:01pm 21 Oct 2013
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Thanks M Del. You are right, it needs a lot of research in order not to waste one's money. I spent a lot of time yesterday. Dr Google talks of dearer models of those ELM327 chip(?) based models, where the customer reviews tell me the support available re codes is terrific, etc. By dearer I mean models costing more than the <$20 model mentioned in the recent Silicon Chip article. The codes came from a database provided by the seller of the OBDII model or other means.

As usual, "You gets what you pays for!".

As an aside, Silicon Chip Feb 2010 advertised a kit for $120.
Taxation as a means of achieving prosperity is like a man standing inside a bucket trying to lift himself up.

Winston Churchill
 
dwyer
Guru

Joined: 19/09/2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 574
Posted: 02:17am 22 Oct 2013
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Hi all
About my ford petrol turbo territory has been to service station for oil change and other little things about the cars code came out of the latest diagnostic. A handout code reader costs $8000 new and is currently a few months old.
What what l have been told by the mechanic is that he is also a member of RACQ road assist team. However his code reader had failed to explain where two code faults are coming from? we both had no idea So he suggested to take the car to a ford dealer to get it tested by their own handout reader provide by Ford of Australia.
Anyway I just let it go and couldn't be bothered going the dealer so now I have to be very careful with what I buy from E-bay because i might end up wasting money to find Code hand reader that might not work at all ? So what about Silicon Chip Feb 2010 advertised a kit for $120 will do the job??

Dwyer the bushman











 
domwild
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Joined: 16/12/2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 873
Posted: 11:48am 22 Oct 2013
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Dwyer,

Have given the wrong impression here as if the SC kit being dearer may also be better. Probably not. A long search via a particular Ford user blog might just be the trick to get to the meaning of the "secret code" numbers.
Taxation as a means of achieving prosperity is like a man standing inside a bucket trying to lift himself up.

Winston Churchill
 
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