OBD1 & OBD2 scanner recommendation

Man, what a weekend. In addition to having my MR2 wrecked last night, today my MR2 started displaying the CEL and apparently my code scanner doesn't work anymore.

I need the replacement to be able to handle OBD 1 (Ford, at least) and 2. Has to be self-contained--nothing that requires a smartphone or anything like that. Preferably under $100.

The old one was an AutoXRay Code Scout 2500, which I thought was awesome right up until today.

I thought OBD1 just required counting blinks.

I know you said "nothing that requires a smart phone", but for OBD2 you would need to spend a awful lot of money to get something better than the free torque app and an under $30 Bluetooth dongle.

I would have to be working on a whole lot of OBD1 cars to spend money on a scanner (vs counting the blinks).

I sell scanners for a living. Save your money on an OBD1 and learn to count blinking lights.

Or I'll sell you a $500 Innova that you plug in to have it say "52" instead of counting five blinks followed by two blinks.

In reply to HappyAndy: I agree about counting the blinks on the OBD1. But when you talk about the free app and $30 dongle, you forgot to ad the cost of the smart phone. I haven't shopped one, but from what I read, they aren't cheap!

For OBDII I've been very happy with my ScanGauge II, it not only scans, displays, and clears codes but also can simultainously display 4 sensor parameters of your choice ( I run oil temp, Water temp, Precision Fuel level, and Voltage) and can be programmed along with providing fuel efficiency and road trip fuel/cost monitoring. It's about $140 though.

Scangauge II

I disassembled my old one and found one of the battery contacts was heavily corroded. I cleaned it up and put it back together--it made noises, but I must have damaged the screen in disassembly. It didn't work.

Thanks for the recommendations, but one Amazon seller had another of what I had for $79. I guess I'll remove the batteries when not in use.

Rupert wrote: In reply to HappyAndy: But when you talk about the free app and $30 dongle, you forgot to ad the cost of the smart phone. I haven't shopped one, but from what I read, they aren't cheap!

Smartphones aren't cheap, but cheap tablets are. Just make sure the one you buy has Bluetooth. I got a refurb 7" Acer tablet with BT for $50.

I'll second the scanguageII if you're looking for a stand alone unit. They seem a little bit dated after you get used to a tablet/dongle, but mine has been dead reliable and simple to use. Powered off the car so no batteries to eat at it's soul.

Actron Pocket Scan. ODB-II only. Cheap, no-frills, but it does what it claims to do and has paid for itself many times over.

I agree with Vracer111, ScanGauge II is great. However, I found its diagnostic app a bit confusing. I downloaded MotorData from Google store https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.motordata.obd and actually, I've been using it ever since instead of the default app. There are the same functions as freeze frame data, logs records, etc, but it's all organized in a better way, besides, it's free. So maybe someone's looking for a more handy app, go ahead.

is there a different  OBD2 reader for BMWs ?

I got one the other day and it seems to only be for BMWs !  

maybe I do not know how to get it out of BMW mode !

californiamilleghia said:

is there a different  OBD2 reader for BMWs ?

I got one the other day and it seems to only be for BMWs !  

maybe I do not know how to get it out of BMW mode !

 

BMWs (and most other vehicles) will return the required responses to standard queries. They'll also return a whole bunch more info in response to the BMW-specific queries. If you get a Peake BMW-specific reader, it'll only know how to speak BMW. If you get a generic reader, it'll speak to almost everything but it will only return the generic info.

I keep a cheap ELM327 dongle in my bag and access it with my phone using Dash Commander. If I didn't have a phone, I'd probably access it with my first-generation iPod Touch (worth about $30). I was hooked up to a 1996 Subaru yesterday.

Keith Tanner said:

californiamilleghia said:

is there a different  OBD2 reader for BMWs ?

I got one the other day and it seems to only be for BMWs !  

maybe I do not know how to get it out of BMW mode !

 

BMWs (and most other vehicles) will return the required responses to standard queries. They'll also return a whole bunch more info in response to the BMW-specific queries. If you get a Peake BMW-specific reader, it'll only know how to speak BMW. If you get a generic reader, it'll speak to almost everything but it will only return the generic info.

I keep a cheap ELM327 dongle in my bag and access it with my phone using Dash Commander. If I didn't have a phone, I'd probably access it with my first-generation iPod Touch (worth about $30). I was hooked up to a 1996 Subaru yesterday.

Even with the specific ones, you should be able to ask any car for it's generic codes.  I know I've used my work ones for quite a few other cars for the standard PIDs.   Funny that BMW was brought up- once I get my neighbors car running, I'll plug in my Ford Start Tester (from 20 years ago), to see what codes it has.  

Maybe I'll try my Peake on a non-BMW. It's got a funky, funky interface and the manual doesn't mention non-BMWs anywhere.

http://www.peakeresearch.com/manuals/FCX3-manual%201.0%20NA.pdf

Keith Tanner said:

Maybe I'll try my Peake on a non-BMW. It's got a funky, funky interface and the manual doesn't mention non-BMWs anywhere.

 

http://www.peakeresearch.com/manuals/FCX3-manual%201.0%20NA.pdf

huh.  BMW had a diagnostic port other than the OBD port up to 2000.... I didn't think that was allowed under the OBDII rules- which force OEM's to let any mechanic with a simple tool get the basic PID codes that light the MIL light.  Worth trying to plug into another car, but that sure looks to be BMW not complying with what I thought were the laws.