Check engine reader help

Hey TW,

My check engine light on my 2003 Tacoma keeps turning on and off and i'm tired of bothering my friend for his check engine reader. What is a good one that will get the job done?

Thanks,
KidWithATacoman

 

Just about any one you can get from a parts store will work. I bought a Scangauge II so I can check lights as well as look at various other temps and even fuel mileage.

 

I got one of these OBDII plug ins from Amazon for $20

$20 Elm327 WiFi OBDii Interface OBD2 Can Bus Scanner Diagnostic Tool with Original 25k80 Chip Support iOS / Android (V2.1)

https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Sc...argid=aud-645589642778:pla-625356713193&psc=1

Just plug that in the ECU of your truck (above your right knee under the steering wheel)...and you can connect it with the Torque App on your smart phone (there's a free version and a $5 version). Then you can read codes, clear them, check engine/trans temps, intake temps, fuel trims, etc. All for under $30.

I eventually do want to get a Scangauge though, the disadvantage to using the Torque app is that it will drain your phone battery really quick. The Scangauge is something you can monitor while on the road.

 

This one plus free "Torque Lite" download. I paid for the upgraded software, but you don't have to for the basics.

https://tinyurl.com/y267mbyw

 

I have the bafx OBDII reader from Amazon ($20, bluetooth, basically the same thing @eon_blue mentioned) and Torque Pro. It's the $5 version of Torque lite (free version).

So....

I'm less concerned that you don't want to borrow your friend's code reader, and more concerned that you keep getting codes and don't seem to be fixing the issue. If you're just using the reader to reset/clear the codes, you're obviously not actually fixing anything.

What is it saying when you borrowed your friend's reader? What is(are) the code(s)?

 

hey whats the point of the one with the switch? The "V2.1 with switch."

 

I'm not sure...haven't heard of that before. Maybe it has an on/off switch so you can keep it plugged into your ECU port all the time?

Mine I can't keep plugged in all the time because if I shut the truck off with it plugged in, it'll trigger my ABS light when I restart the engine for some weird reason lol. I just put it on when I want to use the Torque app and take it off when I'm done.

Anyway yeah I dunno what the switch is about

 

That's weird. Mine doesn't do that. I leave it plugged in all the time, and never noticed anything weird.

I have this one and an extension wire so I can stash the read behind the dash so it doesn't stick out at my knees:

for Android Phones ONLY - Wireless Bluetooth Diagnostic OBD2 Scanner Car Code Reader and Scan Tool for All 1996 & Newer Vehicles ELM327 Compatible OBDII

https://www.amazon.com/BAFX-Product...082093&s=gateway&sprefix=obdii,aps,200&sr=8-5

 

yeah I think it has something to do with the specific brand one I got...I forget what it is but I read some reviews afterward of some people that experience the same thing. It just makes the ABS light flash if I leave it in, so I have turn the truck off, unplug it, and start it up again and all is well. Not the end of the world but kind of annoying, I only use it sparingly though so it's no big deal.

I really want to get a Scangauge eventually anyhow so I don't have to mess with my phone to monitor numbers and codes

 

do you get codes that often that you need to monitor them all the time? Maybe stop breaking it...

I think my scanner has come in handy more often with other vehicles than my own. Once I was wheelin with some friends, and my buddy's jeep kept getting stuck in 2nd gear and throwing codes in a specific set of circumstances. I would plug it in to his, clear the codes, and he could drive again. Then my wife comes home freaking out that the check engine light was on. Ran the code and it turned out to be a loose gas cap. That one was funny, because I go inside and ask if she recently got gas, she thought I was stalking her or something because she did in fact, just get gas.

The only time I've really "used" it is so I could check the emissions readiness before I had to get it smogged. I had just done my timing belt so all the emissions were not set yet, so I had to drive around until the tests were complete.

 

lol no but I like to check it for 'pending' codes every once in awhile just to make sure everything is OK, since pending codes won't pop up as a CEL but they will show on the Torque App. I got alerted to my soon-to-fail rear O2 sensor that way. Also like to keep an eye on my intake and coolant temps every so often just to see that it's working as it should

 

I got mine for $20 off Amazon and it has worked great

 

The down side to those fancy ones is having a Smart Phone

Since I am not allowed to have one for work most places I go and no cell service at home.

I like the Hard wired code readers I have the Actron CP9125 It works for my random use I keep one in each OBII vehicle