ForScan works great!

[sid]

ForScan not foreskin!

So, my abs light came on the other day... crap! something else to fix. Anyways, I had been using Torque Pro on my android tablet as a scanner along with a ELM327 bluetooth device, it will not read any module besides the pcm. It also didn't have the PIDs to read the wheel speed sensors. I have a Drewtech Mongoose Pro for programming, but I didn't spend the $177 for diagnostics software.

I stumbled across Forscan (forscan.org) lite for android, paid the $4, and downloaded it. It is made exclusively for Ford vehicles. It is awesome! I connected to the LS using my elm327 device. I can see every module in the car. It will list them with part# and build date. When you check for DTC's it list DTC's by module. So now I know my right rear speed sensor is not reading. You can also view PID's for each of the modules. I created a dashboard with the 4 wheel speed sensors and went for a drive. Right rear is not reading. You can also playback the sensors if you missed something from your drive.

So, for anyone wanting to read more than just pcm dtc's, this is a cheap way to do that.

I know this has been listed before, but just wanted to bring it back up.



http://forscan.org/documentation_Android.html

 

[FDR]

Here's the Play store link
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.astech.forscanlite&hl=en

This is the best use of this app, given in one of the reviews

"Great Now I can tell when my grill shutters are open or closed."

Anyway, I may look into this later

 

[jrand]

hmm i never knew this existed... it runs with any elm327 or does the elm have to have certain firmware on it?
for some reason i always thought my elm327 was holding me back, not 'torque pro'...

what is stopping someone from creating a semi-universal tuner for android?? or does that exist too??

 

[sid]

The adapter I'm using is the PLX devices Kiwi that I bought back in 2012. The website says it will work with most elm327 adapters, even clones. They have there own support forum with tons of info.


Elm327 doesn't have the required programming signal needed to tune the pcm. This where the J2534 pass through devices come into play. The only bad part is you have to buy a subscription for the Ford module programming software from ford. Www.motorcraftservice.com But it gives you access to their database of software updates for all the modules tsb related and stuff.

 

[FDR]

hmm i never knew this existed... it runs with any elm327 or does the elm have to have certain firmware on it?
for some reason i always thought my elm327 was holding me back, not 'torque pro'...

what is stopping someone from creating a semi-universal tuner for android?? or does that exist too??

The same reason malicious people rarely write viruses for Mac/Linux: too small of a market size

Torque reads universal OBDII protocols. Every '96-15 vehicle made for public US roads uses OBDII (not sure how other countries work, but I'm sure a majority also mandate OBDII). That's millions and millions (billions?) of cars using the same program for 15 years.

ABS, SRS, TC/AT/SC, and trasmission codes are unique to each manufacturer. That's only millions of customers per brand and with no government standardization, I doubt manufacturers have used only one iteration of software.

Also, keep in mind that the only reason OBDII is standardized is because every OBDII component and problem is related to fuel economy and emissions control. OBDII isn't there to tell you your engine is going to blow up, it's there to tell you it's dumping too much raw gasoline, CO, and CO2 into the atmosphere.

For a universal tuner, I would assume the problem is while many tuned parameters are controlled by an OBDII system, not all of them are, such as the transmission. I would also think that each manufacture requires a unique input to actually change those parameters instead of just read them.