Help with OBD II Diagnostic scanners

[Bizw0z UK]

Hi Guys,

I am lucky enough to have a lincoln limousine I imported from your side of the pond. The car has been great but seems to lose power/misfire in the middle of long journeys. NOW, it will pay for me to get a diagnostic scanner as we dont have such a thing as a lincoln dealership over here. I have looked at a few but wanted the opinion of some experts. So, what do you think??? your help is really appreciated, as would be advice on where to get spares

 

[Dereck]

Hi Bizw0z

Hi Guys,

I am lucky enough to have a lincoln limousine I imported from your side of the pond. The car has been great but seems to lose power/misfire in the middle of long journeys. NOW, it will pay for me to get a diagnostic scanner as we dont have such a thing as a lincoln dealership over here. I have looked at a few but wanted the opinion of some experts. So, what do you think??? your help is really appreciated, as would be advice on where to get spares

ODB II Scanners range from $50 to severall thousand $$$$$$, if you just want a cheap scanner to read/erase codes and not much else then perhaps This One will fit the bill, I use thier OBD 1 version and have found it very good.

I use Barry at Specialist Autoparts in Yeovil, Somerset for all my American car spares, check out his Web Site for contact details,he gives great service, keeps most service items in stock and can get you anything else you need within 10 days. Some say he is a little expensive but I think it is worth paying a little extra for good service.

Regards

Dereck

 

[Bizw0z UK]

Thanks Dereck,
Thats quite a nice little unit.
Does anyone have experience of a windows based software solution like

http://www.autotap.com/autotap_windows_products.html

Are these more intuitive than just displaying a code, eg will it display the code and tell you what is wrong and even how to fix it. How much more can I expect this to do.

 

[Dereck]

Hi Bizw0z UK

I have not had much to do with ODB II scanners yet so I am affraid I cannot help you, I have been looking to get one myself but the more you read about them the more confused you will get.

All the manufaturers claim thiers is the best one and does it all (if you buy the upgrades).

I think you just gotta plump for one that looks like it does the job you want it to do, is the right price and hope for the best.

One question that is puzzling me, Is the OBD II system used on American cars the same as EOBD (European On Board Diagnostics) used here in the UK? Can't seem to get to the bottom of that one.

Regards

Dereck

 

[Quik LS]

Thanks Dereck,
Thats quite a nice little unit.
Does anyone have experience of a windows based software solution like

http://www.autotap.com/autotap_windows_products.html

Are these more intuitive than just displaying a code, eg will it display the code and tell you what is wrong and even how to fix it. How much more can I expect this to do.

I use ScanTool - http://autoenginuity.com/ - and it is awesome. I also recently purchased the 'Enhanced Ford Sensor Pack' (here's a listing of all the monitoring points -> http://www.autoenginuity.com/Ford-Sensor-List.html )

I use it to troubleshoot codes, perform cycle test (like the dealer) and then to real-time monitor and data log - sned the info back to my tuner.

 

[Bizw0z UK]

Thanks Guys

Anything with an awesome rating gets my vote.

I have contacted autoenginuity to check out if they ship to third world countries like the UK.

Dereck, If its as good as quik ls says it is, i will nip down to somerset from london and show you it.

Its handy to have good exchange rate aswell

Bryan

 

[Dereck]

Hi Bizw0z UK

Swing by anytime you like, I am just off of J22 of the M5 in Burnham-On-Sea, on a good run only a couple of hours from the smoke, would love to have a chat over a coffee or beer.

Here is my shop

Getting back to your loss of power/mis-fire, you haven't said what year your TC is (assuming it is a 2000 onwards model) I suspect it is one of the coils on top of your plugs (if you have coil per plug ignition), funny thing is it usually seems to be one on cylinders 5 - 8.

Regards

Dereck