DRB Scanner substitute??

[TStinson]

Anyone know of a relatively inexpensive scanner that can be used to access the on-board diagnostics on our trucks?



Going to the local dealer or independent shop gets to be $$$$$ after a few visits for diagnostic work - when all they do is plug into the port and read off the codes.

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

What year? There are no cheap alternative to CLEAR codes tho.

$$ range from Free (Cycling the key on anything post 2000) To an average 200 dollar scanner to a 4800 dollar used DRB III.

 

[TStinson]

Sorry... ..... I thought the "profile" button was there for all to use



Both my CTD and the wife's Durango are 1999's.



One way I have found to clear some of the bugs is to disconnect the battery(s) for at least 30 seconds. This may not get the serious bugs, but sometimes the annoying ones go away.

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

Derrr Good Point Ahhh when ya are in a rush at work ... . Blah Blah...





Anyways. AHA a 99. Well If ya have a laptop handy I use This 200 Dollar Remidy That is the least expensive and most comprehensive option I know of.

 

[Sticks]

Another option is Alex Pepper OBD-2.



Hey TMTT, on your truck, how many of the 100 odd sensors does the auto tap actually read, and does it have a fast refresh rate (once a second or faster)?



I did not see the Auto Tap when I was looking around for one, and it looks like another good program, unfortunately, I do not have $200 laying around to do a side by side test.



Alex Pepper's only reads about 8 on the CTD



RPM, VSS (Speedo), Throttle Position, Load Percentage, Coolant, MAP, IAT, and one other... .



Reads and clears codes, graphs the data, and records the data for later playback.

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

I have the Waaay old cruddy version of the program so yeah it kinda sucky but I have a live uplink to the internet so pulling codes and getting a valid description wasn't hard for me (Easier still to cycle the key and read the odometer display) but it was another toy I had to have.





The new version is supposed to be the good one and I forget who on the board is using it but I remember the results were pleasing.

 

[y-knot]

AutoXray has a nice unit with their 6000, a little more then just a code reader, it has many functions. Comes with a pc-500 software which allows data to be stored for future reference, or will allow data to be sent to be read for analysis.