Just curious if anyone can recommend one of these new fangled computer checkers like the mechanics use. I have a few questions for anyone that has one. Do they only show you where the trouble is if your CHECK ENGINE light has come on? Say I'm having fuel related problems or a sensor has gone bad, but my check engine light has not come one. Will they still help you diagnose the problem?

If so, where is the best place to get one. What are the best brands?

Steve

 

Anybody?

 

Well, your profile lists a 94 & 91 rig, are you looking for something to use with them? If so, then you're looking for an "OBD I" reader, which is a bit of a crapshoot. The OBD (On Board Diagnostics) didn't really become a standard until the 1996 model year. Previous to that, there was no real "standard" per se'.

Without a standard, then it's hard to breed a competitive market, which means that there will be fewer choices, and thus higher prices. A side effect of this is that there will be little in the way of support for the devices since the target market is getting smaller each year as the vehicles are laid to rest.


But, there is somewhat good news for you... One thing that you CAN do is to pull the codes yourself with nothing more than a paperclip. Once you get a CEL, then you can head for the DIAGNOSIS port under the hood, short two pins together, and when you turn the ignition to ON, the CEL lamp will start flashing in a repeating sequence giving you the code. You can then take the code, look up the problem and hopefully get pointed in the right direction to fix it.


Now... if you're actually talking about a 1996+ vehicle, then we'll have a totally different conversation.

So... "more info please!".