Which obd2 reader?
Discussion
Whatever your pocket can stretch to. In all fairness they all do much the same job, and if they work properly they should all display whatever error codes are making your CEL come on.
I'd have said you should be fairly safe paying somewhere between £20-£30. Have a look on fleabay, there are loads on there.
I'd have said you should be fairly safe paying somewhere between £20-£30. Have a look on fleabay, there are loads on there.
Read this:
http://www.uklegacy.com/forums/index.php?showtopic...
I bought one of these cables off Ebay for 7 quid and downloaded the free software. It works far better than a generic OBDII reader.
http://www.uklegacy.com/forums/index.php?showtopic...
I bought one of these cables off Ebay for 7 quid and downloaded the free software. It works far better than a generic OBDII reader.
cheers guys.
i have looked at readers on ebay - they vary so much in price!
thanks for the lead info, i'm not sure i want to get into software downloads and the carputer side of things.
i'll chance my arm i think with one of the £30ish one from ebay `just to see if it correctly identifys the code that i think it is.
cheers guys!
(oh, where is the obd2 post on my bug?)
i have looked at readers on ebay - they vary so much in price!
thanks for the lead info, i'm not sure i want to get into software downloads and the carputer side of things.
i'll chance my arm i think with one of the £30ish one from ebay `just to see if it correctly identifys the code that i think it is.
cheers guys!
(oh, where is the obd2 post on my bug?)
The vagcom cable is a very good solution and allows you with the aid of FreeSSM software on a laptop to monitor any SSM parameter (Subaru own protocol) in real-time. It's the best type of diagnostic solution for home/DIY user but not everyone's cup of tea.
OBDII/EOBD handheld/laptop devices won't let you see SSM protocols, only OBD generic codes.
Hopefully your issue has generated a generic code you can read.
OBDII/EOBD handheld/laptop devices won't let you see SSM protocols, only OBD generic codes.
Hopefully your issue has generated a generic code you can read.
The VagCom cables are very cheap, less than £9 inc del on fleabay so seems like a very cost effective solution.
It should come with drivers on a CD just in case your laptop doesn't load it's own windows drivers automatically when you first plug the cable into a usb port.
Download the SSMFree software, install it, if it doesn't connect first time make sure it's using the right com port and you're good to go after that.
Compared to an OBD only solution the SSM (Subaru Select Monitor) protocol is much more detailed and comprehensive and is essentially what Subaru workshops use to run diagnostics. you should be well chuffed with it when you get going.
My remapping tools use the same SSM protocol for diagnostics so you see what i see
It should come with drivers on a CD just in case your laptop doesn't load it's own windows drivers automatically when you first plug the cable into a usb port.
Download the SSMFree software, install it, if it doesn't connect first time make sure it's using the right com port and you're good to go after that.
Compared to an OBD only solution the SSM (Subaru Select Monitor) protocol is much more detailed and comprehensive and is essentially what Subaru workshops use to run diagnostics. you should be well chuffed with it when you get going.
My remapping tools use the same SSM protocol for diagnostics so you see what i see
FreeSSM - http://prdownload.berlios.de/freessm/FreeSSM-1.2.5...
Wait for the link to open, wait a tad longer and a dialogue box appears, then save the file to your machine.
Install the cable. Your machine may not recognise the cable in which case use the drivers on the CD you received with your cable however, most machines will recognise the cable and install their own drivers.
Install FreeSSM.
Wait for the link to open, wait a tad longer and a dialogue box appears, then save the file to your machine.
Install the cable. Your machine may not recognise the cable in which case use the drivers on the CD you received with your cable however, most machines will recognise the cable and install their own drivers.
Install FreeSSM.
Down below the steering wheel plastic cowling there is an OBDII socket, you plug in there.
The connector is a specific shape (Trapezium) so you can't get it wrong way around. Just make sure you plug it in squarely and straight so you don't bend any connector pins. when you've done it a few times you'll get the hang of it.
When you're plugged in and ready to go start the FreeSSM software. Your software will search the COM ports on your machine to see where the cable/adapter is registered to connect to your ECU.
If you get no joy and nothing happens then you will have to go into FreeSSM and manually select which com port to use. If you don't know which com port your cable is registered to on your machine go to Device manager and you'll see the list of COM ports in there.
In order to see the FreeSSM dashboard come alive with info you have to check which parameters you want to log/view. From there on have a play with and see what the info tells you.
When you're well practiced and you start loging WOT (Wide Open Throttle) runs you should be able to guesstimate via some calculations what kind of WHP (wheel Horsepower) and torque your car is making. The logged info usually ends up in the format CSV or Excel worksheet allowing you to import it to another program that can plot dyno figures, in conjunction with other vehicle parameters of course.
Have fun with it
The connector is a specific shape (Trapezium) so you can't get it wrong way around. Just make sure you plug it in squarely and straight so you don't bend any connector pins. when you've done it a few times you'll get the hang of it.
When you're plugged in and ready to go start the FreeSSM software. Your software will search the COM ports on your machine to see where the cable/adapter is registered to connect to your ECU.
If you get no joy and nothing happens then you will have to go into FreeSSM and manually select which com port to use. If you don't know which com port your cable is registered to on your machine go to Device manager and you'll see the list of COM ports in there.
In order to see the FreeSSM dashboard come alive with info you have to check which parameters you want to log/view. From there on have a play with and see what the info tells you.
When you're well practiced and you start loging WOT (Wide Open Throttle) runs you should be able to guesstimate via some calculations what kind of WHP (wheel Horsepower) and torque your car is making. The logged info usually ends up in the format CSV or Excel worksheet allowing you to import it to another program that can plot dyno figures, in conjunction with other vehicle parameters of course.
Have fun with it
Which version of Windows?
What happens when you plug the cable into the PC? Is it recognised as a USB device or not? Does it say it's ready to use or has failed?
What happens when you fire up the SSM program? Click on Preferences and see what COM ports are listed. It should only list those that your PC has assigned. Try them all, and each time you select one click on the TEST DIAGNOSTIC INTERFACE each time. One of them will be right or your PC hasn't assigned a COM port to the cable.
What happens when you plug the cable into the PC? Is it recognised as a USB device or not? Does it say it's ready to use or has failed?
What happens when you fire up the SSM program? Click on Preferences and see what COM ports are listed. It should only list those that your PC has assigned. Try them all, and each time you select one click on the TEST DIAGNOSTIC INTERFACE each time. One of them will be right or your PC hasn't assigned a COM port to the cable.
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