Sunny
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 31, 2014
- Messages
- 5,095
- Reaction score
- 1,739
- Location
- Colorado
- Country
- United States
- Dash Cam
- More than I can review. ;)
These tools don't relate to dashcam directly but they can be used for heads up display if needed so probably somewhat relevant plus I hope it helps others to help diagnose issues.
Some history before I dive into these.
My 2000 RX300 was giving me CEL (Check Engine Light) off and on for last few years.
Yes, I should have fixed it sooner but this car is pretty old and doesn't hold much value.
Few years ago, Carmax offered me $2k so I kept it as it was running fine.
The bad part with CEL is, depending upon codes, car's engine may get damage even if it runs.
For me, it started with P0171 lean bank 1 fuel or something as per Autozone's scanner.
What that usually means is there's too much air than fuel in the engine so not enough power.
Problem with Autozone or any other free scanning service is that, it's a snapshot of that moment.
It only tells you what codes were stored.
It doesn't tell you what's going on when you are driving.
Possible solution suggested was to replace O2/AF sensors.
But without live diagnostic, you can't say whether it's O2/AF sensor or a leak in gasket.
For proper live diagnostic, mechanic shops want $125.
Most of them just hook up OBD scanner and drive around to check sensors, specially the short and long term fuel trims.
So here's comes the good news.
You can do it yourself, at least the live diagnostic check of all sensors in your vehicle, using OBD2 scanners.
These are real cheap nowadays.
Sites like Gearbest sell Bluetooth versions starting from around $4.
The Bluetooth model I got is $6.69 currently here: https://www.gearbest.com/obd-diagnostic-tools/pp_1434935.html
Wi-Fi version usually costs more.
I got this WiFi model : https://www.gearbest.com/obd-diagnostic-tools/pp_1634770.html
These work with most vehicles newer than 1996.
You just plug it in the OBD2 port and download apps to monitor the data.
**********************************************
After driving with the scanner hooked to app, my issue is not gasket leaks but most likely bad AF sensor plus a bad knock sensor.
The latter one is very costly to fix. I got quotes from two mechanics and one quoted me $1400 and another $1200 plus taxes.
**********************************************
Bluetooth vs Wi-Fi:
Bluetooth is usually slower than wi-fi so there's a lag from engine's data to screen but good thing about bluetooth is you can use your wi-fi internet if needed.
Wi-Fi versions are faster so you can monitor live data in sync with engine's data.
Apps: There are hundreds of apps to monitor sensors with OBD2 scanners.
I used these below:
Torque lite: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.prowl.torquefree
Car Scanner: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ovz.carscanner
OBD Car Doctor: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pnn.obdcardoctor
You can buy pro versions if you want more features but free versions is good enough if you dig around.
Below are some screenshots of sensor data using the apps mentioned above:
Torque lite:
Car Scanner:
Even if you don't have CEL, OBD2 scanners can give you information and heads up display of how your vehicle is performing.
Some history before I dive into these.
My 2000 RX300 was giving me CEL (Check Engine Light) off and on for last few years.
Yes, I should have fixed it sooner but this car is pretty old and doesn't hold much value.
Few years ago, Carmax offered me $2k so I kept it as it was running fine.
The bad part with CEL is, depending upon codes, car's engine may get damage even if it runs.
For me, it started with P0171 lean bank 1 fuel or something as per Autozone's scanner.
What that usually means is there's too much air than fuel in the engine so not enough power.
Problem with Autozone or any other free scanning service is that, it's a snapshot of that moment.
It only tells you what codes were stored.
It doesn't tell you what's going on when you are driving.
Possible solution suggested was to replace O2/AF sensors.
But without live diagnostic, you can't say whether it's O2/AF sensor or a leak in gasket.
For proper live diagnostic, mechanic shops want $125.
Most of them just hook up OBD scanner and drive around to check sensors, specially the short and long term fuel trims.
So here's comes the good news.
You can do it yourself, at least the live diagnostic check of all sensors in your vehicle, using OBD2 scanners.
These are real cheap nowadays.
Sites like Gearbest sell Bluetooth versions starting from around $4.
The Bluetooth model I got is $6.69 currently here: https://www.gearbest.com/obd-diagnostic-tools/pp_1434935.html
Wi-Fi version usually costs more.
I got this WiFi model : https://www.gearbest.com/obd-diagnostic-tools/pp_1634770.html
These work with most vehicles newer than 1996.
You just plug it in the OBD2 port and download apps to monitor the data.
**********************************************
After driving with the scanner hooked to app, my issue is not gasket leaks but most likely bad AF sensor plus a bad knock sensor.
The latter one is very costly to fix. I got quotes from two mechanics and one quoted me $1400 and another $1200 plus taxes.
**********************************************
Bluetooth vs Wi-Fi:
Bluetooth is usually slower than wi-fi so there's a lag from engine's data to screen but good thing about bluetooth is you can use your wi-fi internet if needed.
Wi-Fi versions are faster so you can monitor live data in sync with engine's data.
Apps: There are hundreds of apps to monitor sensors with OBD2 scanners.
I used these below:
Torque lite: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.prowl.torquefree
Car Scanner: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ovz.carscanner
OBD Car Doctor: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pnn.obdcardoctor
You can buy pro versions if you want more features but free versions is good enough if you dig around.
Below are some screenshots of sensor data using the apps mentioned above:
Torque lite:
Car Scanner:
Even if you don't have CEL, OBD2 scanners can give you information and heads up display of how your vehicle is performing.
Last edited:
