Anyone use Bluetooth OBDII Scanners?

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SwampSurvivor

SwampSurvivor

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Bought one of these on ebay - ELM327.

Worked great last night. Really had fun watching the parameters in both vehicles. More is supported on my Focus than on my Jeep.

This morning ... nothing works. I thought it was the phone, so I tried two different phones and it no longer works.

I brought my Focus to Advance on lunch to make sure the bus can still connect, and it can.

I tried using multiple softwares including Torque ... nothing today.

Anyone have any ideas?
 
I got a cheap one off ebay. It worked well but was a lil "behind" sometimes. And i had to google how to get my phone to recognize it.
 
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I bought a cheap one on Amazon, occasionally, I need to pull out the scanner and plug it back in, then my phone will see it.
 
Originally Posted By: EdwardC
I bought a cheap one on Amazon, occasionally, I need to pull out the scanner and plug it back in, then my phone will see it.


Tried that - it confuses the Focus and turns the traction control off.
 
It may be busted. They are kinda cheaply made and cheaply priced. If youve plugged and unplugged it numerous times and tried other apps id venture to say its done. Maybe restart your phone and see if thats it. Probly not but crazy stuff happens.
 
If you paid around $10, it's probably too cheap. The BAFX one gets decent reviews, although there are WiFi versions out there now also which are supposed to be faster updating than bluetooth.
 
I bought a cheap one from Amazon.Have been using it for 1 year and still works great.
I use it with Torque App and it saved my [censored] a couple times by clearing some transmission/Engine codes.
 
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I have had one for over a year now and use the Torque app. I only use it intermittently and it has served me well. I also get the issue of it not communicating from time to time. Usually after the phone is restarted it works again.

Also, in the Torque app you can access make/model-specific codes by bringing up the menu, selecting "More", then "Settings", then "Manage available OBD2 PIDs" at the very bottom, opening the menu, and selecting "Add predefined set", which may give you more options for viewing more parameters for the Jeep.
 
I have been using a cheap one which I bought off Ebay for almost a year with Torque Pro.Except for being finicky at times, it has served me well specially resetting the Forenza's Transmission range sensor code to be able to drive to work till I got the part shipped to me.
 
I have the 327 and use torque. Ive had issues but phone related/software. Make sure the phone software pairs with the adapter.
 
I hope we're not talking Torque at all. It is useless in my case, even the paid version.

But even with the OBDLink app, somehow I doubt it'll be able to access any of those proprietary manufacturer PIDs.
 
I was using Torque free.

I don't need to access prorietary codes.

I just want to, for fun, watch coolant temp and spark advance ... other random parameters.

This will not be used as a real diagnostic tool and I am not mistaking it for one.
 
I had it connected for maybe 15 minutes Wednesday night.

I saw it left a light on and I didn't want to drain the battery so it came in with me. That, and I don't like leaving electronics out in the car on cold nights.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
I hope we're not talking Torque at all. It is useless in my case, even the paid version.

But even with the OBDLink app, somehow I doubt it'll be able to access any of those proprietary manufacturer PIDs.
Well, if it (the kickstarter thingy) did that, the regular price of $120 will be a bargain. And if it did NOT do that, the discounted price of even $49 would be too much! The chances are it will not handle proprietary PID's or decode Mode 6 data for most of the manufacturer as it costs lot of money to licence it

By the way, why are OBD scanners discussed in
Tools
General Automotive
Mechanical
Oil
Fuel
Consumer
Off Topic
Deals/Rebates

Did I miss anything?
 
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