[dveatch]

Got a a 2003 F250 7.3 original owner.

Recently the ABS came on, stayed on longer than usual though it went off after backing out of the driveway and moving forward a bit. So went through the normal checks of brake fluid levels. Kind of thinking things might be going south so don't want to spend arms and legs on one, just something decent enough to do the job.

 

[olddieseldude]

Not the answer that you were asking for but have you checked for rust build up on the wheel sensors or rust degradation of the associated star wheel?

To the scanner question, I use CarGaugePro Android app with the OBDLink LX bluetooth adapter. This app has admittedly not been updated since 2015 or so but my truck has not gotten and newer either. The beauty of this app is that it is 2way working with many diesel PIDs; injector buzz test, cylinder contribution, and other KOEO/KOER tests. There are a couple of YouTube video explaining how to use it. The OBDLink adapter has free android software that can read standard OBDII codes also.

PS: The CGP app works on the Android side of my Chromebook, so I now have a large screen if desired.

 

[klhansen]

Don't know about the others, but AutoEnginuity will definitely diagnose ABS issues. If you have a laptop already, it's about $350 for the Ford capable package.

 

[olddieseldude]

Don't know about the others, but AutoEnginuity will definitely diagnose ABS issues. If you have a laptop already, it's about $350 for the Ford capable package.

Have they gone back to a onetime purchase model? I dropped them when they tried to force me to buy a subscription. I lost a harddrive and they wouldn't just give me another copy of my old license. It was also nice to get away from the PC nightmare.

 

[Mark Kovalsky]

My choice is Forscan. It's free at www.forscan.org. It requires an ELM327 adapter. I bought mine from Amazon for less than $30. This is much more than just a code reader, but it does an excellent job of reading codes.

 

[klhansen]

Have they gone back to a onetime purchase model?

I don't know. I upgraded my version once for $50. But that was probably 8-10 years ago. My truck is of drinking age, so it works fine.

 

[olddieseldude]

I would have been happy to pay a onetime fee for their trouble. I tried to tell them that I was not a professional making a living with this, just needed it for one truck so a subscription was out of the question. Looking now on the internet it looks like several places are selling it for a fixed price. Me and the truck's too old now, I'm finding the Android app gets me enough access. I take it to a shop when it gets serious.

 

[klhansen]

I think it's still a one-time fee, looking at their website, but if your computer dies, you'd have to reload from a backup and re-enter the activation code for the enhanced portion. Which reminds me, I need to be sure I have the activation code written down somewhere. 😕

 

[dveatch]

Not the answer that you were asking for but have you checked for rust build up on the wheel sensors or rust degradation of the associated star wheel?

To the scanner question, I use CarGaugePro Android app with the OBDLink LX bluetooth adapter. This app has admittedly not been updated since 2015 or so but my truck has not gotten and newer either. The beauty of this app is that it is 2way working with many diesel PIDs; injector buzz test, cylinder contribution, and other KOEO/KOER tests. There are a couple of YouTube video explaining how to use it. The OBDLink adapter has free android software that can read standard OBDII codes also.

PS: The CGP app works on the Android side of my Chromebook, so I now have a large screen if desired.

Yeah, looking around things didn't look any more dirty, rusted etc than the last time I looked.

Looking at some of the reviews have you had any issues, difficulties using your scanner?

I do have a Samsung tablet, it be nice if it worked with that.

Thanks for the info.

 

[dveatch]

Thanks guys for the help to narrow things down.

 

[olddieseldude]

Yeah, looking around things didn't look any more dirty, rusted etc than the last time I looked.

Looking at some of the reviews have you had any issues, difficulties using your scanner?

I do have a Samsung tablet, it be nice if it worked with that.

Thanks for the info.

It's not AE, but we're talking a used car payment vs a couple of Starbucks drinks money wise. Mainly, it does a few 2 way tests, not just read codes. I use; buzz test, cylinder contribution test, KOEO, KOER, ie some scope functions (HPOP output) realtime. I have noticed some strange temps being displayed, it's displaying negative values (incorrect at that) recently, it didn't use to do that. The functions that I use seem to be of the correct magnitude values. The output can be saved and downloaded. I'm not an expert, just a shade tree mechanic at best. I just own a diesel (my 1st and only) and try to save myself some money and try to know what the issues are before turning my truck over to a professional, when it looks like I'm over my head.

It's an Android app, not a Chrome extension/app so your chromebook needs to have Android capability or just use your smart phone.

 

[klhansen]

If it's coolant temp that's being weird, the reason is that ECT isn't reported to the PCM (in pickups anyway), so there's no way it can display correctly with AE or any other scan tool.

 

[olddieseldude]

If it's coolant temp that's being weird, the reason is that ECT isn't reported to the PCM (in pickups anyway), so there's no way it can display correctly with AE or any other scan tool.

There may be a metric to Fahrenheit conversion formula in the code that is trying to use zero