Probably

I'm looking at buying a OBD Reader/Scanner in the $150 range... anyone have a recommendation? I will use on my 2001 Boxster and 2008 Land Rover. Should i buy the code book that goes along with it or is there a good website tha has all the info? Any recommendations/comments are welcome. I'm a MAC computer user... and understand that Actron is windows only... but understand that the reader is self sufficient... don't need to hook up to a PC... is that true?

The tool displays basic 2-4 word descriptions along with the codes.

For the Porsche, lists of the codes are available and many forum posters will post more than just a one line description including probable causes so you can always look through the online forums using "search".

Keep in mind that these aren't Porsche specific so things like Airbags won't be covered. Basic engine functions will. To get full coverage you get a PST2 or PWIS for $$$$$$ or for medium functionality the Durametric s/w and run windows on your Mac to support it.

I looked at the CD that came with my Actron once, never again. When I used it on my Honda, the brief text display was enough to tell me the cause.

No idea about the availability of similar LR resources.

The 9180 is on the high end of the Actron line. I found something that served my needs at about half that price. I figured I'd be needing professional diagnostic/repair help if I was ever in a situation where the problem needed real time interpretation of values so I settled for a mid-range Actron. 9145 IIRC.

Thanks... i was thinking the cheaper models also... but then noticed the "real time" O2 Sensor Info... figured with my O2 sensor issues this would be a good option. Thoughts? Will an idiot DIY be able to use this type of data or will it be over my head?

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ugleeual
Thanks... i was thinking the cheaper models also... but then noticed the "real time" O2 Sensor Info... figured with my O2 sensor issues this would be a good option. Thoughts? Will an idiot DIY be able to use this type of data or will it be over my head?

to view in real time (or close to real time anyhow) the various engine sensor and engine controller derived values, and among these are the O2 sensor voltage values.

These constantly changing voltage values are quite important and if one wants to have a better chance of correctly id'ing a bad O2 sensor it is important to be able to view this data in (near) real time.

I know the first time my 02 Boxster started generating O2 sensor releated error codes, it was impossible for me to simply spring for two even one new O2 sensor on an error that appeared only sometimes and then only after 30+ miles of driving. The freeze frame data didn't tell me much at all. And there were no other symptoms.

But with my Actron tool I got to the point I could view the sensor voltages in real time. Even so, every time the error appeared and I looked at the sensor data, and this included the sensor pointed to by the error code, the sensor data looked reasonably ok.

Finally when I was able to anticipate the appearance of the error I would just prior to that time (minutes) have the code reader hooked up and the data display active and when the CEL came on I could then look at the sensor data. In fact towards the end I actually had the data viewer going and watching the data and could see the suspected O2 sensor suddenly act unnatural compared to its counterpart on the other bank. Because (thankfully) only one bank's sensor was bad I had the other bank's working sensor to compare the suspected bad one to and I could then see the lack of activity (voltage changing) of the one suspected O2 sensor. I was then able to confirm that simply shutting off the engine and restarting the engine at least temporarily 'fixed' the sensor which is why I didn't see this sensor's behavior before.

At this point I was confident enough to buy a new sensor at a Porsche dealer and later when I was unable to change it take the car and the sensor to the dealer and pay to have it changed.

At another time I have used this Actron tool to confirm a coolant sensor on my VW Golf TDi was actinga erractically and have the sensor replaced which corrected the problem.

Even if nothing is suspected of being wrong, using the tool to become familar with the various sensor readings/derived values at various engine operating conditions provides one a baseline to have when things start to go wrong.

Sincerely,

MarcW.

Does a OBD scanner (like the model mentioned) have the ability to pinpoint exactly which O2 sensor is bad?

one and its various associated connectors/wiring need further testing to confirm or eliminate the sensor and the wiring/connectors.

But in some cases it is nice to observe the sensor misbehaving in a way that eliminates other possible causes like a bad wire, connector, or a bad engine controller so one knows the problem lies right at the sensor (or perhaps upstream of the sensor, like an exhaust leak) without having to test/eliminate the wiring/connector or controller. The latter especially is a bit scary since in testing it if one is not very careful in working around it he could do it harm. (Static electricity discharge.) Even though one is simply working at the sensor connector some distance away from the controller (located against the front wall of the rear trunk) some of the pins in the sensor connector are connected to an analog input of the engine controller. Zap one of these pins with a static discharge and you can ruin a perfectly good engine controller. A flaky O2 sensor then becomes the least of your troubles. Depending upon the MY a replacement engine controller can run from over a $1000 to around $5000 (early -- pre-2000 IIRC -- Boxsters).

Sincerely,

MarcW.

I'm all about learning and doing it myself... if that means buying some tools that will benefit me in the future than i'm all for it. I can do pretty much all the mx on my car... but i'm moron with the sensors/exhaust/etc. Thanks for all the info.

If you look at this site you'll see a typical table of codes and their meanings. Those codes are readable by all 4 levels of readers. And if you post a P code here you'll probably get some insight from someone giving a list of probable causes or even a diagnostic approach.

See if you'd understand them and then think if you'd rather risk swapping a $150 part and being wrong versus paying a dealer his labor rate plus his $250 or more parts change (and oh by the way, they can be wrong too).

I have a bias for doing simple things myself...and a high tolerance for risk as long as the possible reward is big enough. Someone else may have a bias for taking the car to the dealer or taking the car to the dealer after doing some diagnosis. Neither is right or wrong, we are different people with different demands on our time and money and different ways of thinking sometimes.

they can be useful. But not all of us are. I'm not and have successfully saved $ on an O2 sensor problem without going to that level of detail.

If you think you will get to that level, then consider buying the Durametric s/w which requires a Windows laptop but which gives you the most specific Porsche data available short of dealer level tools.

So there are 4 levels of tools: PST2/PWIS, Durametric, High level Code Reader, Low level code reader.

I bought one of the cheapo Chinese made that hooks to a PC (or laptop) for about $25 on ebay. Download free scantool.net SW and voila, I can read/clear code as well as looking at various parameters/gauges, etc.. it is even able to tell if the car is "ready" for inspection. It works on all my 4 cars (Boxster, Benz, Lexus, Honda) Best investment I ever made :-)))

Tony