outback_97 Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 On a Christmas trip to Billings, MT, our 03 TS decided to throw a check engine light. This was in a somewhat non-populated area and caused my wife to stress out despite my attempts to play it down as most likely a loose gas cap (although IIRC I did in fact tighten it and it had been 100 miles since the last fill-up). Eventually we came to a smallish town that had a garage (this was a Saturday morning) and I asked if they could check it out. I assumed (whoops) the fee would be nominal since I've heard that AutoZone type stores will do this free of charge. We walked across the street, had a bite to eat, and then drove away $100 poorer, but with no CEL, and as expected, the code was probably from a loose gas cap. I'd like to get a cheap, small reader so that in the event this happens again on a road trip, we can check out the CEL and clear it if necessary. Any reason something like one of these wouldn't do the trick for our 97 Outback and 03 TS? http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=94168 http://www.amazon.com/Actron-CP9125-PocketScan-Diagnostic-Post-1996/dp/B0007LEG2K/sr=8-5/qid=1168532687/ref=pd_bbs_sr_5/103-9804386-9519846?ie=UTF8&s=automotive Any comments or suggestions are appreciated. While it would be cool to track more parameters (like with a laptop connected to the car) what I'm looking for is something very small that we can just carry with us on any road trips. We have a laptop but don't necessarily travel with it all the time. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2F&fkr=1&from=R8&satitle=scangauge&category0= I think some folks here have them, maybe they will reply. Carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outback_97 Posted January 11, 2007 Author Share Posted January 11, 2007 Carl: Thanks, that one looks great, a bit more than I'd like to spend though... what I'm wondering is if there's any reason the $50 ones posted will not work for our Subies. I did some searching before starting this thread (!) and I found one instance of the HF one being recommended, and also some mentions of another one (from ebay) that gave some erroneous codes and was throwing off the diagnosis of a problem. So I'm just loooking for any additional feedback to be more confident before purchasing something in the low price range. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 Carl: Thanks, that one looks great, a bit more than I'd like to spend though... what I'm wondering is if there's any reason the $50 ones posted will not work for our Subies. I did some searching before starting this thread (!) and I found one instance of the HF one being recommended, and also some mentions of another one (from ebay) that gave some erroneous codes and was throwing off the diagnosis of a problem. So I'm just loooking for any additional feedback to be more confident before purchasing something in the low price range. Steve I THINK any should work if it supports the ISO 9xxx protocol. There are actually 4 'types' of OBDII - I know, weird, but the ISO one is what Subes need. there's an Innova one for, maybe $99 that I have borrowed from a friend. it's nice. Carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 Any cheapo code reader that says it works on that model year should work. I'd guess the less expensive ones just display the code like 'P0420' or whatever. Either way it'd be best to pack a printout of the codes and their meanings in the glove box with the reader, especially for the P1/2nnn codes as those are manufacturer specific. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2X2KOB Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 Right right, P0420, I see that all the time. My code reader (Autozone, $79) looks just like the Harbor Freight unit linked above (not that THAT really means anything) and it works great to pull and reset codes on the 00 OBW. So something like that should work fine for what you want it to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrwitty_1 Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 I also have a cheep code reader in the glovebox of my OB. The wife has it at work but I'll post the model and brand tonight. It was less then $40 off ebay, nothing fancy but will pull codes on all OBD II and also has a small book that describes codes and will clear the codes. As for the P0420, I see it way to much also, time for some O2 senors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outback_97 Posted January 11, 2007 Author Share Posted January 11, 2007 Thanks for all the helpful replies! Conflicting info on the HF code reader: Doesn't work for Subarus: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showpost.php?p=275967&postcount=11 Works for Subarus: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showpost.php?p=535324&postcount=8 Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcspeer Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 The 97.00 dollar one that is sold at Wal Mart works really well on my 97 Subaru, I never tried the one you show from Harbor Freight however I did try the one they used to sell for around 49.00 dollars and it would not work on my Subaru. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outbackusjunkus Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 Real time data is nice sometimes (like temp, rpm, etc), some have this, some don't (wish mine did, like the old obd I scanner had). A thought.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 FWIW - the manual mentions the ISO 9 protocol; http://www.harborfreight.com/manuals/46000-46999/46030.pdf I dunno Carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subeman90 Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 I got one from walmart for $79 about a month or so ago....i have used it 4x since I got it. It is really basic but it works well and I am happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 Well if you're willing to spring the $160 or so, you could get a ScanGauge. They're really nice for leaving connected all the time a gauge for all kinds of parameters. Plus instant reading of MIL/CEL as soon as you notice it. It does not give the description; just the code, so you'd need a list with you. Or in my case last month my cel/mil came on, pressed the 'scan' button, it read the infamous 'P0420' code, which I knew was catalyst efficiency below threshold since it's somewhat common, poof, press the 'clear' button and the cel/mil went off, this all within about 10 seconds of the light coming on, while driving. If you want an inexpensive reader, harbor freight probably can't be beat for value, especially if you sign up on their web site and get the periodic 15% of any item in the retail store coupons combined with buying an item on sale. Many HF items look identical (and probably are!) to those sold in various retail stores for twice or more the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outback_97 Posted January 12, 2007 Author Share Posted January 12, 2007 Thanks for all the info, I'm going to look into the HF one a little further, I really don't want to spend a lot of $$$ for this... saving that for other more important stuff, like new tires for the wife's care come spring. I'll check to make sure I can return it before buying though, just in case. If anyone else happens to find this thread and knows for sure that the HF one I posted (not the older creader) or other inexpensive readers will work for our cars, post up. Thanks. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrwitty_1 Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 Sorry I didn't get back lastnight. But here is the info as promised... Car.Tool by United Intelligenee Technology Co, Ltd http://www.enUIO.com I purchased mine off Ebay Here is a link # to one on Ebay now : Item number: 160073082050 I love mine for the $15 and have used it on my Subaru's and my GM's Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene J Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 My 9145 works great on all of our cars including out 98 GT. It has paid for it self many times over! http://actron.com/product_category.php?id=249 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hondasucks Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 Most of the time the CEL means a problem with the emission controls, and unless it's flashing it's not something that is going to make the car explode in the next 5 seconds or something :-P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teppichkopf Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Bought a cheap $40 one on ebay that didn't work on my ej22. Couldn't get an Innova 3100 to work either. But the cheaper Innova model 3030 works perfectly. Very handy to have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyB Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Resurrecting this old thread as I picked up that Cen-Tech OBD II Code Reader yesterday from Harbor Freight. It is on sale right now for $39.99 and I used a 15% off coupon. Don't have a code to read at the moment on the Ru, but it links with the ECU to tell me "no codes" so it appears to work. I also used it to read and clear codes from my Dad's Dodge Caravan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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