Hello,

I am trying to connect my AutoXray AX7000 to my buddies 2001 F150 Super Crew and every time I try I get an error that it cannot connect. The vehicle has a aftermarket brake controller added to it could this cause a problem when trying to connect to the OBDII port? There is a connector that has four of the five wire that go into the connector cut and spliced into the harness for the brake controller, see picture. Can anyone identify what the connector shown is suppose to be connected to, upper connector in the picture? Are there other things I should be looking that would cause a scan tool to not connect?

Thanks for any advice!

dpoc

Upper connector looks like a factory connector the lower connector is the one for the brake controller.

 

Look for a blown cigar lighter fuse first.

 

also failing to connect may only be that there are not any issues. my 97 f150 was doing the same thing. wouldn't connect. went through everything, then finally gave up, till one day I get my engine light flashing. went and got the tester and it worked just fine. I got a misfire in number 3 cylinder. fixed the misfire then reset, then checked it again and the same thing. failure to connect. so it may only be that there is no issues to report.

 

The DLC has bus connection straight to the PCM.
Power at the DLC connector powers the Scanner so it can send requests in digital form to the PCM for data output back to the Scanner.
With power missing, there is no request sent hence no connect indication at the Scanner.
The power at the DLC is off the cigar lighter circuit.
It could be a bent pin at the DLC or the pin is pushed back and cannot connect to the plug.

Good luck.

 

Nope. The scan tool should ALWAYS be capable of connection, assuming the PCM has booted up and there are no other faults in the on-board communications network.

By design, pin 16 of the OBDII connector is connected to vehicle power for powering many scan tools from the vehicle's electrical system. Scan tools that have their own power can still connect to an otherwise active PCM without pin 16 being powered. Many Fords run pin 16 off the cigar lighter fuse circuit hence the advice to check that fuse since that's what the F-series uses.

Your issue, whatever it might have been, was something other than your interpretation.

 

Thanks for the information so far! Here is the latest. My buddy took his truck over to the local parts store and there scan tool worked just fine. Any thoughts on that? I hooked my scan tool up to a Dodge Caravan using the same OBDII cable and it worked just fine on there. So at this point I am baffled? Any suggestions are appreciated!