I'm sure this has been covered..... I'm looking for a code reader for my e99 F350 with a 7.3. My cheap code readers and Torque App wont read them and I no longer have access to a Snap On Verus. So what are some options and opinions? Thanks, Tim

 

Lots of guys/gal here like AE .

 

Search the diesel section ... You will find better info . I like my MODIS ... Most can't afford that though .

 

Id love a Modis......but I cant spend that kind of dough right now. I'll check out AE.

 

TUGLY , user name on this site , has many posts about AE . Search this site and see what you find . I do not have AE . I have Modis , OTC and Launch scan tools and scopes . Most I have are out of the price range of the DIY'er

 

I have the aero scan gauge on my e99 and it works great. Got it from Terminator engineering, just don't get the blue screen, its hard to read.

 

JWC 3,
Which Modis model do you have that works with these 7.3s?
I see them used listed on ebay but do not know which ones to consider.

Thanks

 

One option (and one opinion) is to simply get the exact same proprietary scan tool that the factory designed and intended to service the vehicle. That way there is no question as to capability and compatibility. You have the same tool in hand that the factory service manual makes repeated references to in diagnostic subroutines. You don't have to compromise, create, calculate, or wonder as to the actual accuracy of the data fed back.

Fortunately, in the case of the 99-03 7.3L, the factory scan tool of that era was the Hickok New Generation Star Tester, which is still available today in both used, legacy new old stock, and brand new (Mach II) price points. This is a scan tool that covers 28 years of Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles (with the right cards and cables) from 1981 through 2009.

To cover the 7.3L PSD, all you need is a Red Diagnostics and Green Service card (Purple card is OK too, and even more up to date), and an OBDII cable. You can get this set up for less than $1,000 now.

When it comes to determining the exact cause of something wrong with a vehicle, the last thing a diagnostician needs is dubious doubts about the functionality and accuracy of the diagnostics tool needed to find and fix the problem.

Ford's move from the long standing NGS to a brief flirtation with WDS and then finally now to IDS using the VCM and now the VCM-II caused an unused supply of new old stock NGS scan tools to remain unsold, as well as a glut of even cheaper (sub $600) used NGS scan tools dumped by dealers in default from the economic downturn that began in earnest in 2007. But be very careful with used, as it is easy to get burned... as in getting a burned circuit board in the tool itself.

While I have no issue with the professional scan tools from Snap On, OTX, etc, they do cost quite a bit, and often need extra licenses, software, or modules to do everything that a proprietary scan tool does for a specific manufacturer. This obviously gets costly, to the tune of $3,000 to $6,000.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the $5 app route can be limited, as you found out, and when pushing the envelope for more functionality, can be downright dangerous to a vehicle's health. Tugly has reported his truck's adverse reactions to some of the experimenting he has done. Not quite the cutting edge that a diagnostician would want to rely on to keep fixed and functional.

So one option, and one opinion, is to use the factory designated scan tool. The fact that it is now a legacy device makes it more affordable, but no less useful than it was when it was the state of the art.

 

if you want a cheap option for just reading codes, get yourself a VIN locked SuperChips 1705.


picked one up for $5 a few years ago

 

It is 3 years old , I do not remember the software bundle numbers .It was updated last year to their latest release .

 

I like Y2KW57's idea and its what I have to use...... The Ford OEM NGS tester...

Tim M

 

I have a Solus, I also have the old MT2500 that stays in the truck all the time.

That being said though, I have been using Torque for realtime data with both a cheap vGate ELM327 and a BAFX adapter both of them will read realtime data but will not pull codes on the 2000, they have pulled them on newer fords, and toyotas for me, but not on the 2000 7.3.

Now with that said I also have tried the CarGauge Pro app, and although it is "fugly" clunky and I cannot figure out how to edit PID's for accurate display of information yet, but it does pull DTC's run KOEO, KOER, and BUZZ self tests and I have done them successfully without issue, just the data from the PID's isn't correct for me when compared against the snapons or torque with correct PID equations.

So I actually for even just about $25 plus the cost of the android device("phone" note 3 in my case) I can pull DTC's in one app and view live data in another with the vGate cheaper adapter.

Now to figure out how to get Torque to do the tests like CGP and it will be a very effective addition to the tools.

 

Thanks for all the options. I would love to spend $ on the factory diagnostic tool, but that wont happen for a while. I have a Vgate ELM327. I'll have to try Car Gauge Pro to start, then AE.