Many threads are abuzz with this problem, so I took it upon myself to make a thread title that was not alliterated, clever, comical, or in any way ambiguous.

I am sharing that there are real problems with Giotto that, according to AutoEnginuity, are not going to be resolved. Giotto might work fine in a shop that services multiple rigs per day, but for us one-or-two vehicle owners, it's a mess. We have to configure our sensors every time we connect, because there is no Save Session feature. I have caught at least two PIDs giving screwy readings - and one of them is MAP PSI - nothing important there. Giotto will soon have MAP PSI scratched from the list, so all we'll have is MAP volts.

I keep seeing reports that Giotto customer service is less than worthy of a glowing report, and the most common answer to a problem is "We're writing that out of the software". Maybe Giotto is just for the next generation of vehicles and they are leaving us old-timers behind. After all, we're driving Windows '98 trucks on the road with Androids. AE version 12.x is the last series to work well on our trucks, but I haven't checked if it works with Windows 8 yet.

 

Hey Tug, I actually just upgraded to the new version yesterday night, you thing i might be better off deleting and re installing from the disc to the old one?

 

That sounds like the experience I had when I called back on Nov of 2013... They could care less about supporting what I had just paid $600 for....

I see snapon scanners for sale all the time on Craigslist. Might be time to pick one up.

OR, help torque catchup with bidirectional scanning....

 

I've been trying to tell anyone who will listen... if you have a 7.3L, get the NGS and the factory service manual and be fully dialed and DONE. No $150 updates, no deletions of PIDs, no dealing with alliterated Arizona AE attitude (a friend suggested another A word here, but I won't go that far), no computer compatibility conundrums... the thing just works as Ford designed it to.

Get a new old stock one, get a used one with new cards, just get one and be happy.

An old school legacy SnapOn M2500 is not a bad idea either, and is likely a cheaper but effective alternative. A few body control things it may or may not be able to do, but the old SnapOn version of software originally licensed from Ford is there for all engine diagnostics on the 7.3L.

 

Let me know how you like it after you've connected to the truck the second time.

Y2KW57 - I've never disagreed with you, I just found AE convenient to buy, install, and grow into non-Ford vehicles. I looked at Ebay today and the cheapest NGS was $400 with 11 people watching - meaning, I bid and a counter-bid will hit. After that, I need to find the card(s), and I saw those for between $100 and $190 each - depending on color and year. After all that, it will never touch any of the Toyotas and a Subaru in my family.

NGS is the ultimate for our Fords, hands-down. Beyond a Ford or a Mazda... you're shopping again.

 

I've got a Giant box of Failed/Obsolete software that I'm Sure was built with good intentions, (Hey! here's a copy of Win ME!) and I think when I put Torque Pro together with AE, I can make lemonade and get the job done. A Royal pain in the **** for sure, but hey, if I get a few more Disc's I can Pave my driveway with them and reduce my Carbon Footprint! :>)

 

In my area of NJ there was a NGS posted on Craigslist with all cables and cards about 2 days ago. I don't recall the price but maybe one is listed in your area.

 

This is local to me, says obd1 but probably worth a look if I had the $$$
https://southjersey.craigslist.org/pts/4977354839.html
I'm also with Tug that connectivity to my other vehicles is beneficial

 

This is the one I saw. I was wrong, it's a month old.
https://southjersey.craigslist.org/tls/4916890616.html
I agree also that the ability to scan all vehicles is a plus. According to my v13 Giotto manual, we can do saved sessions with it. I haven't tried it yet tho, I've only had it a month. One thing I did notice was that in the ABS module, i have right front and rear wheel speed sensors listed. The left front isn't showing up. Found this out today when my ABS light came on. 2 codes for the LF sensor and I can't look at it.

 

Yep, V13 has Save, But it ends there.The version that fixes all 4 ABS wheel sensors is (V13.01 & 13.10) but save sessions is gone, evidently for good. I think I'm sticking with V13, and use Torque pro for the Wheel sensors. I figure I won't need to use it very often.

You can send a mail to AE and get V13.10 and you'll get your ABS back, but you'll lose something else.......

 

I need advice. I am not as tech savvy as I should be. Recently a good friend and Independent mechanic called me and asked me if my cheap code reader could help. (It is only for reading codes on the Grand Prix fleet of my kids.) Uh NOT for the 7.3. His Snap on reader would not help. He took to dealer and NOT able to help!! MY question is can I get a NEW AE 13 version and be able to log, graph, and do ALL the important functions that I would need to do for the years of my truck. (by the way he is searching for an intermittent miss when COLD on a 99.5 to 2003 year with 90,000 plus miles) I need to know if to pull the trigger on this version, or am I already sol.

 

There is currently a lot of Debate on this subject, and I would start by reading ALL of the previous threads on this topic. My opinion only so be for warned... I have just recently purchased V13, and AE has sent out 2 updates since then.( V13.01 &13.1) they both fixed bugs but it looks like with each addition, they took something away...The worst being the ability to save a Template of your setups and vital statistics. Now to some here, it's a big deal, and rightly so. It's tedious to reset everything everytime you want to run some new tests. Now I stress that you can store your tests just fine, you just can't save your initial setup parameters after version 13. It pissed a lot of People off. After playing with all the versions, I can make it work for my uses just fine.( I've got a lot of Fords in my Family). and I figure if I can make Windows Vista work well, I can work with anything! V13 has some graphing Bugs, and it's missing 3 out of 4 ABS wheel sensors. But if I need to, I've got the other 2 versions loaded up on a split partitioned external Hard drive. Lemonade out of Lemons!

 

sgarder... what your friend is reporting doesn't make sense. A genuine Ford dealer will have the capability of reading codes on Ford vehicles. Professional level Snap On scanners dating back to the year your truck was made have had the software licensed from Ford to read the codes on the 7.3L.


One of Ford's and International's own trainers, who traveled from dealership to dealership teaching service techs about how to diagnose and repair 7.3L when it was a current, state of the art engine, traveled with a SnapOn MT2500, which he used to demonstrate all of the diagnostic functions of the 7.3L. That old legacy SnapOn tool has been superceded several times over the 15 years since, with newer fancier more comprehensive graphing models that do way more than the old 2500 did. And yet the 2500 did everything needed (engine wise) on the 7.3L.


What model of SnapOn scantool does your friend have? Does he have or subscribe to all of the diagnostic software for it for Ford vehicles?


I've never been enthused about AE in any version. Even if I wanted the inconvenience of a laptop based scantool, as opposed to an all in one hand held device, I'd still look to a larger, more professionally oriented scantool software provider who sells mostly to the trade, not mostly to enthusiasts. The cost difference isn't that great when taking into consideration the many used professional scantool solutions that are available for sale as techs retire or upgrade.

 

I am not worried about abs, I only have a 2 wheel abs vs 4 wheel abs. What bugs got addressed for graphing? ( I don't know since I didn't have it). I am mainly using this for this one vehicle, unless a buddy needs help. Like I said, I am not tech savvy. The main point is, Are we on limited time on electronics end as far as troubleshooting and graphing, and what is the best reliable solution. I feel it is bad that an Independant with the top of the line scan tool, and the dealer are unable to diagnose our trucks, because they are out of date.

 

Y2KW57 From What I know His Snap On tool was unable to read or graph.. He took the truck to local dealer, and the same (Personally I Would Never Do Business With Local Dealer, Get All Dealer Parts From Next Local Dealer 9 Miles South!!) Because they have customer service for parts!!. I will have to get more information from him. He has had his independent shop for many (15 plus years) wouldn't his scan tools have the information on them?