Service engine soon code

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Oct 2, 2018 | 11:58 AM

#16

viperman86

Mountain Pass

Joined: Aug 2018

Posts: 188

Likes: 8

people are acting like you need a "special" OBD scanner when that is not the case lol .... $10 on amazon, and a free app ....even my $8 ebay scanner works, I bought like 8 years ago

Oct 2, 2018 | 12:12 PM

#17

Stewart_H

Super Moderator

Joined: May 2004

Posts: 29,380

Likes: 118

From: Central Coast of CA

Quote:

Originally Posted by viperman86

people are acting like you need a "special" OBD scanner when that is not the case lol .... $10 on amazon, and a free app ....even my $8 ebay scanner works, I bought like 8 years ago

Because those are fairly new. Within the last couple years those have really proliferated and become commonplace, but the older handheld scanners for OBD 2 compliant vehicles were not able to read the PSD specific codes.

Pretty much with the advent of those cheaper bluetooth models, that's no longer an issue, except when you borrow one of those "old" handlhelds from the auto parts stores.

If you happen to come across one of the older "whats this code mean?" kind of threads where advice is being given on what kind of code readers to utilize, you'll see the picture I'm trying to paint for you a tad better.

Stewart

Oct 2, 2018 | 12:35 PM

#18

Stewart_H

Super Moderator

Joined: May 2004

Posts: 29,380

Likes: 118

From: Central Coast of CA

Quote:

Originally Posted by '88 E-350

What they do to circumvent that law is to lend you the scanner to pull your own codes.

All I remember is that a few years ago, long after I had read about the "Lobbyists" successfully campaigning for a restriction on parts stores to keep them from providing a free scan, when I tried to have a friends car read for codes (none of my readers worked for her Nissan), they told me they aren't allowed to provide that service for free anymore. Because of that, I assumed the info I had read online was correct and factual.

Now however, I can't find didley squat online to back up any claims of laws forbidding it like I've read for years on many different sources and platforms. I'm not able to confirm this at a reliable, factual website. I dunno if it rises to the level of fake news or not, but for now, I have no clue what's what regarding free scans in California anymore.

Stewart

Oct 2, 2018 | 12:44 PM

#19

brian42

Lead Driver

Joined: Dec 2006

Posts: 7,093

Likes: 147

From: San Diego, CA

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stewart_H

Not in California, and not for diesel rigs.

The Auto Repair lobbyists were effective in getting a law through prohibiting parts stores from offering that free service several years ago. And most basic OBD II scanners usually cannot read PSD codes.

Stewart

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stewart_H

You know, I probably shouldn't state it like it's fact, since I haven't read the info from a reliable source. This was something I read on the forums that was backed up by all the local parts stores in my area that stopped offering the service, with the clerks verbally backed up what I read. But like I said, I cannot point to a verifiable source, now that you post this.

Stewart

Edit: After doing a really quick, superficial search all I can find is people talking about it on various forums on the 'net, but no hard facts to back up what has been referenced as "law" like previously stated.

"Back in the day" you could let them hold your driver's license and they "loan" you the OBD reader to go read your codes (and you could clear them

). Nowadays (in my area) they won't loan you the reader (again, you can clear the codes on your own).

O'Reilly's offers what they call "Trouble Code Support" for places where it's "prohibited against law" to just loan you the reader (e.g. my area). They will go out, read your code(s), then give you a printout of your codes (they don't clear them).

Oct 2, 2018 | 01:23 PM

#20

viperman86

Mountain Pass

Joined: Aug 2018

Posts: 188

Likes: 8

well it's worth a shot going to autozone or oreilly , nothing to lose....most of code readers I have seen look "newer" and might be able to pull a code

Oct 3, 2018 | 12:51 AM

#21

Mike321

Senior User

Joined: Nov 2014

Posts: 111

Likes: 0

From: San Francisco

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stewart_H

I 100% remember some law change that did not allow automotive parts stores to run an ODB II scan in CA. Since I couldn't borrow the tool, I ended up buying a $100 tool ten years ago that can now be replicated with a mobile app and $5 Bluetooth ODB II adaptor. I too can't find the actual law that took effect.

I was at a major parts today in South San Francisco today and there is a big poster on a window indicating free ODB II reading. Something changed again...

Oct 3, 2018 | 09:31 AM

#22

brian42

Lead Driver

Joined: Dec 2006

Posts: 7,093

Likes: 147

From: San Diego, CA

If you have an SES light then an OBDII reader should be able to pull that code as that's the "partially compliant" part. Anything that doesn't set the light is called a "soft" code and you need specific software to read it.

I bought an Actron OBDII reader many, many, many years ago on sale for about $60 or so which was w-a-y before Torque, FORscan, etc. It's a lot cheaper now to get a communication device for your OBDII port to talk with your laptop or smart phone to read the codes, even the 7.3L-specific ones.

FWIW my OBDII code reader only reads the codes that set the SES light, but it has read them every time the light has come on. It's not the latest and greatest but is a quick way for me to find out what specific codes are setting the light so I know what to fix to pass my smog test. It also can clear the codes to reset the light.

Oct 4, 2018 | 09:31 AM

#23

jimjokjv

More Turbo

Joined: Jun 2017

Posts: 731

Likes: 15

From: Arizona

Quote:

Originally Posted by viperman86

well it's worth a shot going to autozone or oreilly , nothing to lose....most of code readers I have seen look "newer" and might be able to pull a code

I had taken my truck to both and Oreilly's scanner wouldn't read anything on my truck. Autozone's would read the codes but I wasn't all that confident in the guy's ability to run the scanner. LOL

Downloaded FORscan (free) to my laptop and purchased the proper connector from Amazon (~ $30). This allowed me to see all the codes and perform tests.