When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Malfunctioning OBDII Bluetooth connector caused shutdown(s)
Driving to a nearly town, after 1.5 hrs of highway driving at 60mph, engine cuts out. First light to come on was "water in fuel", then all the other dash warning lights popped on. Restarted. Drove 3 or 4 minutes, repeat of this, only this time truck was running at a very low rpm when I got it off the road. I went under the hood and drained the contents of the bowl. Drove for approximately 5 minutes and had a repeat of this. This happened twice more...even swapped in my spare fuel filter, still the rig would run for 1-2 minutes then die. Made it to the Ford dealership in Kenai, they said it would be three weeks until there was an open appointment. Back out to the rig and noticed a red icon on my Android tablet which runs Torque via a bluetooth OBDII connection. There was a teeny tiny error message next to the red icon saying something to the effect of "OBDII transmitter malfunction". I pulled the bluetooth transmitter out of the jack under the dash. Restarted, and had no more problems for the rest of the day. The BT transmitter was purchased in 2017 and was manufactured by BAFX Products. Link to the unit is here:
Just out of curiosity, were you running TorquePro as the diagnostic software?
I have had random engine stalling issues with TP as have other friends. Not just people I have talked with here on the forums, but people that I know personally and met their families.
That is only one reason why I and many others use FORScan or FORScan Lite now. FSL is not as pretty, but it is a much more robust tool and has much less "sabotage" tendencies.
BAFX is considered a reliable and affordable scan tool, but anything made or designed by humans can and will fail.
...Back out to the rig and noticed a red icon on my Android tablet which runs Torque via a bluetooth OBDII connection.
I'd suspect TorquePro before the dongle, based on some experience I and others have had (x2 Sous' comments) with that app killing the engine while reading DTCs from time to time. Consider setting up the FORScan Lite app on your tablet and using the BAFX OBDII adapter again. If the issue repeats, at least you know what to do to get going again.
Thanks for the responses. I've been running the exact same setup and configuration on the tablet with Torque since shortly after I got the dongle. There was a number which showed up on the screen after the first failure. Number was, "41008037888C". The service counter at the Ford dealership said this was not an error code. The configuration that I use shows OBD vehicle speed, GPS speed, engine rpm, transmission temp, voltage, exhaust back pressure, etc. All stock PIDs per Master Tugly's posts. The truck is my daily driver. The tablet stays hooked up on my dash on standby when the truck is parked. Picture below shows tablet before shutdowns started happening. No red "problem" icon in upper right.
@Tugly provided a similar PSA some 7.3 years ago, or thereabouts.
Thanks. I was hoping @Tugly might weigh w/his thoughts regarding whether this was a hardware or software issue.
Am also wondering what other OBD2 devices my 7.3 brothers (and sisters) here have had luck with.
Cheers.
Am also wondering what other OBD2 devices my 7.3 brothers (and sisters) here have had luck with.
I put together the following information on OBD2 connection devices for users of FORScan and FORScan Lite.
Bottom Line: Corded (ie USB) adapters are more reliable and functional than cordless (ie BT or WiFi)
If needing cordless, a generally recommended brand and model is the OBDLink MX+
From a quality / connectivity / compatibility perspective, the same guidance on hardware dongles might apply toward TorquePro, but as has been pointed out previously, Forscan appears to be what many of the brothers and sisters are using today.
If your tablet with Torque Pro has a hiccup for any reason, or if the OBDII connections become tarnished or loose - a one or a zero can sneak into the data stream to the truck where it doesn't belong. This can happen with Torque Pro, ForScan, AutoEnginuity, the factory Ford service software... or Morse code with a switch.
Before you abandon what has been working so well for so many for so long, consider the misdiagnosis of the WIF light - and think "root cause analysis"
Being in the electrical/electronic industry most of my life, I've always had limited success with "contact cleaner" - mostly because it doesn't remove tarnish. After Tim's thread, I bought a whole sample pack of DeOxit products... to see if this is for real. I tried it on some RAM contacts for a PC that had failed, and this stuff removes tarnish instantly while you watch it turn from dull to bright. Spray it on oxidized contacts and watch it foam up like hydrogen peroxide on a wound.
Net results:
I now stock an ample supply of DeOxit products.
I have repaired so many failed contacts and restored so many circuit boards/PCs with nothing more than a "pfft", everybody jokingly says "here comes Rich with his pixy dust"... but not in a sarcastic way. Sometimes they even ask me to bring my pixy dust.
All maintenance supervisors for all of the plants have asked for pixy dust to keep in their shop for troubleshooting or repairing simple electrical problem.
I showed my results to the vendors who supply our equipment and conduct repairs on them. They have all adopted a "policy" of treating all electrical contacts with DeOxit products for repair and for preventative maintenance.
This reminds me of when I used to backpack (many years ago), and I used my backpacking head lamp at work - I got a lot of stares. On my next visit to the same site, all of the maintenance personnel wore headlamps.
That was a very long way to say "Try some DeOxit on your OBDII and USB connections".
Oh... and don't be afraid to use it on other stuff.
Rodger dodger @Tugly. I'll pick some of this stuff up.
I've also got an OBDLink MX+ arriving on Wednesday just to be sure.
Best regards to you and your current Stinky.
Rodger dodger @Tugly. I'll pick some of this stuff up.
I've also got an OBDLink MX+ arriving on Wednesday just to be sure.
Best regards to you and your current Stinky.
This cracks me up with your Avatar... the "new" Stinky is Frankenstinky, with parts of Stinky added to him.
If your tablet with Torque Pro has a hiccup for any reason, or if the OBDII connections become tarnished or loose - a one or a zero can sneak into the data stream to the truck where it doesn't belong. This can happen with Torque Pro, ForScan, AutoEnginuity, the factory Ford service software... or Morse code with a switch.
Before you abandon what has been working so well for so many for so long, consider the misdiagnosis of the WIF light - and think "root cause analysis"
Being in the electrical/electronic industry most of my life, I've always had limited success with "contact cleaner" - mostly because it doesn't remove tarnish. After Tim's thread, I bought a whole sample pack of DeOxit products... to see if this is for real. I tried it on some RAM contacts for a PC that had failed, and this stuff removes tarnish instantly while you watch it turn from dull to bright. Spray it on oxidized contacts and watch it foam up like hydrogen peroxide on a wound.
Net results:
I now stock an ample supply of DeOxit products.
I have repaired so many failed contacts and restored so many circuit boards/PCs with nothing more than a "pfft", everybody jokingly says "here comes Rich with his pixy dust"... but not in a sarcastic way. Sometimes they even ask me to bring my pixy dust.
All maintenance supervisors for all of the plants have asked for pixy dust to keep in their shop for troubleshooting or repairing simple electrical problem.
I showed my results to the vendors who supply our equipment and conduct repairs on them. They have all adopted a "policy" of treating all electrical contacts with DeOxit products for repair and for preventative maintenance.
This reminds me of when I used to backpack (many years ago), and I used my backpacking head lamp at work - I got a lot of stares. On my next visit to the same site, all of the maintenance personnel wore headlamps.
That was a very long way to say "Try some DeOxit on your OBDII and USB connections".
Oh... and don't be afraid to use it on other stuff.
I was turned on to the DEOxit products by a master motorcycle mechanic many years ago. They sell a sample pack in a black plastic case that will go a long way before it runs out. Highly recommended. Electrical contact cleaner doesn't even compare to this product. Follow instructions completely when first using product (s) until you get used to it. A good product for all our pigtails in engine compartment.
