ECM Software

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Mar 3, 2022 | 04:11 PM

pleonasm

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Joined: Mar 2022

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ECM Software

First time owner. I literally just drove home with a 2001 f250 5.4. 175k. It's my new project, and I hope to keep it for a very long time.

First and foremost I gotta get this thing road legal. (The registration has been out since 2016.) So I need to get it inspected, which means I need to deal with the CEL.

New platform; new tools - I'd like to connect to the ECM and see what it's complaining about. How does an f250 owner talk to his ECM these days? For example, I used a VAG cable and NDIS2 software on my laptop to talk to my old 2005 Infiniti. (

Amazon

).

I know I can just take it to a parts house and have them pull codes, but I'm looking to setup my tool base. I'd like to use my laptop to pull codes, see performance data, etc... if I *CAN*. (Get it? CAN?)

Thanks

Mar 4, 2022 | 08:24 AM

projectSHO89

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Joined: Jan 2004

Posts: 19,763

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From: St Louis

You can try your existing setup as long as it isn't exclusive to the other vehicle. Not familiar with any of what you named.

Don't need CAN compatibility on an 01, it wasn't used then. Get it anyway to future-proof your setup.

Quick and dirty is to use an OBDII interface, either USB or BT, and Forscan (with extended license) on a Windows laptop. Get an interface that either has a switch or one that auto-selects the appropriate communication buses for all the auxiliary modules.

Other thing to do is look at the emissions label under the hood and see if if it's an OBDII (California version) or federal calibration vehicle. You need to know this so you don't waste time and money chasing ghosts.

Mar 4, 2022 | 08:58 AM

'65Ford

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Something like an INNOVA 3130RS reads OBDII, ABS, SRS, and live data for $160.

Mar 4, 2022 | 09:38 AM

projectSHO89

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From: St Louis

You can do it with what I suggested for as little as under $30-40 if you already have the laptop.

Mar 4, 2022 | 11:02 AM

nydiver

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Joined: Jun 2009

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From: Lakeland, MN

Quote:

Originally Posted by '65Ford

Something like an INNOVA 3130RS reads OBDII, ABS, SRS, and live data for $160.

READ, is the key here. It can't write or change parameters. Forscan can do all that and more for much less.

Mar 4, 2022 | 01:07 PM

'65Ford

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Joined: Jan 2016

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Quote:

Originally Posted by nydiver

READ, is the key here. It can't write or change parameters. Forscan can do all that and more for much less.

What parameters do people change? Can forscan be used on multiple vehicles for the same price? I thought it had to be "licensed". I'm asking because I've never used it and am curious if I should get it. I use the scan tool on various makes and models so they pass emissions testing as well as diagnose ABS and SRS.

Mar 4, 2022 | 02:31 PM

projectSHO89

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Joined: Jan 2004

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From: St Louis

Forscan is only for Fords as it's intended to replace, for minimal cost, Ford's IDS. The extended license may be purchased or you can get a two-month freebie, repeatedly, if needed.