OBD1 Scanner

WILWAXU · Jan 23, 2019

Dana Harris said:
There is an App for OBD1. ALDLdroid (https://www.aldldroid.com/).

I got the bluetooth version of the ALDL cable (http://www.reddevilriver.com/ALDL_Bluetooth.html) and (after a bit of trial and error) got this scanner/Logger app on my android phone to read my OBD1 realtime.

Pretty slick. I found I have some knock counts going on I never would have known.

Anything similar for iphone?

DerekTheGreat · Jan 23, 2019

Jermu said:
You get the fault codes from the comp, besides that, all you need is your ears and nose. If the engine runs rich or lean, you can hear and smell it. If there's something wrong that you can't hear or smell, the fault codes will tell you what's wrong. Also, the cars own gauges should provide a whole lot of information, but if that isn't enough, add the desirable gauges, like trans temp and boost for example. No use spending extra money for a scan tool to tell you all the information you've already got...

Yeah you know, last time I had an issue with my truck I sat and stared at the engine & electrical components realllly hard. I didn't have any fault codes but I broke down and used my MT2500 to "see" that the TPS was shorting out. Guess I should have tried sniffing it first? /s

PlayingWithTBI · Jan 23, 2019

TunerPro RT (free), ALDL OBD1 cable (~$60) on my laptop

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Schurkey · Jan 23, 2019

^^^ Good info, and at $60, hard to beat.

I gotta say, the visual layout of the info REALLY SUCKS. Who the hell designed that dials-with-pointers interface--a seventh-grader?

I'm sure a person gets used to it after awhile, but--just as an example--with the middle-of-the-range of the BLM and INT at 128, why is 133 "straight up"? A horizontal bar graph would be more legible, but at least put the middle of the range in the middle of the dial. That way, if the computer is commanding "rich" the pointer moves right of center. If the computer is commanding "lean", the pointer moves left of center. You no longer have to read the numbers to get a sense of what the computer is trying to do.

grampadirt · Jan 23, 2019

I use Tuner Pro as well but digital readouts only,I find it easier to read the numbers at a glance while driving.

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PlayingWithTBI · Jan 23, 2019

There are 7 different dashes to chose from. You can always send a suggestion to them, who knows maybe they'll change it for you...

hatzie · Jan 23, 2019

WILWAXU said:
Anything similar for iphone?

Not likely. Apple is not open enough for development on applications like this. Bluetooth is more than a little neutered on the Apple devices. Probably Not impossible but it's kinda nasty to do and, since the bluetooth stack is neutered in IOS, you'd need to roll an Apple IOS version of the ALDL interface.

Get a $50 Seven Inch Amazon Fire tablet, install Google Play, look up ALDL Droid in the play store, Install it, and you're off to the races. You don't even need to root the tablet.
This should keep you from needing to drag out a big bulky laptop and gives you a bigger screen than the iPhone without paying a kings ransom to Apple for an iPad.

PlayingWithTBI · Jan 23, 2019

Not normal, looks like you're running lean. Is you engine stock or do you have any mods on it? Are your injectors spraying evenly? Did you check your fuel pressure?

Schurkey · Jan 23, 2019

Dana Harris said:
I notice my BLM goes hi at around 140. Are there common things I should look at as to why it goes to that range? In the pic I translated the BLM (Orange) and the Short/INT (Blue) to % above/below 128. So 128 = 0 and 10% over is about 140. Does this log look like a problem or normal-ish?

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I don't see the usefulness of that graph, because it's not correlated to throttle position or RPM or any other measure of engine output.

HOW MANY cells are represented in that graph? What is the load on the engine at those various percentages?

The way I see it, you've got a heaping pile of useless information. There's no point in trying to make sense of it until you can relate it to engine operating conditions.

DerekTheGreat · Jan 24, 2019

Have you verified base timing? Should be 0 degrees.

OBD1 Scanner

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