In a recent thread I asked about proactive fuel pump replacement and someone mentioned "fuel trim" and I realized I didn't know what that was but have heard it mentioned several times so I watched a bunch of YouTube today and now I am very interested in buying a cheap scan tool. I have an OBD2 tool that pulls fault codes but doesnt do fuel trim.
I understand that professional mechanic scan tools are in the thousands of dollar range and run off a subscription model. However for my '04 Corolla, I'm guessing a cheap scan tool can do everything. I dont have ABS brakes. So I have two questions:
First, what is the most useful data can I pull from a scan tool other than long term and short term fuel trim? If I have a list then I can find various YouTube videos on each topic to explore and learn.
Second, is there any interesting bidirectional functionality for my car? I read in another post about someone using a scan tool to tell the brake caliper pistons to retract. That sounds a lot easier than using a press tool! But perhaps that won't work on my car, perhaps it's an ABS type feature since I dont know if my ECU can control my old brake pistons.
Third, is there any particular model that is recommended? I'd like something stand alone, that doesnt wifi or bluetooth to anything. My experience with bluetooth OBD2 tools has been atrocious. It only lasts as long as an app exists on the App Store that supports my current phone's OS. I want a self contained unit.
Fourth, if I'm willing to spend slightly more to future proof it to work on additional cars without going to crazy, what would the next model up be? Maybe there's a $200 model that does 100% of the things possible with an '04 Corolla but for $500 I can get something that works on cars up to 2015? I dont want a brand new $5,000 Snap On Scan Tool! That would be overkill for my needs and my wallet!
EDIT TO ADD: Sorry I'm a dummy, my existing OBD2 reader does in fact do short and long term fuel trim. It's listed as STFT and LTFT. I am still curious about the possibility of buying a scan tool to learn more and help me make diagnosis.
I understand that professional mechanic scan tools are in the thousands of dollar range and run off a subscription model. However for my '04 Corolla, I'm guessing a cheap scan tool can do everything. I dont have ABS brakes. So I have two questions:
First, what is the most useful data can I pull from a scan tool other than long term and short term fuel trim? If I have a list then I can find various YouTube videos on each topic to explore and learn.
Second, is there any interesting bidirectional functionality for my car? I read in another post about someone using a scan tool to tell the brake caliper pistons to retract. That sounds a lot easier than using a press tool! But perhaps that won't work on my car, perhaps it's an ABS type feature since I dont know if my ECU can control my old brake pistons.
Third, is there any particular model that is recommended? I'd like something stand alone, that doesnt wifi or bluetooth to anything. My experience with bluetooth OBD2 tools has been atrocious. It only lasts as long as an app exists on the App Store that supports my current phone's OS. I want a self contained unit.
Fourth, if I'm willing to spend slightly more to future proof it to work on additional cars without going to crazy, what would the next model up be? Maybe there's a $200 model that does 100% of the things possible with an '04 Corolla but for $500 I can get something that works on cars up to 2015? I dont want a brand new $5,000 Snap On Scan Tool! That would be overkill for my needs and my wallet!
EDIT TO ADD: Sorry I'm a dummy, my existing OBD2 reader does in fact do short and long term fuel trim. It's listed as STFT and LTFT. I am still curious about the possibility of buying a scan tool to learn more and help me make diagnosis.
