Hi , I’m after a Code reader for my 01 Impreza wrx , are the ones on eBay any good, if so anyone got a link to one thanks

 

The original chips for OBD2 were open source and therefore cheap and easy to copy. Later versions have more functionality and work with a far greater variety of cars. I have had success in using cheap Chinese ebay ones in the past but I now have an OBDLink adapter - https://www.obdlink.com/products/obdlink-lx/

They cost a bit more but are far more reliable, have more functions (auto sleep for example, so you can leave them plugged in and not drain your battery) and work on every car I have tried. Comes with it's own software but you can use others to (like Torque Pro). It's an essential tool for modern cars so it's worth paying for a proper on IMHO. All the Chinese ebay ones will use out of date chips and bluetooth transmitters, so it's a lottery as to whether it will work for you or not.

 

Trouble is I’m the U.K. , can’t see them listed over here

 

Nearly all of us on this board are in the UK



https://www.gendan.co.uk/product_OBDLINKLX.html

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/12017005954

https://www.bmdiag.co.uk/obdlink-lx-...id-and-windows

 

 

lol happy days, I’ll order one , thanks

 

I have a cheap one, cost under £15 works fine on my 2002 Impreza.

 

This is the 1 i used on my bugeye and download torque pro app cost about £13 all in

 

👍

 

Just bought a Streetwize one from ECP,.... it connects using wifi and is about half the height of the one in this thread. Fits the inset OBD port like a glove..... unfortunately it doesn't leave any room to pull it out! Also, couldn't get it to talk to the ecu. :-(

 

How did you manage to pull yours out? Mine* is a similar size to yours and fits FLUSH in the connector with nothing protruding to grip hold of...... 🤔
*Streetwize from ECP

 

You wedge something in there and pop it out.

These crappy elm ones barely work, majority are fake and old as mentioned. You either need an official elm327 1.5 I think it is or something like the obdkey, failing that a kkl cable with an android headunit with USB. Works spot on.

 

Thanks! Not sure if I'm on a hiding to nothing tho' as found a thread on here that said pre-2001 models used a Subaru-special standard even tho' they had the OBD style connector. I'll look into your recommendations anyway👍

 

That would be correct, pre-MY2001 use Subaru's select monitor (SSM) diagnostics only.
From MY2001(Newage to conform with EU regulations introduced that year), they also use EOBD (European OBD, a subset of OBDII) as well as SSM.

Pre-MY2001 you have the alternative of reading any codes using the flashes generated on the dash.




Also available here
Manually Reading ECU Codes - Pre 2001 models

 

Hi does anyone have a link to one of these that actually works with iPhone?

thanks

Al

 

Thanks Don. OBDLink LX purchased from Gendan. Connected and set up and has done what it was bought for to clear the EML and to tell me that yet again it's the misfire code. WRX First UK registered March 2002. So now i've got the app on a phone that can do data logging, what is actually useful to log ? Sure, i can get it to tell me miles travelled per trip, average mpg, maf, coolant temp., rpm, acceleration, and no doubt a bunch of other stuff. I'm not tracking it, or tuning it. it normally runs well, and occaisionally throws a misfire code. It threw the flashing EML on Saturday night which went away, then went solid orange on Monday, (after i had eased off and wasn't pushing so hard). So what should i be tracking on the data log or the dashboards that is actually going to be useful from engine health / diagnostics point of view rather than just a nice pretty picture showing me i was doing 30mph in the 30mph zone, at 6,000rpm, with max airflow, and a map of where this was, before pulling 2g to stop at the red traffic lights ? Forum, thoughts, suggestions, other resources to look at. Thanks. Ken.

 

If you are still looking - OBDLink MX+ OBD-II / EOBD Car Diagnostic Interface (Bluetooth) with OBDWiz Software (gendan.co.uk), OBD people seem to say "...only OBDLink MX+ and CX currently support iOS." but i have seen comments about ios non compatability elsewhere. Android user, so I dont care.

 

Likewise, tried the wired Streetwize code reader from ECP, as it was easier to get hold off. It doesn't work with my 02 wrx, so it will be going back. OBDLink LX has connected and found the fault code and cleared it.