OBD Diagnostics Products:GM OBD1 CablesLow Cost ALDL OBD1 Cables - $59.9512-Pin Version16-Pin Version3 Things NeededThere are basically 3 things you need to record diagnostic data from a GM based On Board Diagnostic 1 ( OBD1 ) system on your 1982 - 1995 era car.1 - A PC computer, preferably a laptop, to collect, log, and analyze the OBD data.2 - An ALDL cable to interface your PC computer to the ALDL OBDI diagnostic port on your car.3 - A software program running on your PC to capture the OBD data.Why This Setup?What is the reason for having the above setup for yourself? Mainly, you now have a powerful tool to analyze your cars OBD data yourself, better even than the specialized scanning tools only dealerships and big shops had in the distant past. With your own setup, if your Service Engine Soon ( SES ) light comes on you can look at detailed OBD data for yourself to see what trouble codes have been set and the conditions they were set under, possibly saving you money in repair costs by knowing what is or isn't wrong with your car.
For many, it is quite interesting to be able to see your car's sensor systems working in real time, and even having the potential to upgrade performance through PROM reprogramming of your cars ECM/PCM (not for the beginner).The ALDL CableLet's look at the ALDL (Assembly Line Diagnostic Link) OBD1 interface cable first, since we sell low cost ALDL OBD1 interface cables. It may possibly be the only thing you will need to buy to do your own diagnostics. You can make your own cable, but it is much quicker and less headache to buy one already assembled and tested.Under your cars dash you will most likely see this style connector:There are, but the 12 pin OBD1 connector shown above is the most common. Some 1994-95 cars have the 16 pin OBD2 connector (shown below), Corvette's, Camaro's, and LT1 cars among them, as well as newer Australian Holden and Commodore. Even though it is an OBD2 connector, it has an OBD1 system behind it on these 94-95 cars. If you have a 94 or 95 car with the 16 pin connector,You can also program the instrument cluster on the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Pontiac GTO with our 16 pin USB ALDL cable as shown with the Other newer cars and trucks may work the same.Make sure you buy the correct ALDL cable setup for your car or cars. You can buy an ALDL Cable with an OBD1 12 pin connector shell, or OBD2 style 16 pin connector shell, or a cable with just a bare male pin, to plug into your cars female connector serial data pin location (pin M or E or 9 on the diagrams above).
The ALDL cable with the male OBD1 connector shell will allow you to just feel under the dash and plug the cable in. The cable with just the bare pin requires you to look under the dash and plug into the correct pin on the car side of the connector. If you have both 12 pin and 16 pin cars to diagnose and data log, you can buy just the bare pin USB cable, but is less convenient to use.The Quick Paper Clip TestSince we are looking at the connector pins, it should be mentioned here that a quick method to see which trouble code or codes are being set in your cars ECM is to jumper the A and B pins of the 12 pin ALDL OBD1 connector with a paper clip.
While the car is off, sitting still, turn the ignition key forward while this jumper is in place. Do not start the car. The Service Engine Soon ( SES ) light will flash in a repeating sequence, telling which trouble codes have been set in the ECM.
A service manual for your year car will have a chart outlining what each trouble code stands for, or this can be of help. This paper clip method will tell you the trouble code or codes set in your ECM, but it will not tell you what conditions the trouble code is being set under, or let you clear the trouble codes on the fly, as the ALDL cable and PC setup will.What PC's WorkYou will need a PC to run your scanning or diagnostic software, preferably a laptop PC. The hardware requirements for the PC are largely dictated by what scanning or diagnostic software you plan on running.
Some of the scanning programs are very simple DOS based programs, others are more graphically intensive. Look at the we have posted and read the hardware requirements for the program you are thinking of using. For the most part, the simple DOS programs can be run on very old, 486 based laptops with very little memory (.
You never know what secrets are hidden under your dashboard. If you own a car built in the last 20 years, that’s where you’ll find the entry point to virtually everything that makes it tick. We’re talking about the OBD II port, which, if you have the right device, lets you diagnose mechanical problems, boost performance, and more. But what exactly is OBD II, and why is it so important to modern cars? We’ve got all of the answers right here. What is OBD?OBD stands for On-Board Diagnostic. It’s the standardized system that allows external electronics to interface with a car’s computer system.
Obd Diagnostic Interface Software
It has become more important as cars have become increasingly computerized, and software has become the key to fixing many problems and unlocking performance.OBD has existed in various forms long before anyone ever uttered the words “infotainment” or “connected car.” It came about primarily because of two factors: the need to regulate emissions, and the mass adoption of electronic fuel injection by automakers beginning in the 1980s.Unlike carburetors or previous mechanical fuel-injection systems, electronic fuel injection (EFI) requires computer control. Like its predecessors, EFI regulates fuel flow into the engine, but it does so using electronic signals rather than mechanical bits. That created the first major need to put computers in cars. OBD IISeveral automakers introduced computer interfaces for their own cars before the 1990s, but the push to standardize didn’t begin until 1991, when the California Air Resources Board (CARB) mandated that all cars sold in California needed some form of OBD capability. However, CARB didn’t issue standards for the systems until 1994.
Known as OBD II, that standard was implemented for the 1996 model year, and is still in use today. Previous iterations of OBD were retroactively classified OBD I.Virtually every new car sold in the U.S. Over the past 20 years follows the OBD II standard.
Obd Diagnostic Interface Instructions
OBD II cars have a port — usually located under the dashboard on the driver’s side — that devices can plug into and connect to a car’s computer. Companies have plenty of ideas about what you can plug into that port. Delving into diagnostics.