Technical Can someone recommend a diagnostic tool please. 04 1.3 Multijet

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Technical Can someone recommend a diagnostic tool please. 04 1.3 Multijet

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Can anyone recommend from experience a diagnostic device that will work with my car please?

I have tried a VAGCOM lead with the Fiat ECU scan software but could not get the car and the laptop communicating!

I have seen the following on eBay, which happen to be from the same guys that sold me the VAGCOM lead, and hopefully they should allow me to do a swap with the lead? But I need to know if they will be compatible with my car.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT=&item=270587523867=

and

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300348522613=&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT=

If these aren't looking good then if someone has experience with another model please could you send me a link?

My fingers are crossed.

Thanks (y)
 
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that will at best read the error codes.

Stick with the kkl / vagcom lead, just make sure its the older style kkl lead
 
But all I want it for is to read the error codes.
I can see the benefit of the vagcom lead over the handheld but I can't actually get the car and laptop communicating. I have spent far too many nights sat in the car messing around with software and I am out of ideas and need to change tact.

Plus - any code I got from using the vagcom lead I would research on the internet so in that respect the handheld is evenly matched.

Has anyone had any experience using the handhelds above?
 
the handheld ones should be fine, but why dont you post what you've tried with the kkl lead and get that working.

Should be as easy as installing the ftdi driver
plug in lead
go to device manager to get the com port number of the usb->serial
load fiatecuscan
go to settings select kkl interface and set the correct com number
select the correct car and connect.
 
the handheld ones should be fine, but why dont you post what you've tried with the kkl lead and get that working.

Should be as easy as installing the ftdi driver
plug in lead
go to device manager to get the com port number of the usb->serial
load fiatecuscan
go to settings select kkl interface and set the correct com number
select the correct car and connect.

Cheers Paul but I have done exactly that...several times over. I initially installed the driver that accompanied the lead - 'VAGCOM release 409.1' and that gave me a serial port in device manager (Used that USB port number for FiatScan software), but when connected to the car and selecting 'connect' on FiatScan, it seemed to hang before getting "CONNECTION FAILED. No ECU response. Check your cable and serial port settings"

I persevered with that until the laptop battery went dead then came indoors and researched a little more, before changing the USB port setting to port 1, adjusting the FiatScan software and trying again...same results and continued until laptop battery dead again.

I then searched on here and found that people on here are using drivers from 'ftdichip.com' sooooooo....i uninstalled the VAGCOM driver and installed 2 drivers (one at a time) from the FTDI website and on both occasions I got the same error message every time.
I thought it may be the OBD port on the car, or the cable (still may be the cable although the blue LED is on proving there is power to the cable). I began to get impatient as I needed the fault diagnosing so I took the car to the garage and the code was read...
...This, I fugure, proves the OBD port works but I have no way of proving the software or the cable?

I did start a thread on here asking of there was anyone local with a working lead and laptop in the hope i could hook my car up to theirs, and then check my cable, but no one local responded :(

I am now at the point where I really need a working diagnostic system so I can check any progress I make fixing my car. As with most people I can't afford to take the car into the garage just so they can charge £30 upwards to plug it in and give me a code etc and I don't have the time to spend any more nights sitting in my car trying drivers and software etc...

...if I had a cable/software to use as comparison it would be a whole lot easier ;)

Thanks for the link Dave...I've read that a few times already ;)
 
try http://www.fiatecuscan.net/Default.aspx The download link for version 2.5 is at the bottom of the page,

also could try joining pins 7+3 so you can try connecting to the airbag to test the cable.

also make sure your selecting the correct model or even just order a new lead for the sake of £5-6.
 
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Has anyone had any experience using the handhelds above?

Yes, me.

They work very well and are very straightforward to use. In the time you've waited for your laptop to boot and you've loaded the software up you can get the job done with the handheld.
 
Thanks again guys...

Chaos - is the handheld you use the same as either of the ones in my original links? Is it the U480. Where did you get it from?
A thought which crossed my mind but would it be a possibility that someone has changed my ECU from a different model?

I assume they are model specific and therefore would not work in a model other than the one its designed for?
 
Since I wrote post number 8 I have revisited the cable, software and car twice and both times sat there until the battery died on my laptop.
I haven't actually come to a different conclusion other than a possible ECU swap sometime in the cars life or a dodgy cable. I don't think the software is a problem, and I have pretty much tried all driver software mentioned on here. I have followed all guides to the letter but still no change.
I dismantled the plug on the cable and tested the continuity of the cable, then gave the PCB a damn good staring at, but all looked good. Now unless there are components that are dead I can't see a reason why the cable isn't working?

I would love to get to the bottom of this but my neighbours are already beginning to look at me strange, and although i don't really talk to most of them, I don't like the idea of being labeled as 'the funny one who sits in his car every night with his laptop swearing'...so...handheld it is :D

Dave - have you had experience with the FiatSCAN/VAGCOM setup or has it been handheld all the way? Is the Sealey one you mention much better than the cheap ones on eBay?
 
the sealey one tells you what most codes are on its screen, i tried a few cheap ones off ebay but they didnt do what was said in the add so got sent back.

a mate had the sealey one and let me use it a few times so last year it went on my xmas list and farther xmas got me one :)

like i said above ive not used any laptop ones as my laptop is white and i would get it dirty
 
Thanks again guys...

Chaos - is the handheld you use the same as either of the ones in my original links? Is it the U480. Where did you get it from?
A thought which crossed my mind but would it be a possibility that someone has changed my ECU from a different model?

I assume they are model specific and therefore would not work in a model other than the one its designed for?

Yes, I have a U480, as you've linked to.

They should work with any car which has the correct OBD-II port. I've been able to read any OBD-II car I've needed to.

You do get the code number rather than the code description, so you have to read off the error number from a list. That's the only disadvantage with them TBH from a fault reader POV.
 
waynem325,

What ECU do you have and what version of FiatECUscan are you using? Also silly question but have you ensured ignition is on before trying to connect? (the blue LED only shows 12V power to the KKL interface - independent from the ignition supply to the ECU).

red
 
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like i said above ive not used any laptop ones as my laptop is white and i would get it dirty

The best excuse ever lmao :D I nearly choked on my coffee.
I meant if you ever had experienced the vagcom cable pre-white laptop?

After a quick look on eBay there seems to be 2 versions of the Sealey - VS8700 and VS8699. Is yours the 8700 as in the link?

Other than display an explanation of the fault code what does the Sealey do that the U480 doesn't?


waynem325,

What ECU do you have and what version of FiatECUscan are you using? Also silly question but have you ensured ignition is on before trying to connect? (the blue LED only shows 12V power to the KKL interface - independent from the ignition supply to the ECU).

red

Fiat Scan Version 2.4.1........as for ECU I have no idea, other than what is displayed on Fiat Scan for my model?
The answer to your silly question is 'Yes'....my silly question - how do I find out what ECU I have...is it so simple as reading a label stuck to it?
 
Yes, but you might have to remove it to see the label. I don't know whether they moved it around at all but on '53 plate 1242cc 8-valve petrol it is mounted behind the throttle body. Fairly simple to remove. Two big multiway plugs and a few screws. Watch out for the small black earth wire that has to be connected to the throttle body. AmI right in thinking the multijet a diesel? If so, the ECU could well be somewhere else.

red.
 
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