Now that we've got the hardware configured, it's time to install the scanner software on the laptop. The small CD that comes with the ELM327 scanner has an assortment of compatible software. Unfortunately the only one that's free and not a demo is ScanTool.net for Windows v1.13, and it is very basic. You can scan for codes, clear codes and turn off the check engine light, and see several pages of sensor data. Here's what it looks like:

After looking at the other software on the disc, nothing really caught my eye. But I found a program on the web called TouchScan (ScanTool.net LLC - TouchScan OBD Software - ScanTool.net) that looked promising and they had a fully functional demo available for download. The demo only works for 14 days but that was plenty of time for me to evaluate it. TouchScan can not only retrieve diagnostic codes and clear them, it can also display a multitude of sensor data, real-time stats, freeze frame data, and vehicle information. There is also a dashboard mode which you can customize to show whatever gauges you want. But the best feature for me is the ability to record your test drive and play it back in real time!

After installing and running TouchScan, you will be at the setup screen. The easiest way to connect with the scanner is to click on AutoDetect. This will scan all COM ports until it finds the scanner. Next it will cycle through the various baud rates and protocols and display the results. In my case it found the scanner on COM5 and connected at 115200 baud using the ISO 15765-4 CAN 11 bit protocol. Apparently, that's the language the RAV4 speaks. After the AutoDetect finishes, simply click Connect and the red bars labeled Interface and ECU should turn green:

Now you can go to the dashboard and give it some gas and watch the gauges go up and down:

As I mentioned, the dashboard can be configured any number of ways:

So, what about reading trouble codes? To test this, I unplugged the MAF sensor on top of the air cleaner box. Started the engine, and it immediately died. Started it again and it ran but the CEL, TRAC, and VSC lights all came on:

I turned off the engine and plugged the MAF sensor back in, but of course the lights stayed on--the codes had been stored in the ECU. At this point I chose Diagnostics on TouchScan and it showed a P0102 and a P0113:

Then I looked at the Freeze Frame Data. This is a snapshot of what exactly was going on when the code was set. As you can see the engine was cold (118F) and the code was set 0 seconds after starting:

If this code had been set while driving, you would know exactly when the problem occurred, at what speed and RPM it happened, and lots of other data that is shown on that screen when you scroll down. So then I clicked on Clear Trouble Codes and the lights went out and everything was back to normal.

But the Record function is what really impressed me about the software. I was idling in the driveway ready for a little test drive. I clicked on Record and away I went:

After driving around for about 12 minutes, I returned home and clicked Stop. What I got was a detailed record of what was going on with the RAV for that drive. I disconnected the BT link, turned off the car and went inside with the laptop. At the kitchen table I clicked on play and I could see what was happening during my test drive in real time:

It was like analyzing a black box from an aircraft. I could switch between screens and see the gauges and sensor data changing as if I were still driving. Pretty cool!

Here are a few more of the information screens:

A couple of things about this setup. When you're finished, don't just close the TouchScan software. Go to Setup and click on Disconnect first. This releases the COM port from the program--if you don't do this and then try to connect again, it will show your COM port is already in use and the connection will fail.

As for the TouchScan software, it seems like a pretty good deal to me. They are selling the full version for $24.95 on their web site with unlimited upgrades. I'll probably get it unless I find something better.

So if you're looking for a inexpensive way to read diagnostic codes and help with troubleshooting engine problems, I recommend this setup highly. It gives you all the information you need and more, and for around 40 bucks you can't go wrong.

 

Excellent write-up! Even the low price on those never attracted me to buying them because I just figured "you get what you pay for." Your commentary may prove otherwise on this device...

 

James,

You really outpaced yourself on this one.
What an excelling write up.
Thanks for that!
Greetz

Pim

 

Seeking advice on scanner, OBD2 software

James,

Thanks very much for the detailed review. I'm impressed with the gift that you have given to this community.

I mean to buy a device such as this today and have it shipped overnight. I'm leaving on vacation in just over a week, towing my boat -- and the lights are on (again...).

I have some questions that you or others in the community may be able to answer.

First, I have to decide between USB and Blue Tooth. This device is available either way. The USB flavor is $20; the Blue Tooth is $28. The idea of using Blue Tooth is, of course, very cool. But the USB cable seems more bulletproof. I'm in a hurry, and I don't need additional hassles of finding an up-to-date driver for the 4-5 year old laptop, et cetera. Is there any overriding consideration to go either way? The laptop that I would use has Blue Tooth (Acer Aspire 3004), but I've never used it for anything, and so I don't even know if it works! (Curiosity question: Do you have any idea what the range is on the Blue Tooth device?)

[Further to that decision: I found this negative review of the device: "The price is right and the windows screen looks intuitive. It just doesn't work in either of my two netbooks running XP. The help files do not display the windows screen shots and the read.me files are unhelpful." I'm thinking that these comments would apply to both the Blue Tooth and USB versions, and that it has to do with the application software, not the device. Any thoughts?]

Second, regarding software: Amazon does not seem to list the package that you used, but they do offer ElmScan 5 Compact USB OBD-II Scan Tool & OBDWiz Engine Diagnostic Software. Looking at the screenshots, it appears somewhere between incredibly similar and identical to the software that you used -- and it is indeed from ScanTool. This package, I just this moment noticed, includes a USB connector device AND the software, for $30. Does anybody have any experience with this? I'm thinking that if I use USB, there's not going to be any meaningful difference from one device to another -- it's just a USB hookup...

I'm going to hold back for a few hours just to see if anybody writes back and says, "Don't buy it -- it's crap." Otherwise I think I'll go for it.

Side comment about the need: Within the last year I replaced the canister, and within the last month I had a coil replaced. CEL/VSC/4WD is on again. I want to know what the problem is so that I can decide to take it to my favorite indy, who is reasonably priced, trustworthy, and a nice guy, or to Toyota, who will do things like replace the coil at no cost to me under my platinum third-party 'extended warranty.'

Thanks in advance for any comments,

Paul in East Troy WI

 

Paul, I recommend you get that one from ScanTool because it comes with OBDWiz, which is an excellent package. Mine didn't come with it so I had to download TouchScan which is almost identical.

Yes, I agree that reviewer is talking about the software, but if the images in the help file aren't displaying, he must not have installed it correctly. The software works quite well and is very intuitive.

I like the Bluetooth because it's neater, and when going on a test drive you won't have a cable across your legs or lap. I can set my laptop in the rear cargo area and have it record my drive. The Bluetooth has a maximum range of 30 meters. But you need a PC driver for the BT that lets it emulate a serial port. I don't think the default Windows XP drivers do that--they are very basic, so I used the driver that came with my BT dongle.

 

Thanks for posting this review. I had no idea such a device existed at such a low cost. I am looking at the blue tooth version on eBay right now. Only 20 bucks with first class mail shipping. There is an app for the android phone that gets rave reviews. I think I am going to get this thing. When I do I will share my experience using the torque app on the droid x. Very timely as I am having an intermittent check engine light.

 

No problem, Jay! I look forward to hearing how the Torque app works for you!

 

Very nice! It would be perfect if they had something like that software for iphone/ipad...

 

Sadly, Apple has crippled the Bluetooth implementation on the iPhone so that it only works with phone calls and music streaming. You can't even upload your contacts list to the RAV4 JBL system with BT. There is an OBDII application for the iPhone that uses wi-fi--unfortunately the OBD wi-fi hardware is much more expensive.

 

Just a bit of a reality check here...

Anytime that you use something wireless, you run the risk of exposing yourself to outside parties. Granted, most people wouldn't even notice that your Rav has a Bluetooth radio on the OBDII, but there are scanners out there, and I'm guessing that these type of devices are always in discoverable mode. That, coupled with a non-changeable/easy to guess passcode of "1234" (think Spaceballs here), someone could easily pair his or her laptop with your OBDII adapter.

On top of that, security researchers have proven that it's not impossible to manipulate a vehicle while moving using ODBII commands. Hence is why most (if not all) on-board Bluetooth-equipped entertainment consoles are completely separate from vehicle controls. Bluetooth is just too insecure to actually offer a safe way of connecting devices directly to the car's computer systems.

Before I start handing out tin-foil hats here, I will say that the USB option, while messy, would solve these issues. Just hide the cord under the dash, or run it under the carpet to the back. Bluetooth is a convenience, but then again, so is keeping your car doors unlocked.

 

How many people do you know driving around with bluetooth enabled laptops itching to tweak someone's OBDII system while using this tool? Considering a lot of people leave their WIFI networks un-encrypted, this is not a big deal at all.

Very cool review! I might pick one up in the near future! It would be neat if the data could be sent to an Iphone then you wouldn't need the laptop at all!

 

Right you are, Soleq, but I have no intentions of leaving this OBD adapter plugged in permanently. I plug it in to check codes, clear codes, and run diagnostics, then unplug it and put it away. Someone with an Android phone and Torque might be tempted to leave it plugged in full time to use as a ScanGauge type device, but this thing draws power from the battery even when the ignition is off. And since you got me thinking, I decided to test it with my laptop, and sure enough, the OBD adapter IS discoverable with the ignition off. So leaving it plugged in permanently is a bad idea.

 

Went ahead and ordered one from an eBay seller called tom top for 20 bucks shipped. Down loaded the free torque lite app for the droid. I am running it on a droid x and it works very well. This app is impressive to say the least. The developer of this app is really good. If the cars computer reports it to the obdii port this thing shows it. It also uses the gps in the droid to a whole bunch of extra stuff and the paid version does full data Logging as well as hp torque, 0-60 timers ect. This thing is great, so far I have just tested it on a Prius but I will be using it in my Rav soon. When I get a chance I will hook up my digital multimeter and test how much power it uses when plugged in. Will probably end up buying the app since it's only 5 dollars and I am that impressed.

 

Yea no apple version of the torque app yet but it's coming soon for black berry and probably windows mobile also, being able to use a mobile device instead of lugging around the lap top is great. The paid version of the app I just got is even move customizable and it will log data and e-mail it to my desk top. Has a lot of cool gps stuff also. This thing even does extended obdii features and is being constantly improved and added to. I am so not worried about some one trying to mess with my ecm via blue tooth. Also the unit I got is not an overly easy to guess pin code. Also if some other computer or mobile devise interjected a signal the torque app would freak out after receiving a bit of data from the ECM that was not requested. At this point I would freak out unplug the bt dongle and start wearing aluminum foil hats. USB will only work for a lap top. I also totally agree that leaving any thing plugged in to obdii is bad because it's always on. I may rig up a relay to one of the power pins so if i forget to unplug it, it won't matter.

 

I am so glad I didn't buy a scan gauge that thing is more expensive than a blue tooth adapter the 5 dollar paid app and a cheap android tablet. A top 5 android app for sure. Especially for those of us that already have android devices. There are serious performance tuners working with Ian Hawkins, the app developer. I would be really interested to hear what Ian has to say about bluetooth security concerns.

 

Update: ELM327 Wireless code scanner died!

Update: Yesterday I took the ELM327 wireless OBDII code scanner to my uncle's house for a demonstration. I plugged it into his 2002 Honda Accord and then found I could not connect to it through the Bluetooth on my laptop. Tried it on the RAV4, same problem. Using my iPhone to scan for Bluetooth devices, I found that it no longer shows up--apparently the Bluetooth radio is dead after less than 2 months of use. The lights on the scanner still worked, so I knew it was getting power. And since there's no way to plug in a hard cable, the thing is dead in the water.

So I sent an email to the Amazon.com customer service people, and they immediately sent me an RMA and a pre-paid UPS label to send it back for a full refund. I'll use the refund to buy a hard wired unit that plugs into the USB port.

 

Bummer. I hope mine holds up better. Yours looks identical to what I have, v1.14?

 

Yep, that's it. I'm wondering if the OBDII port on that Honda could have damaged it, but I don't see how. Unless the 12 volts was too high.

Anyway, I'll be going with a wired unit like this when the refund comes through:

 

After getting the refund from Amazon, I ordered the ElmScan 5 Compact scan tool and it arrived today:

This one comes with a 90 day money back guarantee and a 3 year repair or replace factory warranty, so maybe it will hold up better than the Bluetooth one. Before using it you have to install a small USB to serial port driver from the disc, then just plug it in. Mine came up as COM port 15. Also on the disc is the excellent OBDWiz software which is almost identical to the TouchScan program I reviewed above. I tested it briefly on a 2011 Camry, and it works fine with the software I already had installed. One interesting thing about this Camry, when I clicked the connect button, it said 2 ECM's were detected, and engine controller and transmission controller, and gave me the choice of which one to connect to! Didn't see that on the RAV. I'm sure this one will do the job nicely. And for $29.95 with free shipping, it's a great deal.

 

Excellent review!

I found this thread searching for some comments on OBDII scanners since I'm looking into getting one.

I was looking at the

and I wanted to check here for any recommendations. It looks like the ElmScan 5 does just about the same for a fraction of the price.

Have you found any drawbacks in the ElmScan that would be better in a hand-held scanner?

I don't mind the idea of having just one cable as an interface to a portable computer (I have that setup for my VW). I just wanted to ask if anyone using a similar setup has found something lacking in these units that a hand-held one would have.

Anyone?

 

Excellent review!

I found this thread searching for some comments on OBDII scanners since I'm looking into getting one.

I was looking at the

Equus 3140 and I wanted to check here for any recommendations. It looks like the ElmScan 5 does just about the same for a fraction of the price.

Have you found any drawbacks in the ElmScan that would be better in a hand-held scanner?

Ed, my brother-in-law recently bought the Innova 3130 and he really likes it. He paid $129 for it at Amazon.com.

As for the ElmScan the only drawbacks are the fact that you also need a laptop or a phone running Torque to use it. And dragging a laptop out to the car isn't a big deal, but it's not as convenient as plugging in a dedicated scanner. It's also hard to see the laptop screen in bright sunlight.

The advantages are you can choose which PID's you want to poll and how often. For example you may only want to scan the coolant temp every 30 seconds, but the O2 sensors every 10/th of a second. You can grab screenshots and record your test drive and play it back any time. With the ElmScan and a laptop, you can see a customized screenful of data all at once without having to scroll line-by-line on a small LCD screen.

 

James. Great write up !! I will read this a couple of times later as I have just invested in a Scanner... Thanks !!
This is the Scanner I bought.
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace



Charlie.

 

James. Great write up !! I will read this a couple of times later as I have just invested in a Scanner... Thanks !!
This is the Scanner I bought.

eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

Charlie.

That's a nice unit, Charlie, and it always got good reviews on Amazon. It's simple to use but provides a lot of information on the display. Hopefully you won't need to use it often!

 

I have a bit of a silly question - the ELM device should work just fine with a 1999 mk1 RAV4, right? As far as I know, the SXA1 was OBD2 from the start.

 

Yes, if you are in N. America. The ELM device will work with any vehicle back to the 1996 model year. Please update your profile so we know where you are located.

 

Hi,
I have problem connecting to the ECu of my Rav4 2001.

I am using the exact device that is listed here bought on eBay. I used both Andriod Torque (free version) as well as ScanTool (version 1.13). My phone is a an HTC legend running with Andriod version 2.2. I ran Scantool by connecting with my laptop (windows 7 32-bit).

How did it go?
I plugged the ELM 327 bluetooth interface to the car and then put the key to the ignition (ON) position.

Via the Torqueu+phone: Then I start the Andriod Torque App. Torque connected with the device after the initial setup (e.g., key 1234) and started communicating. Then it was trying to establish the correct protocol (few times going through ISO, PWM etc.). During this period the car-icon was black and flashing, while the rest of the icons (mobile, ELM, satellite) were blue. Then there was a message popped up saying "make sure the key ignition is ON" or something similar.

Via the Scantool + Laptop: Then I start the scantool to give it a shot via the laptop. Automatically it started the communication. Again apparently it was trying to establish the communication protocol. And eventually shows an error (INIT ERROR).

Interestingly when I plugged the interface to another car (a Mitsubishi Colt 2007) I could scan with the Andriod Torqueu and everything was fine. The problem apparently is with the Rav4 2001.

Any suggestions?

 

has anyone got the odbii BT scanner paired with torque app to show MPGs?? Mine doesnt seem to work, unless there is an issue with the setup on my unit. otherwise, everything else seems to work just fine...

 

Hi everyone!
I wanted to know if you could read through obd OIL presssure and temperature.
Thanks
P.s. With apps celeste after jailbreak, Can you use Obd Bt with iPad or iPhone?

 

P.s. With apps celeste after jailbreak, Can you use Obd Bt with iPad or iPhone?

If I recall correctly, for some reason or reasons iOS will not allow bluetooth ELM327 chips to work iPhones, iPads... not certain if a jailbreak would allow this or not. anyone???

No one reads OIL presssure And temperature?

I never got these types of readings with my 08 sport I4 rav4. Honestly, only sensors that I recall to work were/are:

1. air flow
2. coolant
3. RPM
4. MPG (avg + instant)
5. HP (but I believe that is just calculated)
6. and probably 2-3 more.

I never figured out if it was related to these sensors not activated (really doubt that is the case) or that Torque does not pick it up.. probably would need to try some other software and monitor via PC. I have yet to attempt this method.

 

No one reads OIL presssure And temperature?

 

Hi!
I have downloaded the TouchScan software, and I have paired it to a Yongtek ELM327 Bluetooth adapter I bought from Amazon for 17 dollars (plus 2 dollars for a BT dongle)... For about 20 bucks I can now use my netbook as scanner (at least during the software evaluation period). One thing I can say is I did NOT need to install ANY software or Bluetooth drivers from the small CD that came with the adapter. It has the "Bluesoleil" BT driver and software, which many say is buggy and expensive if you want to get the full version.

I used the standard drivers that installed automatically from Windows 7 for the BT dongle. It assigned COM3 as the com port by default. You can use the BT icon on the systray, on the low-right corner of your Windows to pick another port number if you wish.

Pairing was easy with 1234 as the access code.

So far so good, Touchscan works. I have not figured out how to communicate with the automatic transmission ECM though, if that is even possible with this software and my vehicle. I recently bought a 2006 RAV4 Limited (AT, 3.5L) for me. My daughters had one they use and it has over 230K on it, what a great car!

I currently live in Raleigh, NC but eventually this car would move down to Argentina with me.... I must learn as much as I can about it before I ship it down. Looking forward to learning a lot from this community.

If anybody has found better OBD scanner software (regardless of platform, I have Android too) please share your comments! I know quite a few people would be interested!

Thanks for a fantastic post, I am just starting in this forum and this information was invaluable.

 

If you have an Android based phone or tablet, check out Torque. It gets rave reviews and you can look at the transmission which Touchscan won't do.

 

how do you get information regarding the transmission? I ask becuz I dont received any information about the transmission on my 08 sport.