Forum Discussion

TC_Z's avatar
TC_Z
Explorer
Jun 28, 2020

Which Code Reader to Buy ?

We have a 2007 Winn Voyage 38J on a W24 frame. Three times now over a 2 year period i have gotten the REDUCED ENGINE POWER warning. Thankfully turn off and turn back on and it goes away. The check engine light is on for one ignition cycle then disappears.

It is not practical for me to take MH to an auto parts store to get the codes read. So I want to buy a basic code reader to look at history and see what the fault was to give me a clue what to check.

I was amazed at the range of features and prices, some hand held and some bluetooth to phone app. I don't want to monitor anything while driving, not trying to assess engine performance, but do want error codes.

And I am assuming all OBD code readers plug in under Winn dash no problem, no adapter needed, right?

What reader do you folks suggest I consider?

Thanks in advance...

Safe camping
  • wanderingaimles's avatar
    wanderingaimles
    Explorer
    Jun 28, 2020
    I know the Autel ones work. I have an ML 629 in my truck which also reads transmission codes. And a little 319 autel that I keep in the second car. It's a basic unit ansd seems to work fine.
  • fj12ryder's avatar
    fj12ryder
    Explorer III
    Jun 28, 2020
    I bought about the cheapest meter I could find the first time, and while it did the job, it didn't show exactly what the codes meant. It just showed the codes and allowed you to delete them.

    The one I have now, a Launch Creader VII, works very well, and tells you what the codes mean. Very handy. I paid less than $30 for it a few years ago. Since the newest vehicle I own is a 2013, I have no idea if it will work for the latest and greatest gadget loaded new vehicles.
  • 8ntw8tn's avatar
    8ntw8tn
    Explorer
    Jun 28, 2020
    I have a small Bosch code reader. It displays the code number and an explanation describing the code. You can delete the code if you wish. It's worked well on 3 of my vehicles. It's been a few years, but I think it cost around $60 at O'Reilly's. Hope this helps.
  • theoldwizard1's avatar
    theoldwizard1
    Explorer II
    Jun 28, 2020
    TC&Z wrote:
    And I am assuming all OBD code readers plug in under Winn dash no problem, no adapter needed, right?

    Correct, if your vehicles engine uses OBD-II ! Heavy Duty truck use something different.
  • garyemunson's avatar
    garyemunson
    Explorer II
    Jun 28, 2020
    Our previous motorhome was on a Workhorse chassis and would on occasion pull that stunt. Spent hours checking harness connections to no avail. Did notice it would happen more often (not always) when engaging or disengaging cruise. Turning it off and back on always cleared it. Don't remember the codes. Do remember they seemed unrelated to reduced power and were different each time. Our current Ford chassis rig has behaved much better.
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    Jun 28, 2020
    On my smart phone I have Torque (The Pro version) and I have a box that is an OBDII to Blue Tooth.. (NOTE THIS RIG IS A GASSER) have second adapter for my car

    The ones I have are the ones the TORQUE manual warns "Cheap E-bay may not work" or sure look like it. Work great (I had some that did not)

    NOTE: TOrque on a Android Tablet makes a very nice "Glass Dash"
  • jodeb720's avatar
    jodeb720
    Explorer
    Jun 29, 2020
    OBDII codes can be read at obdcodes.com.
    I used my cheapy harbor freight unit to read the codes, then go online to figure out what the codes mean.

    The ODBII Bluetooth adapter is another way to go. I have a buddy who runs it, with TORQUE on his iphone and is very happy with all the live info he gets from it.
  • mgirardo's avatar
    mgirardo
    Explorer
    Jun 29, 2020
    wa8yxm wrote:
    On my smart phone I have Torque (The Pro version) and I have a box that is an OBDII to Blue Tooth.. (NOTE THIS RIG IS A GASSER) have second adapter for my car


    This is what I do too. I bought a $15 bluetooth ODBII adapter from Amazon and spent $5 for the Torque Pro app. It reads and clears codes as well as the real time vehicle data it reports. The Torque app provides links to find out more about the code(s) that are read.

    -Michael
  • TC_Z's avatar
    TC_Z
    Explorer
    Jun 30, 2020
    Do all scanners have the ability to pull up historic fault codes?? Codes that have triggered a check engine light in the past but are now clear. That's my situation with my REDUCED ENGINE POWER warning. It happened last week but is now gone.

    Or is this historic look back a feature I must look for that some models have, but not others?

    Thanks

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