F550 Update Post
We went to Florence, OR. and had a nice time at the Rhody Festival and visiting friends. The truck ran great all the way down and half way back. Scanner reports trouble with #1 and #8 fuel injectors....
Forum Discussion
you can also use forscan with a laptop and a 30 buck adaptor to do just as much if not more than most scan tools on the market.
How do you get forscan?
Is there pirated software out there for sale?
you go to their web page ( http://www.forscan.org) and download it, it is free. also there you will see the type of OBD2 port adapter you need to buy, some people swear by the 100 buck Bluetooth one, I have a simple wired one that I have to flick the switch to change between the two busses, but mine is almost 10 years old haha.
the only thing you have to pay for, is a extended licence and I believe its 20 bucks for a year. if you don't need to do functions covered by the extended licence then you don't have to worry about it.
I have been using it quite a while now to do diagnostic and other service functions, but I also use it for altering how something's work on the vehicles. for example I have changed my truck so I can have the fog lights on with the high beams as I drove a lot of rural roads to work and back and this lets me see far down the road as well as lighting up the ditch beside me. I changed the number of signal light flashes that happens when you just bump the signal light switch. instead of the stock 3 flashes I change it to 7 when I am hauling the 5th wheel, and little things like changing the alarm setting of the TPMS so I can run lower pressure in the rear when unloaded with out setting off the alarm, or changing them when you rotate the tires. (I just made them all the same)
lots of info on the website and there is even a forum. the forum is all-over the place and totally unorganized, but the search function works and I have been able to find answers to my questions that way.
I'm looking at forscan.org
There is a download link at the top of the page. Not sure if there is a licensing fee.
I guess it's a free download. Beware of source. You need an OBDII plug with USB or I think there is bluetooth adapters that will work, 30 bucks. Those items are on my list.
it is. you have to look at what you want to do with it as to weather you will need the extended licence or not. most programing changes require it as well as some of the testing, but its only 20.00 a year and there is a way to do a 2 month free trial for extended licencing so you can use that and see what you think.
I have been downloading it from them for over 10 years. not a worry if you download from them.
I'm going to order the OBDII adaptor, then get the download. I was China Freight yesterday and saw they have their T-10 diagnostic scan system for around 1800.00 and for an additional 100.00 you purchase the software license to use it or advanced functions. No mention if it does a buzz test. I'll get the adaptor and Forscan download thank you very much!
To do the fuel test, after wasting 89.00 on a fuel injection test kit, I find the kit doesn't have the necessary adaptor to test a Frod 6.0. There is no fitting for the 12mm x 1.5 mm test port. I'm going to order a 6.0 / 7.3 specific fuel pressure test setup, 190.00. It's only money!
I'll also get the reversible socket 36 and 24 mm for the filter caps, and might need a separate 36 mm for the frame rail fuel filter cap. Just for kicks, and to fill an unused hole in my triple pillar gauge setup, I'm going to get a fuel pressure gauge. That will give me a Pyrometer, Transmission Temp Gauge, and now Fuel Pressure. Three usable gauges giving information the instrument cluster doesn't.
I will have to wait a few days for delivery to continue making any progress on the engine. In the mean time, I will fabricate the bracing for the front jacks to prevent forward/backward motion of the TC. The right jack had a considerable lean to the rear when I unloaded the TC when we got back from Florence. Enough it had me worried the TC could begin to lean forward and topple over the front right jack. I'll keep you posted on how that works.
Stay tuned!
