Hi everyone!

I haven't started a new thread in a while because I've been listening to all your feedback about searching first before posting a n00b thread ahaha!

BUT this time I can't seem to locate the information that I need

I would like to know the cheapest, most efficient way of hooking up my 2004 RA to my laptop. I would like to be able to diagnose/troubleshoot CEL codes, view gauges, etc.

Btw, I'm asking this because I would rather have my gauges displayed on an LCD screen than having to buy separate gauges and drilling holes and all that stuff. Also, my CEL just came on last night while driving home. It was weird because everything was fine and running smoothly and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

Well, if I missed a thread that already discussed this issue/inquiry, I'm very very very sorry!

Hope to hear from you guys soon!

PS: I LOVE MY RA! BEST INVESTMENT I'VE EVER MADE!

To all of you who were there to guide me through my dilemma before I got the car, thank you for encouraging me to go through with it

Can't wait for my one-week vacation so I can work on my car! And I think I'm going to follow RalliartizaIt's example of "upgrading ONLY when needed" (read this on one of the threads here @ EvoM)

Cheers everyone!

 

A tactrix 2.0 cable would let you hook up to your PC then there are programs like Evoscan and a few others that could monitor things for you.

You could also do it from an iPhone, iPad, Android Phone or Tablet. There are several apps that will check CEL codes and monitor a few things. The best one I have found though is Torque Pro. And you connect it to your car with a bluetooth OBD-II dongle. I bought the one Torque recommends, I think the brand was called Kiwi or something like that.

I enjoy the Andorid Phone and Tablet setup personally cause its easy to turn on and I can carry my gauges and CEL reader in my pocket. But I too am looking into a laptop setup for the future. I'll be ordering a Tactrix 2.0 cable soon. Then I'll just setup my old netbook specifically for the car.

Best of luck!

 

That's perfect man! Thanks so much! I think I'm gonna be doing the same setup as you. Let me know when you grab the cable and maybe WE -- *cough* YOU -- can make a HOW-TO ahaha!

I'm going to Google "torque pro" right now and see how much that would cost me :P

Thanks again for the quick response bro!

 

Ummm...

Which Bluetooth dongle did you buy?

Just thought I'd ask

 

NVM! I got it :P Thanks man!

 

DAMN! These things are expensive Anything cheaper?

For now, what would be the cheapest to diagnose/troubleshoot CEL codes?

 

Well cheap is not an options when your looking for that equipment. You can either go with evoscan which has pretty good options and its not expensive, the tactrix cable is more expensive than the program itself. Remember that going with cheap and unproven things will be more expensive in the long run

 

That makes a lot of sense to me $MIVEC$

You're right man. And why would I give my baby cheap equipment anyways? Am I not trying to improve it's performance? What's the point of that if I don't invest in it.

Thanks for your input bro! I'll save up and order that Tactrix cable and EvoScan software soon. Hope someone *cough* BAKURO *cough* starts a thread on how everything goes with his soon-to-be Tactrix setup

Take care dudes!

 

search ELM 327 on ebay, i got mine for $15 from china with free shipping, lol...i use it with my smart phone, but if your laptop has bluetooth, the adapter comes with windows based software for datalogging, scanning/clearing DTC's etc...

 

LMFAO! How did I know that Cranswick's gonna come in here and, as always, post something that would make me fall out of my seat? LOL! I had, or should i say HAVE, a big-*** grin on my face and it's 7:30am and I just got to work

Amazing start to my day

Ordering that ELM327 BT adapter right now. But I think I should post a few links onto this thread and get opinions first before "committing to buy" on eBay

THANKS AGAIN GUYS!!!

 

Hmm...

I just did an "ELM 327" search on eBay Canada and it's showing me two versions: v1.4 and v1.5. Which version am I supposed to go for if I want to use it with my 2004 RA? Also, I think I'm going to buy two of these adapters: wired (for my netbook) and BT (for my phone). What do you guys think?

BTW!!!

I went to my mechanic to get the code for my CEL and guess what -- it's a friggin P0401 code which says "Exhaust Gas Recirculation Insufficient Flow" or something like that. My mech told me that my EGR valve is either dirty or faulty or BOTH I searched and found out that an EGR valve from RockAuto.com would cost me $300+ OMFGGG...

So yeah, I think I'm going to start a thread on this and maybe a HOW-TO when I clean it up with my mech? Who knows! This might be a chance for me to create my VERY FIRST HOW-TO GUIDE!!!

Cheers,

 

faulty EGR? wierd.... Ive seen ppl run EGRless and that code doesn't come up



BTW make sure that the adapter and the APP work well combined

 

Is running w/o an EGR a good idea? It sounds good in my head --> NO EGR = NO DIRT/EXHAUST GAS/**** GOING BACK INTO MY ENGINE

Hmmm...

What do you think? And how would I be able to pull that off?

 

To be honest its just a myth and hearsay for people who say it hinders performance. It's like saying a grounding kit on modern cars will make them perform better.

EGR is there to reduce emissions and does this by keeping cylinder temperatures lower. You wont see any gains from taking it off apart from what you said about dirt and combustion residue.

 

The "getting rid of dirt and combustion residue" is a good enough reason for me to yank that thing out of my engine bay lol. What do you suggest? Should I go EGR-valve-less?

OR

Thanks!