Car trouble codes, why is it so hard to read them!?
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Why have automotive companies made it so hard to get trouble trouble codes for the car.
I've worked on John Deere stuff and compared to automotive it's so easy to do is press a few buttons and they're right there.
I'm going down the interstate headed back from Minnesota and I'm doing about 80 and an engine code flashes and then it goes away and then it comes back then it goes away never had this issue before.
I know when I get back to Nebraska and go to Someplace to diagnose it I guarantee that they will be able to reproduce the problem never get it fixed because I can't go 80 in Nebraska.
Why can't I just access the code so I can write it down!?
Maybe on new cars you can mines 10 years old, but hell compared to Deere it's years behind.
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I am sure you have checked...but easy fix would be air filter.
I had a friend tell me that his engine light came on. about 75,000 miles. I asked about the air filter and he had never changed it. didn't know it needed it. new air filter and the code went out.
I have also seen (never used) code reading modules that are blue tooth capable (about $20). They then pair with a smartphone and through an app can give the information that most readers have.
It is not a diesel is it?
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No it's a gas, I'm pretty sure I know what it is, the torque converter isn't locking up.
Which may be a transmission code and regular code readers don't normally read transmission codes.
What a pain.
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And when you read an auto code, it tells you about 50 different possible fixes :grin:
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What make model and year? Do you have a OBD II reader or can you see what the code is?
Some models will flash lights or tell you the code in the LCD display if you don't have a code reader.
OBD II isn't that hard, most the codes are universal now. OBD I was a PITA.
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At least on GM with OBD1 you could flash the codes through lights, with OBD2 you can only access them with a scanner.
It's stupid.
The whole thing is stupid and lacks so much information.
Check engine light, okay is it bad? Do I need to stop? Can I keep going? Who knows.
On a piece of Ag equipment, when something happens the code flashes up, and you can look up the codes in the OM and see if it's serious and what it is. On the newer stuff it tells you on the screen what the code is and what the description is.
On top of that there's three levels of code, information, warning, and stop.
So if it's just an information or warning code you can usually ignore it, but if it's a stop code you know to stop or damage will happen.
On a vehicle you get one light that tells you nothing, so now you either have to have a scanner, or you have to find somewhere to stop and get it scanned, I was in BFE Dakota/Nebraska when it happened tens of miles from any town in any direction.
It's a crap system.
At least for now one code must still be in there because the light stayed on, but it happened right after fueling up so I bet it was a EVAP system code as that truck has had issues with that, or it was knocking because all I could find was 87 octane.
I doubt the torque converter code will be in there. Oh well I'll scan it tomorrow if I can and see what's up.
