diagnostic tool to buy

[bmyslis]

i am looking for info regarding purchasing a diagnostic tool to plug into my onboard computer on my 1997 boxster. i have found one for $200. anybody have any personal experience with purchasing their own?
thanks bruce

[986Jim]

I had this for my Talon and VW's dads Nissan, Honda's etc. Anything OBD2.
http://pocketlogger.com/index.php?pid=obdii

It's designed for the Talon originally but works on all OBD2 cars I have played with. It has Trouble codes of course, but will monitor all aspects of the ECU, timing, O2, Voltage, Speed, Temps, etc etc anything the ecu will see. You can also log these while driving with RPM so you can see exactly what each value is doing as you drive.

I have used this to tune many of my cars with a SAFC (Google SAFC if your unsure what it is) with great results. I may see if a SAFC will work on the Porsche and see if I can pick up any HP with it. Generally on most NA cars you can get 8-10whp with Air Fuel tuning on a SAFC. Some cars it just doens't work on (Mazda for example) others have much success. I made 6whp on the dyno with a Integra Type-R which is pretty well setup from the factory and 17whp with a WRX (turbo).

The trouble code part of it is great. It tells the Code number and what the code is. You can clear codes and log them as you drive if your trying to figure out when they show up and what your doing when it happens.

I sold mine a year ago but I'm going to pick one up again I think.

[deliriousga]

This one turns does the OBD2 stuff (reads/clears codes and various values) plus several PST2 things like turning off the airbag light for $197. http://www.durametric.com/index.php

Here's a list of what it does: http://www.durametric.com/modelfeaturematrix.php

I gotta get me one of these!!

[986Jim]

That looks pretty cool too. Need a laptop tho which sucks and doens't datalog by the looks of it.

It doesn't really do any more than the other thing I posted does tho, I don't really care about the car info, I can see my badge says boxster. The airbag light isn't a problem either, got electrical tape for that lol.

Can we get a tool like Porsche uses that does all the stuff on the ecu thats programmable? Apparently they can change all kinds of stuff on the car with their tool.

[MNBoxster]

Originally Posted by 986Jim

That looks pretty cool too. Need a laptop tho which sucks and doens't datalog by the looks of it.

It doesn't really do any more than the other thing I posted does tho, I don't really care about the car info, I can see my badge says boxster. The airbag light isn't a problem either, got electrical tape for that lol.

Can we get a tool like Porsche uses that does all the stuff on the ecu thats programmable? Apparently they can change all kinds of stuff on the car with their tool.

Hi,

Yea, you can purchase the PST2 Tool from Porsche, but it has a Gelded version of the Software used by Porsche Dealerships - an effort to comply with OBDII Laws which state that Independent Service Shops must have access to some (but not all) of the Data Parameters. This is to preserve some profitability to the Dealerships.

IIRC, the base Unit costs about $4k with annual Software upgrades running another $1-$2K and you must pay these fees because the Software contains a Cinderella program which makes it inoperative after a year's use. The Dealerships pay $10k upfront with annual fees of $4k. If Cost = Capabilities, it appears the Dealerships can do waay more with theirs than you'll be able to do with yours. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[986Jim]

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

Hi,

Yea, you can purchase the PST2 Tool from Porsche, but it has a Gelded version of the Software used by Porsche Dealerships - an effort to comply with OBDII Laws which state that Independent Service Shops must have access to some (but not all) of the Data Parameters. This is to preserve some profitability to the Dealerships.

IIRC, the base Unit costs about $4k with annual Software upgrades running another $1-$2K and you must pay these fees because the Software contains a Cinderella program which makes it inoperative after a year's use. The Dealerships pay $10k upfront with annual fees of $4k. If Cost = Capabilities, it appears the Dealerships can do waay more with theirs than you'll be able to do with yours. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Dang! I would like to be able to play with all the toys but don't wanna pay for it! Oh well, the other options really look good still tho...

[980ceanblue]

Has anyone purchased this tool and if so what are your feelings about it.

Bill
98 Ocean Blue

[deliriousga]

Originally Posted by 986Jim

That looks pretty cool too. Need a laptop tho which sucks and doens't datalog by the looks of it.

It doesn't really do any more than the other thing I posted does tho, I don't really care about the car info, I can see my badge says boxster. The airbag light isn't a problem either, got electrical tape for that lol.

Can we get a tool like Porsche uses that does all the stuff on the ecu thats programmable? Apparently they can change all kinds of stuff on the car with their tool.

For the $200 price you're looking for, that's about as much as you'll get. It works with any computer that has a USB port (including those 4 old PCs sitting in the basement ).

Other than a real PST2, the only way I know of to re-program is to chip it.

For just OBDII, I use the AutoTap http://www.autotap.com but it also needs a computer or a Palm device to plug into. If I had not already bought the AutoTap, I'd go for the other one I mentioned earlier. For the price I don't see how you can beat it.