stuzbot
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2021
- Messages
- 471
I'm just wondering whether it's worth getting hold of one of those cheapo ODB@ scanners for my pre-purchase Land Cruiser hunting expeditions?
Unfortunately, as with a lot of these things, the intarwebs is throwing up contradictory information. I've read in some places that they'll work with pretty much any vehicle built after 1996. But then, elsewhere I've also read that in Europe ODB2 was only made mandatory after 2004.
So, given that any Land Cruiser I go to look at is likely to date from the late 1990s [I've enquired about a couple of '98s and a '97]...
1: Will an ODB2 Scanner work on one that old?
2: Would it tell me anything useful anyway? From reading this thread on Pradopoint....
...it doesn't really seem like the 1KZ-TE engine provides *that much* useful information via fault codes, if everything seems to be running normally. But might be useful diagnosing issues that come up, when it's not running well.
3: Would it tell me anything useful anyway? [2] Having never driven anything new enough to have an ECU before, is being able to read fault codes during a pre-purchase check any use anyway? As I understand it, anyone with one of the readers can just have reset any fault codes that came up. Which is what I'd expect an unscrupulous seller to do anyway.
Unfortunately, as with a lot of these things, the intarwebs is throwing up contradictory information. I've read in some places that they'll work with pretty much any vehicle built after 1996. But then, elsewhere I've also read that in Europe ODB2 was only made mandatory after 2004.
So, given that any Land Cruiser I go to look at is likely to date from the late 1990s [I've enquired about a couple of '98s and a '97]...
1: Will an ODB2 Scanner work on one that old?
2: Would it tell me anything useful anyway? From reading this thread on Pradopoint....
How to read ECU fault codes. 1KZ-TE & D4D - Toyota Prado How To's, Technical Information & Reviews
Performance, Fuel consumption, maintenence, mods
www.pradopoint.com.au
...it doesn't really seem like the 1KZ-TE engine provides *that much* useful information via fault codes, if everything seems to be running normally. But might be useful diagnosing issues that come up, when it's not running well.
3: Would it tell me anything useful anyway? [2] Having never driven anything new enough to have an ECU before, is being able to read fault codes during a pre-purchase check any use anyway? As I understand it, anyone with one of the readers can just have reset any fault codes that came up. Which is what I'd expect an unscrupulous seller to do anyway.