This is a rather "green" question as i never in my entire hobby-mechanic history used any kind of OBD diagnostic tool. I'm not exactly dumb when it comes to computers, (had a job as IT helpdesk for GM mechanics and retailers in the UK but I managed to avoid to own vehicles with such a level of sophistication.

So, I see sometimes photos and reference in this forum to some VAG diagnostic system, that looks like something running on a laptop, probably under windows.

then i see OBD2 scanners sold online for dirt cheap to expensive, then i saw black magic boxes that turn OBD2 data into 5G and you show it on your smartphone. (just being sarcastic about 5G...) 

 

so, not having any experience in digital troubleshooting of any vehicle, what can you tell me about the tools that are out there? 

my car is a 1997 Felicia 1.3MPI, and alternatively there's an Opel (I mean vauxhall ) Astra F in the family that i'd love to read.

 

Once again, sorry for the very noob question, I spent my decades with carburetted petrol engines / swirl chamber mechanical pump diesels but even i have to move on with the times. x)

Z

aaand i just found a lot of information about the same here on the forum.

 

though it basically tell me, that there is not much i can do to read my Felicia... 

Or is there?

 

I tentatively see two types of stuff...

A Polish company advertises OBD-USB interface with a CD software 

or

same company sells a handheld device for more than you can drink in beer when you're out on a bender. (Well, that's an exaggeration,  i'd not be out cold after 10 beers...)

 

Are those any good? 

though both are OBD2, and somewhere i red that Felicia is OBD only. 

Screenshots are pretty similar to those pictured in the forums here and there.

https://viaken.pl/pl/vag-usb-kkl-line-2-linie-k-we-wtyku-obd2.html

FT232R chipset though i can't be bothered to check what that is. sorry. 

https://viaken.pl/pl/skaner-vscan-vag-mini-z-obsluga-can-j-polski.html

.

.

.

that's my problem, you see, they all claim they work, they all are better than all the other competitors, while people get nada after connecting them. 

So how should a dude like me decide, one who is increasingly allergic to marketing nonsense?  

There is a section dedicated to OBD in this forum.

Skoda Felicia is not OBD2 compliant. Only OBD1. You will need either VCDS-Lite or VAG-COM R409 as software on Windows, As a "cable" aka scanner, you need a Chinese knock-off OBD-USB interface with a CD software because original cables are discontinued. It is hard to guarantee for any of those OBD-USB cables on the market. It is a gamble.

Thanks a lot, that fixed my question. I found a few sellers online who would send me the cable and software, so I'll buy that eventually. 

 

On 02/05/2022 at 16:14, hzoltaan said:

what can you tell me about the tools that are out there? 

 

Basically what are you trying to do? You have some sort of problem?

No fancy applications and smartphone for us the Felicians.

I'd want to be able to read error codes and see what kind of data the ECU gets. I never owned a car before where i needed OBD or OBD1 (mostly ran carburetted ones from 80ies or very simple injected cars from 90ies)

I have a temp sensor problem discussed in another topic but that i could measure with a simple ohmmeter. 

 

My other injected car an Opel Astra F has serious performance issues on petrol (not on LPG) and this brought me the idea that eventually it would be useful to get acquainted with OBD scanners. 

 

When i looked at the huge market online of those things, i saw zillion models available. I highly doubt that they all work, so I wanted to ask on the forum which to go for (for Felicia, I know, Opel is a different egg entirely)

 

In short: No very specific problem yet, i just got interested in the topic. 

 

So I gather from Ricardo that the only way is a chinese OBD cable with the  VAG-COM, VCDS-Lite software.

 

Example:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185345516041?hash=item2b27742209:g:JRUAAOSw0DpiNEu-

I can't believe that it would work for 5 quid...

 

25 minutes ago, hzoltaan said:

Ι'd want to be able to read error codes and see what kind of data the ECU gets.

 

OBD 11 is a device which works with our plain OBD Felicia port

https://obdeleven.com/en/home/187-stand-alone-0758277987851.html

Based on what you have put before something like the OBDeleven would be much more suited to your wants and needs plus if you want more from it you can pay more.

 

An OBDeleven was used on my wife's (OBD2) Fabia on some sort of "smart" phone and the report and use was impressive.

 

To get more, and to me easier use and presentation, and quicker you will be going into high level scan tools that are into the hundreds of Euros.

 

I think you would soon get fed up of the cheap or free Apps and cheap adapter cables as from the very little I have seen of them they are very hit and miss in use plus I do wonder how good their programming and readings are and you also want reliable updates to whatever system you get.

 

https://obdeleven.com/en/supported-vehicles

 

Edited 6 May, 20223 yr by nta16

On 03/05/2022 at 17:03, hzoltaan said:

Thanks a lot, that fixed my question. I found a few sellers online who would send me the cable and software, so I'll buy that eventually.

An OBD II scanner will never show specific Felicia error codes. Only generic error codes. The software VAG-COM R409 that comes on a CD with the OBD I scanners is everything you need for Felicia. Better than that is the original VAS software and interface made by VW. It is more expensive and usually delivered only to VAG dealers.

Thank you Gents! 

Do you think it could shed some light on my slightly oscillating rpm (Well, I do not have a rev counter but i feel ever slight increase and drop in idle rpm with a regular (5-10 seconds?) wavelength. 

Also, the RPM seems to "hang" when i take my foot off the go-pedal for a gear change. It's weird. Otherwise the car goes like hell and starts well, so the issue is probably minor, but still.

 

Would a OBD1-ubs cable and R409 shed light on such  smaller problems? 

Sorry for the slight off, we do not need to discuss the RPM issues here, rather that what one can do with the R409.

 

Do you guys know of a supplier of a reliable cable + CD set? Online in Poland (that's where i live) and in UK (where i can shop on ebay) I found mostly chinese cables, or cable only with no software or cable with some link promised with a download... 

 

Thanks Fylaktos, but OBD11 needs android and ios. I know, I'm sorry, i'm one of those irreparable cave-men who still uses a dumbphone. (can you imagine i work as a web-miner with some basic programming? ) 

 

There is just no way to please some people, huh?

 

I've not got a "smart" phone either.

 

Yes a scan tool could help, perhaps indirectly, with smaller issues but I have no experience of what's been suggested.  As with all the scan tools it is a tool to help with diagnostics, it gives information that needs interpretation and doesn't usually give the absolute answer (as many think they do and change a sensor just based on an error code thus often just shooting the messenger rather than sorting the problem).

 

A 1997 car and programs will give limited information (and possibly speed) compared with newer and much newer cars but just having figures can help to see if the sensors or car are running within their parameters.

 

As you like old computers you will probably like the legacy very ugly Ross Tech presentation and way of doing things (to put off and keep out those that expect more effort to be put in to make things straightforward for non-legacy users).  I go back to the days of punch card, paper tape mainframe computers but I don't expect modern computer tools to be like Meccano sets for the nostalgia or to dissuade those that didn't play with Meccano and don't want to now.

 

As with any system made up of different makes of separates I do wonder if it doesn't work well which part might be to blame, the program, the machine or the interconnect.  Cheap Chinese stuff I've always found to be something of a gamble, it might be good or it might be abysmal, I suspect quality control is often non-existent - that's not to say some Chinese stuff isn't excellent or even better than what the original manufacturer gave to them.

 

Edited 9 May, 20223 yr by nta16

On 09/05/2022 at 11:15, hzoltaan said:

Would a OBD1-ubs cable and R409 shed light on such  smaller problems? 

No, other than having the confirmation the rpm is 'hunting". The most common cause is dirty throttle body.

I read it somewhere that ECU needs to be informed of throttle body cleaned...?Some options were mentioned in a thread on that very topic here on this forum. Does that mean that cleaning throttle body without the cable and software is a pointless excercise in futility? :D

Others here will know better and at least one has done a video on cleaning the throttle body, IIRC yours is good old fashioned mechanical cable driven and IIRC the car will 'relearn' the new clean settings or there is no doubt some non-scanner method to speed up the process for the idle setting anyway which you have already found on here or elsewhere.

 

Clean the throttle body thoroughly off of the car, you will do a better job and it saves shifting the muck further inside the engine.  You have reminded me that I should clean the throttle body on my wife's Fabia.

  

On 02/05/2022 at 18:14, hzoltaan said:

This is a rather "green" question as i never in my entire hobby-mechanic history used any kind of OBD diagnostic tool. I'm not exactly dumb when it comes to computers, (had a job as IT helpdesk for GM mechanics and retailers in the UK but I managed to avoid to own vehicles with such a level of sophistication.

So, I see sometimes photos and reference in this forum to some VAG diagnostic system, that looks like something running on a laptop, probably under windows.

then i see OBD2 scanners sold online for dirt cheap to expensive, then i saw black magic boxes that turn OBD2 data into 5G and you show it on your smartphone. (just being sarcastic about 5G...) 

 

So, not having any experience in digital troubleshooting of any vehicle, what can you tell me about the tools that are out there? I came across https://fixd.****edconsumer.com/customer-service.html while researching options, and my car is a 1997 Felicia 1.3MPI. Alternatively, there's an Opel (I mean Vauxhall 😄) Astra F in the family that I'd love to read.

 

Once again, sorry for the very noob question, I spent my decades with carburetted petrol engines / swirl chamber mechanical pump diesels but even i have to move on with the times. x)

Z

For basic diagnostics, start with an ELM327 Bluetooth OBD2 scanner and an app like Torque or Car Scanner. They're cheap and user-friendly. For deeper diagnostics on your Skoda, VCDS (VAG-COM) on a Windows laptop is the best choice. For the Astra, look into Op-Com. Your 1997 Felicia might not fully support OBD2, depending on the market, but it’s worth trying. Start simple and build from there.

Edited 16 June16 Jun by daroya

14 hours ago, daroya said:

and an app like Torque

Does not work with Felicia,i have personal experience and i have posted photos.