Looking for suggestions for purchasing scanning software. I have a PC but have never used scan tool diagnostics before. Dose any of the software tell you if you have somthing out of whack. Help for I am just learning.

 

Not sure what your going for here, but have lots of experience using a scan tool called a "TECH 2". Im also not sure if you can buy one for home use. Ive only used them working in GM dealerships. The scanner is extremely easy to use... can tell you pretty much anything about the engine, reads codes and MIL's, you can run testing on relays...ect...too much to list... check it out... not sure who makes it, but i bet if you call your local GM dealer thats what they use on EVERY car there....good luck!

 

Autotap is pretty nice I like it. Not hard to use and reads a whole mess of things. I would check them out.

~Jim~

 

I have a '95 with OBD1 but the 16-pin OBDII connection..would AutoTap work for mine or does it only run off OBDII computers?

-Chris

 

No. Your PCM is OBD-I and you have to use OBD-I hardware of software. They make cables specifically for your car.

OBD-I includes:

FreeScan
DataMater
EFILive V4
pcmcomm

OBD-II software is available ffrom a number of sources, and many of them are as good as AutoTap. Just make sure the scanning software is capable of reading "GM Enhanced" parameters. Might want to try a "search"... I know in the past week I've posted two threads the links to the OBD-I software sources and several of the OBD-II sources.

None of the software "tells you if you have something out of whack." They will give you the trouble codes, both active and stored (and "pending" in OBD-II). DataMaster does have some crude color coding on some of the data (BLM's for example) that tell you when the data is getting close to or has reached the level that generally indicates a problem.