What are my options, free or how much, and what all can I moniter? Like, can I read Air/Fuel from the oxygen sensors, or is that even possible? I'm trying to diagnose an idle problem here.

 

Go to www.TTSpowersystems.com and download the Datamaster. You can run 25 (I think) trials for free. All you have to do is buy a cable from AKM.
Another option you have is FreeScan. I dont know the website. (I forget the real address but if you run a search for free scan it should come up)
If you were closer to me I would let you try out my cable. I was hesitant to drop $100 on a cable also but let me tell you, in the end it is worth it.

 

Well, I have the cable, just don't have a laptop. Argh!!! I'll check those sites out. Thanks!

 

These days you can get a laptop to run a small program like that for under $50. I just sold a buddy of mine a Laptop for his LT1edit for $25.

 

I'm looking for one as we speak. Feasibly, would it be possible for me to link a few REALLY LONG Serial calbes together and connect them to the car, and drive around the block?? just kidding. Actually, link them together and take a log while it's trying to idle in the driveway? Or would it not work due to the multiple splices in the cables along the way?

 

There will be too much attenuation so it won't be as accurate, so I wouldn't recommend doing it that way....

If you were closer I would let you use my laptop to try it out because I have two laptops, but I am not looking to sell either....

 

I have used several 6 foot serial cables together to plug the pcm to a desktop computer and it worked fine. In the back of my mind, I seem to recall that around 25' is when the signals begin to degrade (maybe wrong). I would keep it shorter when doing programming.

 

Well, the closest I could get is probably 40-50 feet. I have the car in a garage, the computer in the upstairs loft room. Doh!