Beautiful weather yesterday...took the day off...cruising in the snake...and it is feeling very strong...no more stalling...dusted a WRX and an SS Camaro, passed Va State Inspection, even with my "too low" tag mount...life is good. Then, blink....hard SES light. WTF?
Off to Autozone to grab the code, but the guy looks like an exaggerated biker from a Cheech and Chong movie - tattoos on tattoos, bald with ponytail, green teeth, nuclear swampazz body odor, the whole enchilada. So I just bought an Actron OBDII analyzer (model PC9135): $150. Code says I had too high an idle - so I dropped the rpm about 25 and will see if it reoccurs. Erased the code - no battery disconnect.
Very nice product - I was amazed it was Made in the USA too! Bright orange so it is easy to find if you set it down, or before you crash the hood on it. The manual was well written and full of info, and if you register the product, they will inform you of software or product upgrades, plus you can call the Techline and speak to an ASE certfied mechanic if a code comes up that is not listed. In a pinch, they just might offer some firendly advice.
So for fun I thought I'd check my little 1997 Subaru Outback beater (my 5 year old calls it the Billy Goat cause it goes anywhere). The build quality on that car is awesome - nearly every fastener goes to a tapped part - very few speed nuts (I think Ford uses the cheesiest hardware in the world - how about that bolt that holds the airbox to the fender - could that be any cheesier? It is Velveeta for cryinoutloud). Anyway, I am looking under the dash, behind the ashtray, etc. Finally, to the Owner's Manual.
Now here is the difference between attention to detail and an afterthought: The Subaru's DTL is located in the dash, lower left of the steering wheel - in the dash, not under it. It has a hinged door that says "Diagnostic Connector". The Mustang has an exposed (not even a push on cover) connector under the dash near the tranny hump. 3rd world.
Oh yeah: there were no codes in the 'Roo - I doubt it even is connected to anything.
When I wrenched part-time in high school to earn college money, there was an old mechanic in the shop who said "you can judge a car by its connectors". Back then, it was Mopar, GM, then Ford. We used to joke that that Ford must make the best car in the world, because they used connectors that, once removed, never "bit" again. Not much has changed apparently, although I will say that the hardware on the Cobra engine looks damn good.
Anyway, the Actron is a nice piece - highly recommended.
Off to Autozone to grab the code, but the guy looks like an exaggerated biker from a Cheech and Chong movie - tattoos on tattoos, bald with ponytail, green teeth, nuclear swampazz body odor, the whole enchilada. So I just bought an Actron OBDII analyzer (model PC9135): $150. Code says I had too high an idle - so I dropped the rpm about 25 and will see if it reoccurs. Erased the code - no battery disconnect.
Very nice product - I was amazed it was Made in the USA too! Bright orange so it is easy to find if you set it down, or before you crash the hood on it. The manual was well written and full of info, and if you register the product, they will inform you of software or product upgrades, plus you can call the Techline and speak to an ASE certfied mechanic if a code comes up that is not listed. In a pinch, they just might offer some firendly advice.
So for fun I thought I'd check my little 1997 Subaru Outback beater (my 5 year old calls it the Billy Goat cause it goes anywhere). The build quality on that car is awesome - nearly every fastener goes to a tapped part - very few speed nuts (I think Ford uses the cheesiest hardware in the world - how about that bolt that holds the airbox to the fender - could that be any cheesier? It is Velveeta for cryinoutloud). Anyway, I am looking under the dash, behind the ashtray, etc. Finally, to the Owner's Manual.
Now here is the difference between attention to detail and an afterthought: The Subaru's DTL is located in the dash, lower left of the steering wheel - in the dash, not under it. It has a hinged door that says "Diagnostic Connector". The Mustang has an exposed (not even a push on cover) connector under the dash near the tranny hump. 3rd world.
Oh yeah: there were no codes in the 'Roo - I doubt it even is connected to anything.
When I wrenched part-time in high school to earn college money, there was an old mechanic in the shop who said "you can judge a car by its connectors". Back then, it was Mopar, GM, then Ford. We used to joke that that Ford must make the best car in the world, because they used connectors that, once removed, never "bit" again. Not much has changed apparently, although I will say that the hardware on the Cobra engine looks damn good.
Anyway, the Actron is a nice piece - highly recommended.
