What do you know about OBD-II?

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by Branden Ghena

It would probably make a pretty awesome project... for after build season of course

Just avoid causing damage to that very expen$ive engine control unit...

Originally Posted by Matt Howard

OBD is good for Diagnosing problems, but that's about it. Without high $$ hardware, you cant do much else with it.

I disagree.

Yes, you can read out the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) fault codes, which can help in diagnosing the problem. But there is a wealth of vehicle operational data available on that connector, such as fuel economy, vehicle speed, and more.

Inexpensive (<$100) testers are readily available.

The "high $$ hardware" are manufacturer systems, which work on every system in the car (like A/C, seats, locks, etc.), not just the emissions-relevant ones covered by the OBD laws.


As for the original post: There is a LOT of info on the web about OBD II, since it's a publicly-documented system. The OBD connector is under the dash, but the 'computer' behind it can be located anywhere.