I just bought an OBD2 reader. Something that's been on my shopping list for some time, but never got or needed bad enough. Recent events on both my kids' cars proved that having one would have saved some money. I checked prices and ultimately bought one off Amazon for $15.99 because of the price and the great reviews. It does everything I needed it to do and works great. It can be bought here: http://www.amazon.com/OBD2-Reader-D...58AY/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1322669977&sr=8-5
Do these distinguish "causation" though? I was doing some reading and they claim the less expensive ones will give you codes but not the full determination. The example I was given for instance. For example, you could see a code showing low catalytic converter efficiency, but the causation of this result can be from numerous other sources, not that the catalytic converter failed ...but such as a "lazy" or failed O2 sensor which is not triggering a DTC fault code of it's own. By having the O2 sensor live readouts, you can verify that these are functioning correctly ... and so it goes with other fault codes in the engine/emissions DTC's.
It just reads the code that is thrown. It's up to you to nail down the cause. That's why having the service manual to help with troubleshooting is a must. Speaking of which we have a free download link for the Caliber service manual in our "Manuals" section.
Thanks again Brad. That is great info to have! The wife just stopped @ Napa, they had one for $91.89. Not sure how complex it is. It's the closest auto store that would carry one...I'll keep looking.
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