Has anyone in the Shrewsbury area, got an Engine Diagnostics tool, i could borrow, to check out my sick Mk3.5 2.0litre. Engine Management light has come on and having read some of the forums, it appears it could be number of problems. Really don’t want to take it local Mazda dealer, as i have already fell out with them once, over previous service issues.
Thanks
Stephen Jones
I know it’s not immediately helpful to you right now but I bought one from Aldi for very little money. It’s great and easy to use. The booklet it comes with has all the Fault Codes and they are spot on as I have checked them against the Mazda data. You can clear fault codes with it and turn of the engine management light as well. You can get one next day from Amazon (Prime) for less than £20 which is about what I paid for my Aldi one.
I use a Vgate icar pro wireless adaptor that was around £18. It works with a free app called car scanner (and other apps). I’ve used it on dozens of cars all makes and models. Gives great results, does resets, live data, data logging, updates, all you need most times. And if you have a bmw bimmercode works with it perfectly.
Last time I used mine was yesterday to reset a fault on my jag, I had done a full service and not plugged a lead back in resulting in an error code. Glad I had it because it saved me a garage bill there and then.
Thanks both for your replies. After i sent the message, would you believe it, a friend sent me a link to Aldi’s on-line site, where, as you say, they have an OBD11, for £16.99. It has good reviews, so i ordered one last night - now then, next question, where’s the connection port located in the car? I’m guessing some where under the dash.
Thanks Again
Stephen
If your OBD socket is like mine (NC3/Mk3.75) then it will be at the bottom of the dash on your right hand side as you sit in the driver’s seat.
What flummoxed me at first is that the opening points downwards (towards the carpet). Once you know that, it should be easy to find.
Download car scanner app for free and check out the options before you commit. I love how you can leave the dongle plugged in 24/7 and access it from your phone or laptop. There are hundreds of things you can view as well as customise the displays. General fault code reading and resetting is good, but it’s interesting to see how long it takes the oil to warm up after the water warms up, check if stuff like TPS is set up correctly, and see the real world road speed composited to the speedometer in your dash. The ECU knows your road speed but the speedo reads higher!
Here’s a screen shot of ‘random car’ with 5 segments displayed. You can pick colours, sizes, fonts, digital or analogue displays per segment… I like it a lot for a free app.
Brilliant, Thank You. I will have a look.
Stephen
Thanks. I think, by law, the speedometer has to give a positive reading. No doubt, i will have a play with the OBD, once i have sorted the fault out. Just hoping it’s not the EGR valve, as i understand that’s not an easy job to replace. If it’s the front cat, i might just remove and fit a 4-2-1 manifold, as i read the car will still pass the MOT emissions, with just the rear cat. This is very bad timing, i’ve had 11 months of Furlough, with work restarting soon and now the car goes wrong!!!
Stephen
Just to update everyone who offered advice and help. and those who may have similar problems. I bought an OBD and got the code P0403. Having read some previous items, i bought a Mondeo 1.8 EGR valve from ebay for £23. I believe the Mazda unit is around £270. I tackled the job of getting to the valve and although ‘a pig’ to get to, it took about 90minutes, to strip everything off. I took off the step motor, checked the valve and the piston resistance was the same as my new valve. I therefore just replaced the step motor and put it all back together. Looks like it has cleared the problem and saved me about £450 against dealership cost! One word of advise, don’t drop the screws from the motor head. I used a magnetic pick tool to hold when removing and a grab tool to fit them back into the fixing holes. Thanks Again
