Can anyone recommend a good OBD reader? There a few for around £20 on amazon, e.g. “MOTOPOWER MP69033 OBD2 Scanner” - should this be fine, or is there any reason to go for a more expensive one? Just need to be able to read any error codes, and reset them also. btw it’s for a 2002 Mk2.5 SVT - which I’m 99% sure is OBD2 compatible - but let me know if I’m wrong about that!
edit: just noticed Amazon is advising that this OBD2 reader “does not fit!” a “Mazda Mx-5 II mk ii Convertible 1.8 16V” (which it gets from entering my number plate) - and if I click the option to view ones that are compatible, it doesn’t come up with anything at all! However, I think it’s just that it doesn’t distinguish between early Mk2’s (which I believe didn’t yet have OBD2) and facelift Mk2.5’s - and if a car is OBD2 compliant, any OBD2 reader should be fine, right? i.e. I should ignore Amazon’s “advice” here?
I can’t advise on readers but I can confirm your 2002 S-VT, just like mine has a OBD2 reader socket.
You will find it behind the fuse box panel, to the right of the steering wheel below the fog light switches. The socket is above the fuse box and hard to see unless you are looking at the fuse box from below.
Will be interested to see what reader recomendations come up.
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I have found ForScan loaded on a laptop with an ELM327 compatible usb cable works on my NC1
Don’t think the NB was a different OBD system
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This is probably a data (datum) point rather than a recommendation, but I’ve just bought pretty much the cheapest ELM327 clone on ebay (£3.99) and it seems to work fine on my 2003 Mk2.5 with the Torque app.
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I have an ELM327 dongle working with the torque app on my head unit too
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Reading some of the comments for two different Torque Pro apps in the Apple App store seems if you wish to run torque pro through an i phone there are several potential hazzards including i phone has to be at least iOS14 which I have but then there seem to be issues with blue tooth compatibility ?
A couple of weeks ago I settled for a Wireless OBD2 Code Reader. Without too much difficulty and a wild guess or two, when messages came up about WAP / LAN, I got it attached to an app called Car Scanner Pro.
I got a code that diagnosed a fault with the Crank Position sensor which I replaced with a new OEM item but the fault code persisted and the car still wouldn’t start.
After consultation with Steve at MX5 Restorations in Ilkeston I was advised to replace the cam position sensor which I did with an OEM item and bingo the car started.
At some point I might try and work out if both the units I changed were broken, but for now just glad to have Madge running again.
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