I thought those cheap Bluetooth code readers were junk until my buddy's truck threw a code on a job site

He pulled out a $40 OBD2 scanner from Amazon and paired it with his phone. We pulled the P0087 code for low fuel rail pressure right there in the field, which saved us from towing it back to the shop blind. I was sure you needed a $2,000 scan tool to get anything useful, but that little thing pointed us straight at the lift pump. Has anyone else had a good run with one of those budget scanners on a modern diesel?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jennifer6d ago

Grab one of those cheap scanners and keep it in the glove box. I've used mine to check a P0299 code on a Duramax right after a fuel filter change, saved a huge headache. They won't do advanced stuff like injector balance tests, but for pulling and clearing basic codes they're solid. Just make sure you get an app that reads live data so you can watch sensor readings while the engine runs.

king.robin6d ago

Honestly, same thing happened with my buddy's 6.7 Powerstroke throwing a random code. That cheap scanner showed live fuel pressure and saved us a tow bill right then. Tbh you don't need the fancy shop gear for basic diag anymore.

harpery476d ago

My old scanner is so basic it probably thinks live data is a TV show. Still caught a bad O2 sensor before my last road trip though. Sometimes the simple tools get the job done.