Scotty, 1995 Corvette with 50,000 miles. Check engine light came on. Took it to the Chevrolet dealer who said the ODB port was broken, they couldn’t get a reading and I needed a new ODB system just to find out what is wrong. $2,500 to start. I read on the Corvette forum the 95 is the only car with a ODB II port, running ODB I software. SURPRISE! Dealer is an idiot. How can I plug my own ODB (II) reader in and find out what’s wrong?
We used to call that "OBD1.5". It wasn't the real name but it was what GM (and Toyota) were doing in some of their 1994-1995 models during transition to the federally mandated On Board Diagnostic (OBDll) requirement for 1996.
They have an OBDll data link connector but still use OBD1 protocol.
So you can't plug in (or use a cable adapter) to allow your OBDll scanner to read codes on your 1995 Corvette because it can't read the OBD1 datastream.
To complicate matters even more, on some GM '94-'95 models you could still jump a couple of pins on the DLC and the codes would display on the dashboard.
On other GM '94-'95 models, if you did that you'd damage the computer. So don't let anyone talk you into that unless they've done it on the exact same year, model, with the exact same engine as you have.
(An aside, on your 1995 Chevy, it should have "OBD1" printed on the emissions sticker under the hood)
(You won't find any GM company literature that refers to "OBD1.5". They called it "OBD or OBD1")
Aside from GM's proprietary diagnostic equipment, there were some companies which made scanners which could connect to the OBDll DLC and read the OBD1 datastream.
Like the Actron CP9150 AutoScanner
.
Thank you very much, this is exactly what I was looking for.
The dealer is an idiot? There's a new one. Exactly how is an OBD port broken?
In the future if you're planning on having someone do work on that car, find a corvette speciality shop. Usually every state has at least one.
Chances are most shops won't have mechanics that were even in high school when that model was still commonly being brought in for repairs.
Unless you have a vehicle that is still under warranty & the work is free, dealers should be avoided at all costs.
