I got a blue driver scan tool for christmas. None of my vehicles have a check engine light but the CEL only triggers if the data is off by ~20%. What data could i check for issues that I may catch before they are severe enough? (Lambda, fuel trims, misfires, etc). And any idea what maintenance I would do to fix those issues?
2004 honda element auto 200k miles
2013 chevy sonic 1.4t auto 70k miles
Although he did not use the Blue Driver, in Scotty's video today he goes over some of the data you can look for. (Watch him flag a hinky MAF sensor in seconds!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBkeBW5Rg-M&t=181s
It's important to note that a CEL doesn't have to come on for you to have a stored code. Just because something hasn't triggered a CEL doesn't mean it hasn't triggered a code. Any scan tool is only as good the person interpreting the data. The Blue Driver is a good basic scan tool and it's not hard to learn how to use it properly. Since you're new to the Blue Driver I would suggest doing a full system scan on each vehicle first. After you've scanned you can check each vehicles live data (another function of the scanner) This is where you can find the real time data for fuel trims, MAF, O2 sensors, etc as the car is running. The 20% you've referring to.. that typically refers specifically to fuel trims. The Blue Driver is an interface with your cars computers. It will never predict what maintenance you should do, it can help you determine what needs to be addressed.
Chris Fix has a nice video on the BlueDriver : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPI36bKVCjk
That is really nice for a $100 tool.
Yeah, you're right @mmj , not fair to call the BD just a 'basic tool' really. It does many functions that only much more expensive units will do. Years of watching Scotty's videos with his high end scanners has caused me to develop "scanner envy" lol
The app looks well made, and I like that the company is based in Canada , not Guangzhou.
Anytime you buy something that needs software, you want something that is being actively developed.
Have enjoyed mine.. the interface is really nice plus their product support is excellent. Mine malfunctioned after several months but BD support replaced it quickly. All I had to do was some simple troubleshooting on the unit itself, they verified it was 'defective', issued a credit to Amazon (the pos) and it was replace in less than week including shipping.
what data for preventative maintenance?
it's not particularly useful for doing maintenance, other than a general health check once in a while. Unless maybe you need the transmission temperature to check the fluid level or something like that.
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It's primary function is to help with troubleshooting when there's a problem.
