2005 Crown Vic police interceptor. 178k miles but engine is likely a used engine with unknown mileage. Drives but runs very rough and it may need a(nother) new engine, but before do that I’d like to look at the codes. Check engine light is on, but when I plug my BlueDriver in, it fails to connect to both android and iOS devices; I’ve confirmed the other day using another vehicle that the Bluetooth connection isn’t the issue. I also tried 2 different scan tools that my neighbor (a retired manufacturing advisor who worked for GM, Toyota, Ford, Mercedes, Chrysler, and possibly others) has, and neither of those worked either. How should I go about diagnosing this problem?
Here's the thing. If you get no communication, one of three things is wrong. Either the OBD Port has a problem like one of the pins is bent or missing or one of the wires that feeds it has shorted out. Or number two. The main computer has gone bad. Or number three. There is a short in one of the sensors on the car which is the biggest stinker of them all. For that, you'd go around unplugging sensors one at a time and if all the sudden it starts to communicate, you'll know that that particular sensor was shorting the whole system out. Good luck!
