Hi Scotty,
Do you know of any OBD2 scanners that use a laptop instead of the traditional handheld unit? I'm looking for one with atleast the ABS bleed option, hopefully with bidirectional function so I can manually actuate/test evap components, etc.
I'm hoping going that route by purchasing the OBD2 dongle & software would cut down dramatically on cost because even scanners in the $200 range which claimed abs bleed functionality neither worked on my former 1999 F150 or my current 2003 F250.
The message always comes up as "function not supported" although both had antilock brakes & I had no other way to purge the solenoid.
I've heard of something called forscan but am not sure of the cost involved or ability to use on other makes.
Thanks!
At the top right corner of this page, click on "Tools" and shop for what you need.
Going off of the listing for the $149 the seller claims it's for 2006 & up(mine is 03), the others are way out of my price range.
Forscan is software. You would still need the hardware interface.
Also just because the vehicle uses ABS, it doesn't mean it necessarily has an automated OBD bleed function.
Seems like you can get Ford dealer tool (VCM2 IDS) knockoffs on eBay for about $130, but I can't vouch for them.
I know it's software(that's what I'm looking for), I found the connector for a decent price, just wondering if it's comparable to a good scanner using a laptop instead of the traditional unit.
How would you go about bleeding your abs sans some kind of scanner? With my last truck, although the brakes were thoroughly bled/everything installed correctly, the first two times I applied the brakes after start up they would lock no matter how little pressure I used.
Once that happened the abs light would stay on & the brakes stopped locking.
On my current F250, three of my lines (left, right & intermediate rear) were cut by a neighbor so all of the fluid had drained & I'm replacing all the lines to be safe. There's no abs bleed mentioned in my manuals so I'm hoping to find the correct method.