Jump to content

What can be read from the OBD-II?


Strato_54
 Share

Recommended Posts

Since my 97 SE has an obd2 reader, i am curious as to what can be read from it. Some vehicles to my knowledge only show things such as engine codes and small things like that, while others can show stuff like water temp oil temp rpm and such with a more advanced scan tool. In my pathfinder, I want to make it more functional towards camping with my trailer and road tripping so I am wanting to put together a little tool i can use to read stuff about my car. My question is if i plug in an obd2 reader, what can i view from the computer other then the basics such as engine codes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

43 minutes ago, dogla said:

Is it an OBD2 port? Mine has Nissan Consult port and I have a '98

Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk
 

from my understanding there are 2 ports on the pathfinder of this year. theres the obd2 and higher up is the consult port from what i can remember 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is an OBD hook up, bu no oil pressure or oil temperature (no sensor, for it, only for no oil pressure light) , but the other items you listed are there, plus a whole bunch more like maf airflow, etc. most of which I don't recall right now.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

All I have on my truck is this port.
And the tool I have connected to it to read vitals is a consult diagnostic reader which is connected to a windows tablet I integrated in my dash as head unit.1ff34e61e34699c5ba656c40dc45952b.jpg18bc5ea594119911ea5741cdcff20528.jpg

Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, CALPATHY said:

There is an OBD hook up, bu no oil pressure or oil temperature (no sensor, for it, only for no oil pressure light) , but the other items you listed are there, plus a whole bunch more like maf airflow, etc. most of which I don't recall right now.

ok well its good to know that it does have some more advanced things that can be read. and i wasnt meaning oil and coolant temps persay just as an example as i know more modern vehicles have those built in. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, dogla said:

All I have on my truck is this port.
And the tool I have connected to it to read vitals is a consult diagnostic reader which is connected to a windows tablet I integrated in my dash as head unit.1ff34e61e34699c5ba656c40dc45952b.jpg18bc5ea594119911ea5741cdcff20528.jpg

Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk
 

Here in Canada it was standard for all vehicles made after 95 to have them so theres a chance your model didn't have to have that standard. Maybe i'm wrong but there should be one there. Its normally a white plug next to the hood release.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Probably because mine is a Japanese version it came only with a consult port and no obd-2 port....

Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, dogla said:

Probably because mine is a Japanese version it came only with a consult port and no obd-2 port....

Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk
 

if everything is in Japanese then maybe lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, dogla said:

Probably because mine is a Japanese version it came only with a consult port and no obd-2 port....

Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk
 

 

Hey man, mine is the same. What information can you get with the consult diagnostic reader? Any live stuff while driving?
I've used the metal pin method to diagnose engine fault codes but if we can get more live info using this tool I could be interested in getting one!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

from my basic knowledge it reads the same thing as the obd2 but not as much info and nissan uses it for dealer scanning from what i know of. from what i know it does the same thing

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use a program called ECUtalk and get rpm, speed, injection timing, air flow and a lot more. Here's what I might use and there's still more gauges to select from. Also read fault codes.c61adc4c87e45fcba232c8132d7ce4b7.jpgaa994693c011cfb673ad6c60ea526a36.jpg

Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice. I didn't realise it could pick up so much info, I will definitely look into now, cheers!

Hopefully it's ECUtalk is compatible with android phones.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you use torque pro you can monitor airflow, coolant temp, o2 sensors, timing, maf, intake temp, speed, fuel trims, and a bunch of other stuff. Car gauge pro allows you to do the idle volume and self learning and adjust base timing 2 degrees plus or minus. You can do a ton of stuff

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

ok but the issue with all these apps is i need one to work on linux. not on windows or android. Im using linux for that tool im mentioning 

The only one i now of thats good for my thing is tunerstudio

Edited by Strato_54
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nissan was a little weird with the data ports in the last 4 years of the 20th century. North America federal law required OBDII for the 96 and later model year light trucks and autos. 

OBDII was a standardized connector port and diagnostic code format. 

For the last half of the decade, manufacturers were required to have the basics for data and engine codes accessable through the standardized connector. Because it was an expensive and difficult change, manufacturers were given time to adapt and change to the new standard. Many, Nissan included, adapted by running the OBDII as an add-on. The results is that from 96 to 99, you can get the basics through the OBDII port, but if you want full data, you have to go through the Consult port. It was about 2000 when Nissan dropped the Consult port and finished the changeover. That said, even though there is a lot that is accessible through OBDII, there is even more that is still manufacturer specific that requires the proper software to access. 

 

OBDII is still and will most likely always be a minimum standard. There is simply too much money invested to make everything meet a standard. Oddly, Ford was an early adopter, with many of the 95's having OBDII, just not federally certified. All that said, all 1996 and newer Nissans that were for North American markets have the standard OBDII port under the left dash near the Consult port. Just don't expect much from them for data. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Mr_Reverse said:

Nissan was a little weird with the data ports in the last 4 years of the 20th century. North America federal law required OBDII for the 96 and later model year light trucks and autos. 

OBDII was a standardized connector port and diagnostic code format. 

For the last half of the decade, manufacturers were required to have the basics for data and engine codes accessable through the standardized connector. Because it was an expensive and difficult change, manufacturers were given time to adapt and change to the new standard. Many, Nissan included, adapted by running the OBDII as an add-on. The results is that from 96 to 99, you can get the basics through the OBDII port, but if you want full data, you have to go through the Consult port. It was about 2000 when Nissan dropped the Consult port and finished the changeover. That said, even though there is a lot that is accessible through OBDII, there is even more that is still manufacturer specific that requires the proper software to access. 

 

OBDII is still and will most likely always be a minimum standard. There is simply too much money invested to make everything meet a standard. Oddly, Ford was an early adopter, with many of the 95's having OBDII, just not federally certified. All that said, all 1996 and newer Nissans that were for North American markets have the standard OBDII port under the left dash near the Consult port. Just don't expect much from them for data. 

so how do i get the same info from the obd2, but also more from the nissan port. Im trying to make a live reading tool thats always plugged in and i was going to use an obd2 to usb and tunerstudio to do this but if i can get more i would love to know how. But again has to be for linux because of the hardware im using 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Only way to get full info from your 97 is to run Consult 2 software and be hooked up to the Consult port. Not that there is much there compared to what you get with stuff from the last 15 years. The electronic engine controls were still rather primitive.  

With the OBDII, you can get basic info like O2 sensor millivolts, MAF data and ECT data. Oil pressure, oil temp,  and things like that just doesn't exist, there is no sensors for those and the ECU doesn't know to look for it. The 3.3 is basically a punched out 3.0 and was from a simple time. It wasn't until the VQ35 that the ECU started to control more than the basics and needed more information. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Mr_Reverse said:

Only way to get full info from your 97 is to run Consult 2 software and be hooked up to the Consult port. Not that there is much there compared to what you get with stuff from the last 15 years. The electronic engine controls were still rather primitive.  

With the OBDII, you can get basic info like O2 sensor millivolts, MAF data and ECT data. Oil pressure, oil temp,  and things like that just doesn't exist, there is no sensors for those and the ECU doesn't know to look for it. The 3.3 is basically a punched out 3.0 and was from a simple time. It wasn't until the VQ35 that the ECU started to control more than the basics and needed more information. 

shoot. so id be better off installing my own sensors and making a control panel of what i want then huh. well thanks for the info man 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Strato_54 said:

ok but the issue with all these apps is i need one to work on linux. not on windows or android. Im using linux for that tool im mentioning 

The only one i now of thats good for my thing is tunerstudio

I only paid 8 dollars for the Bluetooth dongle that I monitor all this with. I have a tablet mounted where my radio should be that I monitor it all with. Might be time for an upgrade 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, Sjackson2 said:

I only paid 8 dollars for the Bluetooth dongle that I monitor all this with. I have a tablet mounted where my radio should be that I monitor it all with. Might be time for an upgrade 

what im going to use is one of my raspberry pi's and the touchscreen thing they make and i was going to mount that somewhere, i was going to use the obd2 port to live read to it but now see this im not sure it would be worth it if theres next to nothing that shows up 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, Sjackson2 said:

I only paid 8 dollars for the Bluetooth dongle that I monitor all this with. I have a tablet mounted where my radio should be that I monitor it all with. Might be time for an upgrade 

actually what year is your pathfinder and also whats the info that your app shows you besides codes?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

if you are just wanting to monitor the running condition of the engine then all you need is a decent obdii dongle. i use bluedriver and my phone and havent needed anything further. now i would love to have a permanent dash mounted tablet with the info obdii provides split screened with spotify but its too much trouble for what little data is available. my wife's vehicle shows all kinds of stuff and would def be worth it. 

 

heres what bluedriver can live monitor:

Fuel System Status (open loop / closed loop)

Calculated Engine Load

Engine Coolant Temperature

Short Term Fuel Trim Bank 1

Long Term Fuel Trim Bank 1

Short Term Fuel Trim Bank 2

Long Term Fuel Trim Bank 2

O2 Bank 1-1 Sensor Voltage

O2 Bank 1-2 Sensor Voltage

O2 Bank 2-1 Sensor Voltage

O2 Bank 2-2 Sensor Voltage

Intake Manifold Absolute Pressure

Engine RPM

Vehicle Speed

Timing Advance for #1 Cylinder

Intake Air Temperature

Mass Air Flow Rate

Absolute Throttle Position

 

It looks like a lot after typing all that but its missing a lot like fuel rail pressure, oil pressure, torque calcs, etc. i will say though that what is available goes a long long way when troubleshooting issues. and bluedriver lets you save logs of all the data you collected point by point which you can plug into an excel sheet to make a super detailed graph and as long as you were paying attention to the duration of the recording when an issue was present you can go back and see exactly what was being effected. unless of course you have strange spikes in your data that cannot be explained.. 

Edited by onespiritbrain
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, onespiritbrain said:

if you are just wanting to monitor the running condition of the engine then all you need is a decent obdii dongle. i use bluedriver and my phone and havent needed anything further. now i would love to have a permanent dash mounted tablet with the info obdii provides split screened with spotify but its too much trouble for what little data is available. my wife's vehicle shows all kinds of stuff and would def be worth it. 

 

heres what bluedriver can live monitor:

Fuel System Status (open loop / closed loop)

Calculated Engine Load

Engine Coolant Temperature

Short Term Fuel Trim Bank 1

Long Term Fuel Trim Bank 1

Short Term Fuel Trim Bank 2

Long Term Fuel Trim Bank 2

O2 Bank 1-1 Sensor Voltage

O2 Bank 1-2 Sensor Voltage

O2 Bank 2-1 Sensor Voltage

O2 Bank 2-2 Sensor Voltage

Intake Manifold Absolute Pressure

Engine RPM

Vehicle Speed

Timing Advance for #1 Cylinder

Intake Air Temperature

Mass Air Flow Rate

Absolute Throttle Position

 

It looks like a lot after typing all that but its missing a lot like fuel rail pressure, oil pressure, torque calcs, etc. i will say though that what is available goes a long long way when troubleshooting issues. and bluedriver lets you save logs of all the data you collected point by point which you can plug into an excel sheet to make a super detailed graph and as long as you were paying attention to the duration of the recording when an issue was present you can go back and see exactly what was being effected. unless of course you have strange spikes in your data that cannot be explained.. 

are those all what the vg33e can show? or is that just what the bluedriver shows? and also look into raspberry pi's. you do have to do some stuff your self to make it work but theyre excellent little computers that can do a lot and the same company also makes a 7" touch screen. This is what im looking into and is why i started this thread in the first place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...