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Author Topic: Espace III Scanner Diagnostic Tool Read/Reset  (Read 4674 times)
mickc
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« on: August 30, 2021, 11:38:25 am »

Trying to track down an Espace III Scanner Diagnostic Tool to Read/Reset codes and do basic emissions checks. Really don’t want to be forking out too much (£50 second hand? Or new 😁)

For Sep 2002 2.0 16v Grand Espace The Race F4R 700.

In Carlisle area if likeminded enthusiast nearby!

Any thoughts?
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roy4matra
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« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2021, 03:40:08 pm »

Trying to track down an Espace III Scanner Diagnostic Tool to Read/Reset codes and do basic emissions checks. Really don’t want to be forking out too much (£50 second hand? Or new 😁)

For Sep 2002 2.0 16v Grand Espace The Race F4R 700.

In Carlisle area if likeminded enthusiast nearby!

Any thoughts?


The first thing that comes to mind is that there is only standardisation on fault codes for the injection computers and some transmission computers.  Therefore there is (or certainly was when I was working) no universal diagnostics unit that could read all computers on all vehicles.  So most diagnostics will read and reset codes on engine injection and transmission but are unlikely to be able to read or reset faults in say air-bag, anti-lock brakes, electronic suspension systems etc.

If you can accept that you might get a low price system that will only read the engine and maybe transmission ECU's, then there is a way to get a relatively cheap system.  I bought myself a Bluetooth ELM327 plug in device some time ago and that only cost me £5.27 believe it or not.  The software that came with it was rubbish, but I expected that and wasn't worried and in fact except for having a look at how old and pathetic it was, have never used it and threw the Mini CD away!  I bought some modern software for my laptop, and that cost me around £20.  So for around £25 I have a system that works well on any car and is up to date too.  I simply plug the ELM327 into the 'D' socket in the car, and run the software on my laptop (a Mac that already has Bluetooth built-in and is paired with the ELM327).  You can read faults in the injection system, petrol or diesel, see live data as the engine runs, reset fault codes after the work has been rectified and it all works fine.

Today you can buy the software and hardware individually or in a kit from someone like Outils Facile.  Take a look at their website.  Their software will even work with Android or iPhones.

However, even their equipment with hardware & software will cost you more than £50 today I believe, but still much less than the hundreds or thousands that professional garage equipment costs.  However, the garage equipment will be dedicated to their brand of vehicle and will read ALL the computers on those vehicles of course; but won't do much on other makes.  Someone by now (like Snap-On) will possibly have a universal system of sorts to maybe read more than just the Inj. and Trans. ECU's, but it I'm sure it will be more expensive.


Another thing I should point out here is that these systems and fault codes are often only guides and the operator still has to understand the system fitted and work out where the fault lies themself.  They rarely point to something specific and tell you that this item is faulty and once you change it, everything is fine again!

I'll give you one example: A car with an auto transmission came in with erratic gear changing, and we were asked to fix it.  When the diagnostics were read, there were no faults showing in any of the computers, particularly the auto transmission ECU.  So we had to trace the problem ourselves!  Now please bear in mind that vehicles like the Espace III have a number of computers around the vehicle all networked together and often feed one another with relevant data.  Eventually we found that one of the ABS sensors on the car was erratic - not enough to create a fault warning, but enough to upset the transmission gear changes.  You might wonder how.  Well the speed reading in the instrument panel is now the averaged data signal from all the ABS sensors on the car, and that averaged figure is first transmitted to the Injection computer as it needs speed data, and from there it is passed to the instrument panel for the speed reading display, and it is also passed to the transmission ECU for it to operate the gear changes.

The intermittent erratic ABS signal from one wheel sensor, was enough to upset the gearbox computer, but not enough to make any of the computers display a fault either on the dash or in the respective computers!  So don't think that a diagnostic system tells all.  It can be very useful as a guide to where the fault lies or does not lay, and occasionally it can lead you straight to the fault - but not all the time.  You still have to understand the whole vehicle electronic system and the way things work.

Roy
« Last Edit: October 02, 2021, 01:41:01 pm by roy4matra » Logged

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