I had posted a link to an e-Bay auction site that sells OBD-2 to USB interface cables and a freeware utility program that allows OBD-2 code scanning. I guess it got deleted as spam…So if you think being able to read your own codes and resetting the CEL would be useful, you’ll just have to root out the cable yourself. Under $25.
Here is One of the interface cables available…
PC based code readers are cheap and actually have a lot more capability than the low end code readers at Autozone or Sears. I’ve used one for years. But I also gave up recently and bought a low end reader for simple stuff because finding a portable PC with the code handling software installed and working is always time consuming. And configuring the PC – which I’m actually supposed to be sort of an expert at – can be frustrating. And the software is like almost all software – harder to use than it should be. And, after fifty years of dealing with bad software, my fuse for that stuff is virtually nonexistent. And PC screens often aren’t real readable in direct sunlight.
But if one is willing to put up with the possibility for some aggravation, having a PC based code reader sure beats not having one.
One caveat – USB was a disaster when it was originally released in the late 1990s. It’s a lot better now, but it still has its moments. USB devices that work on your computer will not always run on mine, and vice versa. (The reason for that is that the USB interface is insanely complex internally). Serial devices – if any are still being sold – have different problems not the least of which is the fact that many modern laptops/netbooks lack serial ports and USB to serial converters don’t always work. The previous generation of laptops that have a serial port often have it turned off by default to save battery power.
It does not take much of a computer to become a dedicated code reader. The old Thinkpads, they ran directly on 12 volts, and the freeware scan programs work fine on Win 95 or 98…So a throwaway obsolete laptop can become a dedicated scan tool…
The cable link I posted also has available a serial cable for the older computers. You must transfer the software from a CD onto a floppy so you can load it into the real old ones…
This gives you an onboard data-logger so you can monitor your cars ECM and related sensors over an extended period of time…