I'm not sure about JDM standards. OBD-II has been manditory for all cars sold in the US since 1996. I'm not sure if they are left on in other countries, or removed or just repurposed. Do you have a OBD-II port? It is a big D-shaped black connector to the lower left of the driver's foot well on the US versions. I'm not sure where it would be for a JDM one.Originally Posted by crotchrocket
It appears, the protocols are the same, but different countries set the redlines different, so the lights come on at different points, but it sounds like a reader MIGHT still work...
I can tell you about different levels of readers, though. The most basic just give you the 5-character code. Some only give you the numbers, and skip the first letter -- you should probably stay away from those.
The one I have (Actron CP9175) will also read the freeze-frame data that gets recorded when a code is stored. I haven't found that additional feature useful at all.The higher ones do show live data, like you say, but at that point, I would consider getting one that plugs into a laptop instead.
Don't bother with the Davis CarChip. Neat idea, but the entry level ones just aren't practical for using for maintenance and repair.
So, I'd get a basic 5-character reader, which you can get for a little as $35, or spring for the full laptop solution.
Lastly, around here, you can drop into many auto parts stores and they will read the code for no charge. They'll try to sell you the part to fix it, of course, even if it is the wrong part... but you'll at least know the code.
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