Why won't these scan tools work on my Holden Commodore?

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RUSSLS1
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Why won't these scan tools work on my Holden Commodore?

Post by RUSSLS1 »

I have a 2002 model Holden VY SS Commodore which runs the Chevrolet LS1 engine,so is SAE J1850 VPW protocol because it's the earlier OBDII type, well , I've got this problem :-

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The engine symbol with the lightning bolt through it is telling me the car has a problem with the EFI system,but here's where I fall short :-

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This OBDII scanner which is also supposed to read a GM car such as mine isn't recognizing the fault,the only time it has worked for me is in 2012 when I had an air leak in the evaporative emission control system,it recorded a stored trouble code then never worked again,all I have been able to retrieve is live engine data,now to try another scan tool :-

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I bought it on Ebay after a seller had used it once on a Mitsubishi, I can't be specific on which models it covers but they don't use the same system as General motors,same problem next photo with the stored trouble codes :-

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Note I don't expect there to be any stored trouble codes which don't necessarily trigger a check engine light,etc but I am getting no pending codes displayed either :-

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Note my car uses pin 2 for the signal wire on the OBDII port, now my fathers 2014 model Holden Colorado uses the ISO 15765 or CAN BUS OBDII system which Holden has used since 2006 in all of their cars in Australia,this car uses pins 6 & 14 for the signal wires, I switched on a code by disconnecting the MAF meter as shown in this photo:-

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In this case I get a pending P0113 code on both scan tools as shown here :-

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I was wondering if there is a chance both scan tools could be faulty?
That's meaning they don't read codes from my Commodore due to a hardware problem within the scan tool itself,all I get is live data on both scan tools but no fault code retrieval.
People have been saying in Australia that the LS1 powered cars are different from the U.S. delivered cars but I disagree with that,what I mean is that people have been saying they're OBD1.5 when in fact they have been confused by the Buick V6 powered Holden Commodores which have been OBD1.5 from 1993 up until 2004 in Australia when they ceased fitting the Buick engine into a Holden.
I was wondering what the best scan tool would be for an LS1 powered Holden Commodore ,meaning best value for money?
I have been looking at buying a Vgate VS890 scan tools but I am not sure if they'll scan my car,note both the scan tools I have are both copies as they don't have serial numbers on them or don't appear to have a valid serial number programmed into them (i.e. one that I can read).
I was wondering if it would be worth scoping pin 2 to make sure that I am getting a trouble code signal before buying any more scan tools which may not work.

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Fat Freddy
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Re: Why won't these scan tools work on my Holden Commodore?

Post by Fat Freddy »

People have been saying in Australia that the LS1 powered cars are different from the U.S. delivered cars but I disagree with that,what I mean is that people have been saying they're OBD1.5 when in fact they have been confused by the Buick V6 powered Holden Commodores which have been OBD1.5 from 1993 up until 2004 in Australia when they ceased fitting the Buick engine into a Holden.
I was wondering what the best scan tool would be for an LS1 powered Holden Commodore ,meaning best value for money?
I have been looking at buying a Vgate VS890 scan tools but I am not sure if they'll scan my car,note both the scan tools I have are both copies as they don't have serial numbers on them or don't appear to have a valid serial number programmed into them (i.e. one that I can read).
I was wondering if it would be worth scoping pin 2 to make sure that I am getting a trouble code signal before buying any more scan tools which may not work.
In short. This is why the Australian car industry is where it is today. And where it deserves to be. Dead! Good luck finding the tool. Australia did not become OBDII/EOBD compliant until 2007 IIRC

Moving on from rant about Holden's lemming like approach to the industry I would put a dollar you don't have an OBD fault code but a service code. Oil pressure sensor is where my money is..

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Mark Dalton
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Re: Why won't these scan tools work on my Holden Commodore?

Post by Mark Dalton »

Freddy's right, VY isn't really OBD2 it's a bit of a mish mash. The engine management is OBD2 but the rest of the car isn't. So when you think your scan tool is talking to the Engine ECU it's really talking to the PIM "Powertrain Interface Module" So there's a fair amount of DTC's that won't show up on your scan tool. You really need a tool that will work with class 2 UART.

tangoman
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Re: Why won't these scan tools work on my Holden Commodore?

Post by tangoman »

just Had the same model car in my workshop today . the Bosch Tech 2 I used worked great . don't forget in Australia the car your scanning needs to be 2008 and newer for a OBD 11 to work properly . if its 2006 don't use your OBD 11 scan tool get the right scan tool for the car and the works just great . so best Scan to use for your car Bosch tech 2 . I have more then 10 scan tool and the only scan tool that's I have found that's work ok on your Holden Commodore is the Bosch tech 2 I have used Auto Boss and Launch and they work ok but still they miss a few things the Tech 2 got

good luck

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