How to determine what scanner

[mark]

Hi,

Ive seen where people are talkning about a scanner, and There seem to be a lot of variations of the otc kind (2000, 4000, 4000e). and i see references to pathfinder, and cartridges, etc etc...

How do I know which one to get, they are done by year of the car that is going to be scanned?

[MiniMopar]

The most potentially versatile one that is easy to find on eBay and is not too expensive is the OTC 4000 or 4000E. The latter is OBDII-ready and has a slightly different keypad. With respect to our old TDs, they are the same. The 2000 is fine for older cars, but doesn't work too well on newer models using OBDII, I believe.

The cartridge that you want is the Pathfinder II, though the Pathfinder III also works but loses some support for some older setups (like 87 T2, I believe). You also need to have the Chrysler cable adapter

Usually the best deal is to wait for an auction that comes with all the cables and a bunch of modules, including the Chrysler cable and the Pathfinder II. Then you're setup for other vehicles as well.

[MiniMopar]

Other differences between the 2000 and 4000 series:

- The 4000 lets you look at 8 parameters at once in the custom data view, whereas the 2000 only lets you see 2 or 4 (can't remember). Having 8 is great because you can use 4 to watch for knock in each cylinder and still have 4 more to watch other things.

You can also datalog with the 4000, though the frame rate is very slow. Not sure about the 2000 in this regard.

I picked up a 4000E a couple of years ago and it was one of the best investments I ever made. When things go wonky with the electronics, there no more guess work on what is the issue. You can see all the sensors from the ECU's perspective, which is really useful.

[mark]

thanks! much appreciated!

[csxtra]

Mark,

Russ is right on, the only thing I will add is that the 2000 WILL datalog with the 93 Pathfinder II Domestic cartridge.

The 2000 is usually the cheapest because it does not do OBD-II.

You might find my OTC Datalogging page to provide some more information:
http://home.fuse.net/csxtra/

Hope this helps,
Warren

[5sp. mini]

i have a 4000 enchansed it will do ob2 i like for the tms and always run it in the mini as my a/f meter and knock sig. and it will read and clear codes on my 2000 durango too. ALAN

[Clay]

Mark,

Russ is right on, the only thing I will add is that the 2000 WILL datalog with the 93 Pathfinder II Domestic cartridge.

Warren -

will the 4000 or 4000e datalog with the 93 pathfinder II domestic cartridge?

thanks!

[csxtra]

Warren -

will the 4000 or 4000e datalog with the 93 pathfinder II domestic cartridge?

thanks!

(yes)

[inmyshadow]

I use a 4000e by matco. I use a patherfinder 96 cartridge. It lets me scan my car and most OBDII systems.

Only problem I have with either of my 93 and 96 cartridges? I can't select the year. The scanner automatical selects that for me. Hard to scan my charge temp sensor when I can't select 90 Shadow VNT.


later

[Dez]

Who has tried to datalog with the OTC 2000?

I recently bought one, and soldered the wires for the scanner2PC cable.

Now today i tested it out and my laptop recongnizes it however i get no data of any kind. I tried to mess around with the settings and such but nothing.

What am i doing wrong?

What are the setting that you guys use?

[Aries_Turbo]

just an addition... if you want to scan obd-2 get the 4000 Enhanced.... not the 4000E.... they are different. to do obd-2 with a 4000E you need the OBD-2 plus module which is darn near IMPOSSIBLE to find. at least when I was looking it was. I second the pathfinder II cart. i have a pathfinder 3, pathfinder II and the pathfinder 95 carts and only the path II will do the older stuff.

Mark, If you want to borrow my scanner you are more than welcome to. I might be in roch Wed. call me 3035635 during the day.

Brian

[mark]

this post is from last may

The R/T is parked in the garage for the winter.

in the winter it's all R/C

[Aries_Turbo]

im retarded. i just now looked at the date lol.
Brian

[TopDollar69]

Dez, are you using the pathfinder II cartridge with your OTC2000?