nyrngrz Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 On my gas coach, what is the best device to buy to plug into under the dash that would give me a code reading on a problem when the check engine light or any other potential problem occurs that would illuminate on the instrument cluster? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidL Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 So, you have a F53 chassis? If so, then it uses OBDII protocol (what cars use since 1996) Most any inexpensive bluetooth ELM327 based scan tool will work with free / inexpensive app software to get basic diagnostic codes that helps in the majority of engine problem conditions. At the high end, there is GMs TechTools which does all of the GM procedures like what a dealership uses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyrngrz Posted August 23, 2023 Author Share Posted August 23, 2023 No I have a Workhorse chassis, WDD coach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidL Posted August 23, 2023 Share Posted August 23, 2023 37 minutes ago, nyrngrz said: No I have a Workhorse chassis, WDD coach. Ok, same situation. OBDII. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinvz Posted August 24, 2023 Share Posted August 24, 2023 Look at the Foxwell 301 OBD2 scanner. It has good reviews and cist abor $66 on Amazon. I do not have one yet but am looking at it. It has several really good features on it and it can also record all the data while driving for analysis later on. This is very useful to understand what is happening dynamically while driving. There are many options cheaper (but without the features) and a lot more expensive (and difficult to learn and understand). Do your reviews and decide what features you want and really need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLynes Posted August 24, 2023 Share Posted August 24, 2023 I bought ours at Auto Zone, last year, when we were going to Vegas and broke down. I don’t recall the brand (it’s in the center consul of our Jeep, which our daughter is driving right now), but I recall it was about $120 and worked great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan K Posted August 24, 2023 Share Posted August 24, 2023 Or you can buy a cheap obd2 dongle and use it with an Android phone or even an android dash radio if you have that. Years ago I bought a bunch of them on ebay for 99 cents and gave them to good customers to watch for code recurrences. I have few code readers in the shop but the dongle is enough to carry in the toad. Works great with free Torque app on Android. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyrngrz Posted August 25, 2023 Author Share Posted August 25, 2023 I was interested in the Foxwell unit you mentioned so I emailed the company, he asked for my coach VIN# which I provided and here is the response I received just now: "We are very sorry, Foxwell does not currently have scanners that support the function you need. Our engineers are still working hard to develop more features, thank you for your interest in Foxwell". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinvz Posted August 25, 2023 Share Posted August 25, 2023 Tony, thanks for checking. That might put the kibosh to my purchase plan However, it is still a standard GM 8.1 engine with some monitoring features turned off. It does not sound to as if they are working on adding Workhorse to their support as it is not worth their effort and I expect that would be true for most other units. That said, I still expect that it would work well on the engine. You could spend a lot more and buy a used "GM Tech2" scan tool on-line, new or used. It is complex and not as easy to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLynes Posted August 25, 2023 Share Posted August 25, 2023 Kevin Caudill on YouTube recommends the ScanGauge 3. Not only does it scan our engines, it also functions as an auxiliary gauge pod and has other functions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyrngrz Posted August 25, 2023 Author Share Posted August 25, 2023 Thanks for posting this video. I watched it and like this device. Looks like I found a winner for my Workhorse Gas coach. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLynes Posted August 25, 2023 Share Posted August 25, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, nyrngrz said: Thanks for posting this video. I watched it and like this device. Looks like I found a winner for my Workhorse Gas coach. You bet! Kevin is a great guy and is incredibly knowledgeable about the Workhorse chassis models. As a matter of fact, I took my own advice and just bought one, using Kevin's Amazon link. It'll be here tomorrow. Edited August 25, 2023 by FLynes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLynes Posted August 26, 2023 Share Posted August 26, 2023 I love Amazon… 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinvz Posted August 26, 2023 Share Posted August 26, 2023 Now I’m jealous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLynes Posted August 26, 2023 Share Posted August 26, 2023 (edited) 2 hours ago, Martinvz said: Now I’m jealous Martin, I would recommend you buy this gauge, as it is some thing all Monaco owners should have…I believe the one for DP owners is the ScanGauge D. The reason that neither Workhorse nor Monaco included more gauges is because they were too cheap and wanted to save money. Personally, I don’t know why I didn’t buy this sooner. Edited August 26, 2023 by FLynes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLynes Posted August 26, 2023 Share Posted August 26, 2023 22 hours ago, nyrngrz said: Thanks for posting this video. I watched it and like this device. Looks like I found a winner for my Workhorse Gas coach. Tony, when you get yours, do a VIN scan...I'm curious how yours turns out. When I scanned mine, it showed up as 1GTJK33G34F202522, which is a 2004 GMC Sierra 3500. I wonder if it shows up like that, because I have the upgraded ECM and TCM from Brazel's RV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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