Actron AX2500 Product manual

15825 Industrial Parkway Cleveland, Ohio 44135 www.autoxray.com

Toll Free 800.228.7667

Ph. 216.898.9200

Fx. 216.898.1636

Part# 0002-00 0-2926

CodeScout

2500

™

Users Manual

CodeScout™ 2500 Users Manual ver 1.0

SAFETY PREC AUTIONS

WARNING: Read and understand all instructions in this manual. Use appropriate personal safety equipment including hearing and eye protections when using the scanner in or near the vehicle engine compartment. Failure to comply can result in

accidents involving re, electrical shock, or serious personal injury.

Electrical

• Do not allow anything to rest on the cable assembly. Do not allow the cable

assembly to be pinched. Keep the cable assembly away from contact with heat, oil, sharp edges, or moving parts. Replace damaged cables immediately. Damaged cables increase the risk of electrical shock.

• To reduce the risk of electrical shock do not disassemble the CodeScout. There are

no user repairable components inside the unit.

• Please dispose of used batteries properly. Do not incinerate batteries. Consult your

local waste authority for information regarding available recycling and/or disposal options.

Use and Care

• Stay alert, pay attention to what you are doing, and use common sense when operating the CodeScout. Several operational tests require the engine in the vehicle

to be running during testing. Keep all children and visitors a safe distance from the

work area.

• Keep the CodeScout dry, clean, and free from oil and grease. Use a mild detergent on a clean cloth to wipe the outside off, when necessary.

• Only use accessories that are recommended by AutoXray.

Service

Service must only be performed by AutoXray repair personnel. Service or repair by unqualied personnel may result in injury, damage to the unit, and may void your

warranty. Refer to the Product warranty Policy section of this manual.

Safety Precautions & Warnings

For safety, read, understand and follow all safety messages and instructions in manual before operating the CodeScout™ 2500 Code Reader. Always refer to and

follow safety messages and test procedures provided by manufacturer of vehicle and

CodeScout Code Reader.

Important Safety Messages

• Always wear ANSI approved eye protection.

• Always operate the vehicle in a well-ventilated area.

• Always keep people, tools and test equipment away from all moving or hot engine

parts.

• Always make sure vehicle is in PARK (automatic transmission) or Neutral (manual transmission) with the parking brake set.

• Always block drive wheels and never leave vehicle unattended while testing.

• Always keep a re extinguisher suitable for gasoline/electrical/chemical res readily

available.

• Never lay tools on vehicle battery.

• Always use caution when working around ignition coil, distributor cap, ignition wires, and spark plugs. Components can produce a High Voltage while engine is running.

• Battery acid is caustic. If contacted, rinse with water or neutralize with a mild base (i.e. baking soda). If in eyes, ush with water and call a physician immediately.

• Never smoke or have open ames near vehicle. Vapors from gasoline and battery during charge are explosive.

• Never use the CodeScout Code Reader if internal circuitry has been exposed to moisture. Internal shorts could cause a re and damage.

• Always turn ignition key OFF when connecting or disconnecting electrical components, unless otherwise instructed.

• Some vehicles are equipped with safety air bags. Follow vehicle service manual cautions when working around air bag components or wiring. Note, air bag can still open several minutes after ignition key is off.

• Always follow vehicle manufacturer’s warnings, cautions and service procedures.

• Please dispose of used batteries properly. Do not incinerate batteries. Consult your

local waste authority for information regarding available recycling and/or disposal options.

• Keep the CodeScout dry, clean, and free from oil and grease. Use a mild detergent on a clean cloth to wipe the outside of the CodeScout, when necessary.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

QUICK START GUIDE

Quick Start Guide ........................................................................................................................ 5

Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 5

What is OBD-I and OBD-II? ............................................................................................................... 5

Tool diagram ...................................................................................................................................... 7

Setup and Operation ................................................................................................................... 7

General Information ........................................................................................................................... 7

Menu Navigation ................................................................................................................................ 9

Batteries ............................................................................................................................................. 9

Adjust Display Contrast ...................................................................................................................... 9

Selecting Your Interface Language .................................................................................................. 10

Conguring the Tool for Your Vehicle ..................................................................................... 10

OBD-II .............................................................................................................................................. 10

OBD-I (GM, Chrysler, Ford) ............................................................................................................. 10

Using the Correct Cable ................................................................................................................... 10

Cables and Descriptions ...................................................................................................................11

OBD-II Vehicles .......................................................................................................................... 12

Reading Your OBD-II Vehicle ........................................................................................................... 12

About Scan History Function ........................................................................................................... 13

Viewing the OBD-II Data .................................................................................................................. 13

What is a Diagnostic Trouble Code? ................................................................................................ 14

Manufacturer Specic Codes ........................................................................................................... 14

What is Emissions Readiness? ........................................................................................................ 15

Clearing the OBD-II Codes .............................................................................................................. 15

OBD-II Code Library ........................................................................................................................ 16

OBD-I Vehicles (GM, Chrysler) ................................................................................................. 17

Reading Your OBD-I (GM, Chrysler) Vehicle ................................................................................... 17

About Scan History Function ........................................................................................................... 17

Viewing the OBD-I Data ................................................................................................................... 18

What is a Diagnostic Trouble Code? ................................................................................................ 18

Clearing the OBD-I (GM, Chrysler) Codes ....................................................................................... 19

OBD-I Vehicles (Ford) ................................................................................................................ 20

Reading Your OBD-I (Ford) Vehicle ................................................................................................. 20

Key On, Engine Off (KOEO) ............................................................................................................ 20

Key On, Engine Running (KOER) .................................................................................................... 20

About Scan History Function ........................................................................................................... 21

Viewing the OBD-I (Ford) Vehicle .................................................................................................... 21

What is a Diagnostic Trouble Code? ................................................................................................ 22

Clearing the OBD-I (Ford) Codes .................................................................................................... 22

Troubleshooting ........................................................................................................................ 23

What to Do if the CodeScout is Unable to Read or Clear ................................................................ 23

Resetting the CodeScout .......................................................................................................... 23

How to Reset the CodeScout ........................................................................................................... 23

Warranty ..................................................................................................................................... 24

Additional Information .............................................................................................................. 25

CodeScout manual in Espanol ................................................................................................. 26

Quickstart guide

Follow the below steps for reading data on your vehicle:

1. Congure the tool for the vehicle.

Power on the tool, press MENU, select SELECT VEHICLE TYPE, press ENTER. Follow the on screen conguration questions.

2. Locate the correct cable for your vehicle.

Once congured the tool displays a screen with an image of the cable head

compatible with your vehicle. Use the image as a guide to locate the correct cable.

3. Connect the cable to the vehicle.

Most OBD-II and GM OBD-I vehicles have the connector under the dashboard on the driver’s side. Ford and Chrysler OBD-I vehicles have the connector in the engine compartment. See the vehicle user manual for exact location.

4. Gather the vehicle data by pressing the READ button.

Make sure the key is in the ON position. Once the read is complete, the vehicle’s conguration and scan data can optionally be saved for later viewing.

5. View the data.

At any time after a successful scan, press MENU and select VIEW CODES to see the code numbers and text descriptions. For OBD-II vehicles, emissions readiness

monitor status can also be viewed.

INTRODUCTION

What is OBD-I and OBD-II?

Description of OBD-I

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) developed on board diagnostics (OBD) in response to increased emissions standards being regulated by the California Air Resource Board (CARB) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

INTRODUCTION

The diagnostics were all proprietary to each vehicle manufacturer and were used for

diagnosing and repairing their own systems. OBD-I requires a malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) or check engine light that relates to faulty electronic systems within the engine control system. The MIL/Dash Indicator is usually amber or red in color.

OBD-I systems have to be able to store diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) when a fault has occurred and set the MIL on. Once the fault code disappears the code can be lost and the MIL turned off. Different manufacturers were able to implement different

techniques as this was not in the legislation.

Description of OBD-II

CARB found that by the time an emission system component fails and causes the MIL to illuminate, the vehicle may have been emitting excess emissions for some time.

The manufacturers had to develop new powertrain control module (PCM) selfdiagnostic strategies in response to increased diagnostic requirements from CARB. The latest regulations developed by CARB and accepted by the EPA are designated OBD-II.

The Federal Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 requires that all vehicles sold in the United States meet OBD-II requirements by the 1996 model year. The rst OBD-II

systems appeared on selected vehicle types in 1994.

Some important OBD-II requirements are:

• Vehicle service information available to all technicians.

• Standardization of Terms (use of SAE J-1930 recommended terms).

• OBD-II requires a common diagnostic link connector (DLC) and species its

location in the vehicle.

• Generic scan tool.

• Generic emission-related diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs).

• Very specic malfunction indicator light (MIL) illumination protocol.

One very important part of the OBD-II requirements is that technical service information for emissions related components and systems, which could affect the vehicle’s emission levels, will be available to all technicians; not just OEM dealership

technicians.

This allows all technicians to better understand how the systems recognize faults and set the DTCs. The technician can now make a repair and verify the repair by exactly duplicating the criteria that is required for the DTC to be set.

Tool Diagram

Menu Button

Read Button

Power Button

Navigate Left Button

Navigate Down Button

Cable connection

Clear Button

Navigate Up Button

Enter Button

Navigate Right Button

SET-UP & OPERATION

General Information

Your CodeScout will:

• Read the OBD-I and OBD-II codes off of your engine’s computer .

• Provide on-screen denitions of generic and manufacturer specic diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs).

• Provide readiness test status for emissions testing on OBD-II vehicles.

• Reset the check engine light on supported vehicles.

SET-UP & OPERATION

General Information

The purpose of this manual is to guide you in successfully using the AutoXray

CodeScout. This is not a repair manual for your vehicle. For specic information on troubleshooting issues with your vehicle, please refer to the owner’s manual or various other repair manuals, including the AutoXray CodeTrack at www.codetrack.spx.com.

Menu Navigation

1. Understanding the dynamic menu system.

There are two versions of every menu on the

tool, a short menu (Fig.1) and a long menu (Fig.2). The short menu is displayed before a successful scan, and the long menu is

displayed after a successful scan. The long menu contains the short menu’s items as well as additional data-related items at the top.

2. Selecting on screen options and entering data.

Certain screens (Fig.3) on the tool allow

information to be entered using the navigation buttons. Typically when the up and down arrow

characters are displayed on the screen, the up

and down navigation buttons scroll through

the available selections. In cases where multiple characters can be entered, the left and

right navigation buttons change the edit position. ENTER commits the selection/data

and MENU reverts to the previous screen,

when applicable.

Fig.1

Fig.2

Fig.3

Batteries

Install new batteries: The CodeScout is powered by 4 AAA batteries. Before the CodeScout is used the rst time, you need to install batteries in the unit. Make sure the batteries are put in according to the diagram on the back of the battery

compartment.

If the low battery icon becomes visible (Fig.4), the

batteries need to be replaced. Replace all four batteries to avoid unit malfunction. When it is time

to change the batteries, the Data Holder feature

saves all of the data if fresh batteries are installed immediately after removing the old ones.

Fig.4

CAUTION: Leaving used or dead batteries in the CodeScout beyond the battery date

may result in damage to the unit.

As long as good batteries are in the scanner, the vehicle engine conguration and data will remain in the CodeScout’s memory, even after the unit is powered off.

Adjust Display Contrast

If desired, the contrast on your CodeScout can be adjusted for easier viewing under different lighting conditions. If the code reader is left in direct sunlight the display can turn completely black. Should this happen, put the CodeScout in a cool dark place for approximately 10 to 15 minutes. The display should return to normal.

1. To adjust the contrast of the screens, power

the unit on.

2. Press the MENU button, arrow down to ADJUST CONTRAST, press ENTER.

3. Arrow up or down for more or less contrast, (Fig.5) press ENTER when nished.

Fig.5

SET-UP & OPERATION

Selecting Your Interface Language

The user-interface language can be changed between English and Spanish at any time. Press MENU, locate the LAST item (SELECT LANGUAGE), then use the up

and down navigation buttons to select the language of choice. Press ENTER to activate the new selection. The language change occurs after the ENTER button is pressed.

CONFIGURING THE TOOL FOR YOUR VEHICLE

OBD-II

The tool initially congures for OBD-II vehicles. At any time, the tool can be recongured for OBD-II vehicles by pressing MENU, selecting the SELECT VEHICLE

TYPE option, and selecting OBD-II 1996-CURRENT.

GM, Ford, and Chrysler OBD-I

At any time, press MENU, select the SELECT VEHICLE TYPE option, and select the appropriate option. Specify the model year of the vehicle, then specify the 8th VIN digit. Answer any other on screen conguration questions. Conguration is complete

when a screen appears displaying an image of a vehicle cable.

Using the correct cable

Locate the cable that matches the on screen cable image. Refer to Cables & Descriptions in this manual for specic information.

NOTE: A select few vehicles have diagnostic connector arrangements that are not

supported by the CodeScout tool. These include Chrysler LH-series vehicles, and some pre-1996 Ford vehicles that have the OBD-II connector under the dashboard.

CABLES & DESCRIPTIONS

Cable description On-screen appearance Actual appearance

Chrysler Connector

Works with OBD-I 1983-1995 Chrysler vehicles with SCI connectors.

Ford Connector

Works with OBD-I 1983-1995 Ford vehicles with EEC-IV computers.

GM Connector

Works with OBD-I 19821995 vehicles with 12 pin ALDL connectors.

OBD-II Generic Connector (yellow)

This standardized cable

is used to scan 1996 and

newer Domestic, Asian, and

European vehicles.

OBD-II Manufacturer

Specic Connector (blue)

For 1994-1995 GM OBD-I vehicles with a

16 pin connector

OBD-II VEHICLES

Reading Your OBD-II vehicle

Connect the CodeScout to your vehicle. The CodeScout communicates with the

computer in your vehicle through a special connection cable.

The cable is plugged into a connector on the bottom of the CodeScout and into a

computer interface port on your vehicle.

a. Each vehicle manufacturer has its own specic computer connection location. However, on all OBD-II vehicles, the port is usually located

under the drivers side of the dashboard and within two feet of the steering column.

b.Make sure that all pins are straight and the connecting surfaces are free of oils, grease and moisture.

c. Push the CodeScout cable into the vehicle port rmly. d.Insert the CodeScout cable into the bottom of the code reader.

1. Power the CodeScout on. Make sure the

vehicle is connected (Fig.6).

2. Turn the vehicle ignition key to ON or start the engine. Congure for OBD-II if necessary.

3. Press the READ button.

4. The Save Vehicle Scan question (Fig.8)

displays followed by the Information Summary (Fig.7) if the scan was successful.

5. The Read Error screen displays if the scan

was not successful. If this happens, refer to the

Troubleshooting section of this manual.

Fig.6

Fig.7

About Scan History Function:

At the conclusion of a successful vehicle scan, the vehicle conguration and scanned data

information can optionally be saved for later

reference (Fig.8). A tag name is entered that is

Fig.8

used to identify the scan at a later time (Fig.9). Up to 10 characters can be used for the name. To recall a saved scan refer to “Viewing the OBD-II

Data” in this manual.

Fig.9

Viewing the OBD-II Data

Before you start, your vehicle must have been read before viewing the data. The CodeScout does not need to be connected to the vehicle to view the data. The

vehicle data remains in the memory until a vehicle is read again. This allows you to

review the data at a later time, or to use EZ-PC to load the data into a computer. When viewing the OBD-II vehicle data, pressing the left and right arrow buttons

navigate forward and backward through the list of stored codes. The code number is displayed at the top of the screen, and supporting text is displayed at the bottom of the screen. If the entire supporting text does not t on the screen, pressing the UP and DOWN arrow buttons scrolls through the text.

To view the data that was previously saved using the Scan History function, simply

recall the saved vehicle information as follows:

• Press MENU

• Press arrow down to SELECT VEHICLE TYPE

• Press ENTER

• Press arrow down to PREVIOUSLY SAVED

• Press ENTER

• Arrow down to the saved scan and press ENTER.

All scanned data for that vehicle is loaded into the tool.

OBD-II VEHICLES

What is a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC)?

When the OBD system determines that a problem exists, a corresponding trouble code is stored in the computer’s memory and triggers the MIL. These codes help to

identify the problem with the vehicle.

1. The Information Summary screen (Fig.7) tells you if the check engine light is on, the number of DTCs and how many

readiness tests are completed.

2. Arrow to the right to view the DTCs (Fig.10).

Manufacturer Specic Codes

NOTE: The list of vehicle types in the vehicle menu is dynamic, based on the text

available for the codes seen on the vehicle.

If the DTC says “The vehicle type is required to display the code description. ENTER selects vehicle”, there is a manufacturer specic DTC present and some conguration

is necessary.

1. Press ENTER to continue.

2. Arrow down through the list and select the

appropriate vehicle type. Selecting a vehicle

type that does not match the connected vehicle

results in the tool displaying incorrect text. If the connected vehicle name is not listed, select NOT IN LIST (Fig.11).

3. Continue viewing codes by pressing the right

or left arrows.

Fig.10

Fig.11

What is Emissions Readiness?

Readiness monitors are indicators used to nd out if emissions components have been evaluated. In other words, if all monitors are set to ready, the emissions components have been tested. In some cases, complex driving patterns need to be

followed to complete these monitors.

1. To view the emissions readiness test data press the MENU button.

2. Arrow down to Emissions Readiness and press ENTER.

3. Use the up and down arrows to scroll through

the list of supported readiness monitors (Fig.12).

Fig.12

4. There will be a checkmark next to the readiness

monitors that have been completed.

Clearing the OBD-II codes

NOTE: Clearing the DTCs will remove any DTCs from the vehicle computer and reset readiness monitors. You can use this feature to make sure vehicle repairs were done

correctly by doing a new read after clearing the codes.

WARNING: Once you reset the readiness test monitors, it may take several days of

driving for those to complete again.

1. Power the CodeScout on. Make sure the

vehicle is connected.

2. Turn the vehicle ignition key to ON or start

the engine.

3. Press CLEAR.

4. Read the conrm screen (Fig.13) and press

ENTER to clear the codes.

5. Once the codes are clear, you will be taken back to the Vehicle Connected screen. The

Fig.13

Clear Error screen displays if it was unable to

clear the codes.

+ 18 hidden pages