Finally got a clean read on that intermittent misfire

Had a 2014 F-150 with a random cylinder 3 misfire code. I spent a day swapping coils and plugs, no change. Then I compared my old scan tool to a buddy's newer one with active mode testing. The new tool showed a tiny voltage drop in the injector circuit only under load. Replaced the injector connector, problem solved. Has anyone else had a basic scanner miss something that a better one caught?

3 comments

3 Comments

grant4659d ago

Yeah, that "active mode testing" is key. My old generic scanner just reads codes, but the live data on a good one shows you what's actually happening while the engine is running. It's the difference between a guess and a real diagnosis.

the_robert7d ago

Sure, but how many people actually need that level of detail? Most codes point you right at the problem anyway.

mia_park9d agoTop Commenter

Totally agree with @grant465 on the live data thing. My cheap scanner would have had me throwing parts at that forever. Sometimes you just need to see what's actually happening, not just the stored codes.