OBD2 Port No Comm. - Problem fixed

mixedgas=hauledass

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 1, 2015
Location
Ontario
TDI
2004 Volkswagen Beetle TDI pd
Hey all,
So, I just went through a pretty weird situation that I ended up getting figured out, so I thought I would post it on here in the off chance that if someone else had this happen, they might stumble across this post. The following are some posts I made and copied from a Beetle forum I am apart of;
Hey everyone,
So, I went to go somewhere yesterday and I tripped into limp mode. Went and got my Blue Scanner (I have previously used it on this vehicle and it worked great) and plugged it into the port but it would not communicate. Tried my scanner in a few other vehicles and it communicates with them, so the issue is not the scanner. Since I last used my scanner on my Beetle, I have installed and aftermarket stereo, so I'm pretty sure the problem with the communication is due to this install. From what I have read online, the problem is usually due to the K Line. I saw the Ross-Tech article (Ross-Tech: VCDS: Afterrmarket Radio Problem) and I check the volts between 4-7 and it was 11.23v ... so I than cut the K-line loop in the radio harness (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUTbp8adeeo) at still no communication. I watched another video that showed that simply unplugging one of the aftermarket radio jacks (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEKUOCKs3no) No communication. I have checked fuses 12,29,32,34,37,41,42, and 43 and they are all good (Fuse chart 2003 beetle).
I have undone both battery terminals, held them together for 10sec, than apart for 10sec, than reattached...Nothing.

I don't mention it in this post, but the first thing I did was try and diagnose that there wasn't a problem with either of my two scanners I was try to connect with. The vehicles I was able to connect to were Ford and GM products. The following is an update explaining how I got the problem solved;

So, after ripping apart more modules and sensors one at a time, I got no further ahead. I called up a local VW specialist, I explained what I had done, and he told me to bring it over to him. I dropped off the vehicle to him, only to get a call back from him an hour later telling me his Vag-Com connected to the vehicle with no problems Pretty sure this all stems from the K-line fault with the aftermarket radio. When I hooked up both of my scanners, I fried only their ability to read from Pin 7. When I started this job I looked to rule out a problem with my scanners, so I plugged them into 2 GM products and 2 Ford products and the scanners worked fine. Ford and GM do not send diagnostics threw pin 7. The car gods got me.
I got on the phone with manufacturer of my scanner, Lemur, and after trouble shooting with a tech for a while, we were pretty certain that the issue was as mentioned above. They replaced one of the scanners under warranty and Fed/Ex'd it to my house....along with a free T-shirt. I can honestly say, the customer support I have received from this company was totally beyond the norm. I know you can get cheaper bluetooth readers, but I can't see how they could match this service...The new scanner connected immediately BTW.
Now, on to trying to solve the problem that sent my vehicle into limp mode to begin with. Underboost code, and a MAF code. But I'll save that for another thread. Thanks to everyone that tried to help anyway.

Maybe this will help someone out some day.

Cheers,

Brandon
 

Ol'Rattler

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Location
PNA
TDI
2006 BRM Jetta
The Blue Driver does sound pretty lame. A $15 scanner for $99 that burns out when there is an aftermarket radio K-Line issue. AFAIK VCDS will not be destroyed from the K-Line issue it just won't connect.

Customer service? The company gave you another scanner just to get rid of you. Did you notice that your issue was posted on the Ross-Tech site? They pretty much wrote the book on above and beyond customer service.
 
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pdq import repair

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2016
Location
idaho
TDI
09 Jetta
Age old problem. My local locksmith refuses to do VW key encoding and sends them all to me. He cooked his key encoder on a VW once and just simply won't do another.

We tried our hardest to help eliminate the problem by copying the VCDS article on pin 7 and distributed copies to all the places in town that install aftermarket radios. I suspect they used them for toilet paper, as we have had a few non communicators since.
 

mixedgas=hauledass

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 1, 2015
Location
Ontario
TDI
2004 Volkswagen Beetle TDI pd
Ol'Rattler...You sound cranky man.

Just did the post so that if someone like me, a guy with a bit of mechanical experience, ends up in this spot, they have something to go off of. I think guys like me are more likely to own a $15-100 scanner than a professional grade one. That AFAIK is sweet though.
 

Ol'Rattler

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Location
PNA
TDI
2006 BRM Jetta
My wife wakes up cranky and other times she just lets me sleep in. :D

My bone to pick with how generic scanners are marketed. The manufacturers/sellers try to get folks with very limited diagnostic skills to believe that their scanner will magically tell people what is wrong with their car.

What any scanner does is tells you what the ECU sees and reports readings that are outside of what the ECU expects to see. Once you have a code you should diagnose as to why the ECU set the code. A common mistake , even supposed professionals do this is to check for codes and then just start shotgunning parts based on what components are noted in the codes text.

A good example of this is a loose ground which could set 20 or more codes. Say $1000 dollars later in shotgunned parts and the tech accidentally tightens that loose ground and wow, problem fixed.

There is nothing wrong with having a generic reader. I have an ELM 327 Blue Tooth I use on my Android phone with the Torque App that I sometimes use. You don't always need a professional grade vehicle specific scanner to chase a problem.

The plus to the Blue Driver scanner is it does seem to have more functionality than the cheaper scanners and even at $99 it is within the reach of most weekend warriors. :cool:
 
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BobnOH

not-a-mechanic
Joined
May 29, 2004
Location
central Ohio
TDI
New Beetle 2003 manual
....................What any scanner does is tells you what the ECU sees and reports readings that are outside of what the ECU expects to see. Once you have a code you should diagnose as to why the ECU set the code. A common mistake , even supposed professionals do this is to check for codes and then just start shotgunning parts based on what components are noted in the codes text:::::::::::::::::
Worth said 2 times!
 
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