AutoTap OBDII scanner

[Yz2K130]

A friend let me borrow his AutoTap OBDII equipment (www.autotap.com) and I have been using it just fine on my Chevrolet. When I tried connecting it to my VW, it's not connecting and saying "no vehicle is found". I've made sure the connections are all good. The AutoTap gets its power through pins 5 and 16 of the DLC, which I confirmed gets 12 volts across the pins. The cigarette lighter fuse was blown, but I replaced it. Is there a fuse that powers the DLC that could be blown?

Note: AutoTap is more extensive than just a regular OBDII scanner, but falls short of VAGCOM because it cannot adjust parameters.

 

[oilhammer]

Many "generic" OBD2 scan tools will not work on European cars, and depending on what year Volkswagen you have, it may use the CAN communication protocol (my '04 Passat does) which is not the same as the older SAE Jxxx protocol used on most OBD2 cars. But many older Euro cars use the ISO communication protocols, which may be your case.

The fact that the scan tool tells you "no vehicle found" tells me that it is getting power through the DLC, but is not communicating. The manual for the scan tool should state what data protocols it can utilize.

Also, beware that even on your GM vehicle, it cannot access everything that is present. You will need a Tech2 for that. Generic OBD2 scan tools are great about 70% of the time on about 80% of the vehicles, but not always. Also, many manufacturer-specific DTCs will NOT turn on the MIL, but merely store a code that only a proprietary scan tool can access. Volkswagens and other Euro products are good for this, as are many late-model Fords. The VAG-COM is an excellent alternative to the VAG1551/1552 dealer-type scan tools.

 

[Yz2K130]

BTW, I have a 2001 Jetta. AutoTap is supposed to work with every OBDII vehicle and supports the following protocols: J1850 VPW, J1850 PWM, ISO 9141, and ISO14230. Some more information: the cigarette lighter fuse was blown and apparently the DLC might be on the same electrical circuit. I replaced the fuse, but AutoTap still isn't working.

Note: I did email the company, I should receive their response tomorrow. Also, I have AutoTap that has GM enhanced parameters, so therefore I can view graphs, gauges and tables and read generic and GM specific codes.

 

[Yz2K130]

Solved the problem. My friend has a version that only works for GM vehicles, neither of us knew that. Newer versions do work on all OBDII vehicles though. Oh well, it still works wonderfully on my truck!