earossi

With an emissions inspection overdue on my car, I hooked up my OBD2 analyzer to see what was going on. Found the code for malfunctioning CEL. The bulb had been removed (by me) several years ago because the CEL was coming on related to the SAI issue most of our high mileage cars suffer from.

Since the engine is now recently rebuilt, there should not be any SAI issues, so I reinstalled the bulb and then erased the code from the memory. All of this required me to hook and unhook the OBD tester from the car several times. I noticed that plugging the cable in was easy, but it took a lot of force and vigorous wiggling to get the plug to separate.

On the fourth or fifth hookup, I got a "no communication" error message from the tool. The tool does light up, so it is receiving power from the OBD connector. But, there is now an apparent issue with the signal not getting to the tool.

The OBD connector is a standardized item, so I attempted to find one for a Porsche. You guessed it.......Porsche will only sell me the entire cable harness that includes that connector.......for over $8000! Incredible.

So, I am turning to my Rennlist family to see if someone has encountered this in the past and has a DIY to troubleshoot and fix the issue.

Any help provided would be greatly appreciated. Oh, did I mention that the registration renewal for the car is contingent on an acceptable emissions test?

Mike J

Hi Ernie,

Can you see any bent pins or issues when inspection both the male and female connectors? If the plug was hard to remove, it sounds like one or more of the metal connectors jammed or bent.

If you need to replace the connector (which I have not done) it may be a pain - you either remove the plastic connector base from the internal wire connectors or cut the connector from the wiring harness and solder in another one

The connector itself is very standard - and you should be able to get one on-line (I have not looked).

My first step would be to look for bent pins or damage.

Cheers,

Mike

TMc993

I learned the hard way that some of the OBDII readers sold at places like Auto Zone have a small tab on the side of the plug that snaps in and engages the plastic shroud around the connector on the car. Once engaged, it is nigh on impossible to get the reader plug out of the car socket without breaking either the plastic tab and/or the shroud around the socket. After more than a little cussing and some careful maneuvering, I was able to get mine disconnected and solved the problem by taking a set of snips and removing the tab on the reader's plug.

As to your problem, you indicated that, "...it took a lot of force and vigorous wiggling to get the plug to separate." You probably have either damaged the plug on the reader or, per Mike's suggestion, dislodged one or more of the pins in the plug on the car.

You might be able to see the problem with a good light and some careful observation, but I wouldn't go poking around in the plug without disconnecting the battery first.

e3photo

I had the same issue,so I disconnected the fitting from the capered tunnel,and was able to connect and disconnect better. Also,if the drive block times out on you,I don't think the reader will talk to the ECU. Ive sen guys complain that they took their car to emissions,and it wouldn't read,and it turned out to be the immobilizer.

Good luck with it.


Emerald

NC TRACKRAT

It doesn't take much mis-alignment or damage to cause a connector pin or receptacle to not make contact. I suggest you inspect the OBDII connector contacts with a magnifying glass or loupe. If major damage, suggest you investigate a replacement connector and harness as Mike suggested above, then splice and crimp or solder into the existing cable. Fortunately, an OBDII connector is an industry standard.