Dealer says ScanGauge ruined my PCM and I can't use ScanGauge anymore

[TheEnemy]

Sounds like GM hasn't changed much since I went through my ordeal. At least you had a light to tell them that there was something wrong.

I had been complaining about several problems, the brakes all but going away when the ABS activates which was never fixed, a loud banging that could be felt throughout the car on corners which was eventually fixed after 8 tries, they even evenutally had a recall for it too. Loosing power at seemingly random times. All in all in 18 months it went to the dealership 15 times, and it sat for 6 months while I drove a $500 pos. Eventually I got the BBB involved and got my money back.

[tangomar]

Originally Posted by caissiel

My Father called me one day and told me he was told his suzuki needed a new valve job on the engine. He told me he had gone to 3 Garages and they all told him the miss was caused by bad valves. Well he told me his car never worked good after the last oil change. So he was told to do a plug, wires maintenance it would surely fix the engine. Of course it did not so they blamed it on the bad valves.
I said, I would be there in 5 min. When I go there, I asked him to start the car and I opened the hood. I looked around in the dark with a flashlight and grabbed a hose and put my thumb on the end of it. The car smooth right out and he called to me that I had fixed it. I said not yet, I have to go to the store and get a part. I bought a coupler for $1.85 and connected the 2 hoses together.
I was done when he went for an oil change, the mechanic had cut the hose with a knife, and left them appart, I could see the neat cut, and the 2 hose parts were so close together. This same service center is still in operation and working on the same cars over and over again.
I do my own repairs but how many are suffering the services of these scammers.

Can I ask you exactly what did you do?
I have a Suzuki that has been suffering of a similar problem. It had an oil leak so I took it to the shop. And when I got my car back it start burning oil at start only (from what I can see). I took back the car to the shop but they said they didn't do anything wrong, only bad valves and bad coincidence.
Note that my car never smoked before...

[mwebb]

...."Can I ask you exactly what did you do?
I have a Suzuki that has been suffering of a similar problem. It had an oil leak so I took it to the shop. And when I got my car back it start burning oil at start only (from what I can see). I took back the car to the shop but they said they didn't do anything wrong, only bad valves and bad coincidence.
Note that my car never smoked before..."....

what ever some one else may have done to "their" car
to solve "their" problem
is NOT relevant to your situation - or your problem on your 10 year old car with UNKNOWN service history and mileage.

for your 2000 suzuki ;
you need to have your engine tested by a competent shop
YOU will need to PAY for this SERVICE

first -
have "them" test;
intake vacuum at hot idle should be around 20" at sea level
steady smooth WITH NO FLUTTER at all
Hot 2k rpm 2" higher than idle value
and peak values at WOT snap followed by decel.
post results for translation -

any intake vacuum flutter at hot idle = "bad valves" , stop testing right there .
you can get a relative compression test using cranking current and or intake vacuum and or exhaust pressure pulses to begin
and possibly find an extreme problem ...
BUT
you will NEED the following to confirm actual engine condition -

you will need a "leak down test for each cylinder "
you will need to confirm that your PCV system is operating as designed
you will need to verify that your oil is not over filled and that
you are not loosing coolant out of the tail pipe

expect to to pay around 2 hours in labor
UNLESS
intake vacuum is fluttering at idle
or the relative compression tests reveal an extreme failure

very competent techs can record running compression pressure waveforms -
and can record pressure pulses in the crankcase measured at the oil stick tube , to quantify blowby per cylinder
AT WOT , Wide Open throttle .
but
you can arrive at a valid conclusion before getting that deep most of the time

expect printouts with waveforms to verify test results
thank me very much

[cfg83]

klrv6 -

Originally Posted by klrv6

What "we" make?

I guess you know who TBA is then?

Texas Beekeepers Association?

CarloSW2

[brucepick]

Linear Logic stood behind their product for me too.

I had random resets of the SG, where it would start reporting ridiculous mpg data. They sent a replacement cable, and also replaced the SG. If I recall, they replaced it twice.

I finally found the cause of the problem. 12V power from the OBDII connector to the SG was unstable, causing the SG to lose its "Mode" setting (ISO, CAN, etc). I discovered this when it failed immediately after flashing my headlights, and also after using the horn. Those apparently draw their power from the same bus that supplies the OBDII 12 volt pin - or some similar/related interference. Maybe the interference is on the ground side.

Another confirming observation is that the frequency of my SG failures increased significantly after I increased the display brightness setting. With it drawing a bit more power, it was more prone to power supply issues. But I only recognized that after the fact.

Anyway, I spent several hours wiring up relays to power the headlights and horn directly off the battery, not via the oem rat's maze of thin wiring. SG problem solved. NEVER a reset since then, and it's been a half year or so, driving about 400 mi/week.

I could probably have fixed it by running a good solid 12V line to the OBDII connector's 12V pin, and the same for providing a good solid ground. However, it's cramped in that area, and any error would be telegraphed right back to the computer - not a good idea. So I built the relay setup and I've never looked back.

[akcapeco]

That's exactly how you should have handled the issue; great resolution.