Well, after driving from NC down to FL for a two week vacation, the day before I was to return I got a Check Engine Light that would not turn off; the milage on my 2003 S200 was just over 14K. Since I was not sure what the problem was (the gas cap was on tight), I took it to the local Honda dealer. They diagnosed the problem as misfires in both the second and forth cylinders, and replaced all four spark plugs. Does this sound fishy to anyone? Why would I start having trouble this early on? I use only premium, name-brand gas, and I do not push the car as hard as some/most. FWIW, the CEL has not returned yet, even after the 800+ miles I put on the car since.

This leads me to another question? Should I be looking for a diagnostic tool of some sort? Stand-alone, PDA, or PC based? I've seen various threads discussing the merits of a specific device, but not one discussing and comparing the various devices.

Option 1: Equus Innova 3100 (Stand-alone). I think XViper recommended this one a while back in one thread.
Option 2: AutoTap SW & Interface (PC & PDA (Palm only) based). Looks good, but I don't know much about it. One of only a few units that use USB instead of serial port; this is good, as most new laptops no longer support serial ports.
Option 3: ODB-2.COM SW & Interface (PC Based)
Option 4: ODB Diagnostics SW & Interface (PC Based)
Option 5: AutoLogic SW & Interface (PDA (Pocket PC only) based). Looks nice, but need a PDA.

Any ideas? Any comments?

Thanks!

 

i like my dig tool i go to autozone and they tell me whats wrong with it for free

 

I was surprised when I first heard of the OEM plugs going bad. But now, after I've heard more and more info on this topic, I guess it's not too unusual. Your old plugs may have gone wierd. Have they ever been out of the car for any reason? Could they have been altered or damaged? Putting in new, good plugs may only mask another problem by making up for that other problem's deficiency. I hope I'm wrong on this.
Misfires have been known to occur from bad injectors, bad sensors and as Rick Hesel finally discovered after months and months of unsuccessful "fixes", it was his car's ECU. After they put in a brand new one, no more misfires.

As for the scanner, the simple OBDII in Option I is most likely the more economically feasible. If all you need is to pull codes, then this is not a bad way to go. If you want real time data logging, then you'll need to go with something a bit more fancy. When on sale, the 3100 cost only $150.00 Can. That's about 10 bucks U.S. And like you said, it requires nothing else to work.

 

This was always my belief and I even referred owners to go there and get the codes pulled. Some reported back to say that their Autozone did not do this for free anymore. I guess it varies from one location to another.

 

i buy my oil from there and always seem to try and strike up a conversation when i go in there. i do the same thing at the dealership with the techs then they kinda know me and will help me out with things that i need. its great to make as many friends as possible

 

[QUOTE=xviper,Dec 29 2004, 05:06 PM]I was surprised when I first heard of the OEM plugs going bad.

 

It's a good thing to do, in general, in life! You never know when you may need someone's help.

 

I have this one:
http://www.iequus.com/item.asp?cid=10&pid=3100 (Option 1)

Like I said, it's cheap and universal for all OBD II. The others that rely on having a laptop or handheld are fine and can be more flexible to use. If you have a laptop or handheld, these may be an option for you. I personally didn't need to know real time data. I just wanted to be able to pull codes.

If you want an even simpler solution, you can jump terminals on the diagnostic port and count and use the blink codes:
http://www.baustnet.com/honda/misc/dtc.htm

For about a hundred bucks, though, you can't beat the ease of use of Option 1.