OBD II Codes ONLY from the factory computer? - 451 smart fortwo

Not to be nitpicky, Mr. Bad,…

2008-10-03T21:46:55.842Z

Not to be nitpicky, Mr. Bad, but tell me how this works:

"i usually "overfill" on fuel-ups, to get a better reading on MPG. "

Seems like your calculated MPG would be better on an underfill - not an overfill???? Less gas input means higher MPG. Simple math, dude~! To get a correct MPG you'd want to fill it to the same level each fillup.

Many of the manufacturers are…

2008-10-03T15:34:52.027Z

Many of the manufacturers are making proprietary codes that only their computers can read. For the DIY and independents it is very frustrating. But I am sure that within a short period of time it will be possible to scan and deliver the right codes.

i wonder if this "top off" is…

2008-10-03T12:57:05.633Z

i wonder if this "top off" is for the USA EPA emissions system in the smart. well, i've been topping off all my vehicles for the last 26 years, the smart is no different, i've been driving it daily for the last 8 months, the check engine light came on a month ago for 8 whole miles.

again, it seems only USA smarts have the mysterious "sticky shifter".

I did about 200 km today afte…

2008-10-03T08:01:04.268Z

I did about 200 km today after resetting the ScanGauge to "Factory Default" then setting the Mode to Auto and then changing all the units to Metric, engine size, tank capacity, etc. The smart and the 'Gauge are now in harmony. Interesting to watch the fuel consumption ease down from 7 LHK to around 5.1 (the official rating is 4.9) as the engine breaks in and maybe the ECU optimises the fuel mix for the environment (hot and humid sea level). I'm fairly convinced the 'Gauge is working perfectly as it did on the Subaru. No error codes or other bogies to chase.

(Old networking jokes... my initials are ISP. I've felted haunted by networks for the past 20 years!)

For mr bad:
The Aussie smart owners manual tells us that we can top up the tank after the first pump cut-off by waiting 30 seonds and then topping off... That's the opposite to the US manual that says do not top off. We need Mythbusters on this one!

i got a "check engine" light…

2008-10-03T03:16:23.373Z

i got a "check engine" light about a month ago, i haven't yet acquired a SG2. i usually "overfill" on fuel-ups, to get a better reading on MPG. i have been doing this since new, it took almost 8 months to happen, and went away after 8 miles of driving. the evil engine light has remained dark since.

i got my oil changed a few weeks ago, at 5000+ miles, no lights then. i might do my 10K service at about 12K (i don't use my AC/heat much and have no allergies). forging into the frontier, hoping not to see any arrows (especially the wooden ones from the new bail-out bill)

(kill freddie and frannie, don't give them wheelchairs!)

Thanks, Ian. I did a bit of l…

2008-10-03T02:53:15.865Z

Thanks, Ian. I did a bit of looking at the site www.obdii.com and came up with the same idea of the 900 being a bad code. I suspected as much about the electrical interface being universal but the rest of the reading part being up to the manufacture. It may all be Ethernet, but it could be IPX instead of IP (computer networking joke...). The Firestone guy did have to switch his OBD box to the "global" setting to get anything at all. I suspect you're correct about the ISO setting. That's probably part of what the factory guys are talking about.

In the end, I think I shall have to break down and buy the darned thing. Let's face it, wherever we live, we're kinda on the frontier with these first few model years.

The good news is the code hasn't come back in the last two days. It really may have been a fluke with the oil filter and the pressure not coming up right away. Ah, well...back to the frontier...

i made that comment with you…

2008-10-03T02:41:19.786Z

i made that comment with you in mind... i saw that comment from "theflea"

ROLF! MrB, some times you use…

2008-10-03T02:33:27.505Z

ROLF! MrB, some times you use your wit for the good of man kind.... You CAN be funny.....

andrewd, try preparation H ne…

2008-10-03T00:50:23.902Z

andrewd, try preparation H next time instead of chili powder, i know it costs a bit more!

but this is the first anti-SG2 comment i have ever seen!

The FQ101 site: http://www.fq…

2008-10-02T22:56:04.445Z

The FQ101 site: http://www.fq101.co.uk/tsdatalist.asp?cmd=reset
doesn't list a 900 code for smart... numbers don't seem to get that high! That's probably why smart asked you where did the code come from... Firestone (not ScanGauge)

My ScanGauge worked brilliantly on the Subaru Forester. Moved it to the new smart this week and it's not quite happy. Probably because I did not do a full reset and some of the Subaru settings were mixed up. Particularly fuel tank and cut-off settings needed a full reset to get the fuel consumption calcs working correctly.

Early days yet. Just used the first tank of fuel for a poor economy rating. To be expected. The fuel was anyones' guess as to freshness and octane; and the engine needs some running in and the ECU needs to optimise the settings, etc. etc. before any real measurements can be made.

I'm a ScanGauge believer after running it for a few months on the Sube... if it doesn't work as well on the smart; I shall scream.

No. ODB II codes are not universal. It is the electrical interface that is universal, not the code Modes. There are several Modes of code interface. ScanGauge list them as:
Ford products: PWM or CANSF
GM products: VPW, ISO or CANSF
Chrysler: ISO, VPW or CANSF
Volvo: ISO, CANSF or CANLF
Others: ISO, KWPS, KWPF, CANSF, CANSS or CANSL

And don't ask me what that all means or which Mode is the correct one for smart. The ScanGauge indicated a CANSF Mode after a factory reset... but that setting was not quite right. The Scan screen did not show a Ready status; so I changed the Mode to AUTO detect and that seemed to work correctly. I'm guessing here; I would expect smart to be ISO. The Firestone reader may have been set to CANSF or something that did not correctly decode and display the error number you were given.