My wife bought me a Innova 3120 OBD1 code reader for my 1988 Pontiac Firebird T Bar 2.8L V6. The reader is both OBD1 and 2. Anyone have any luck with these ? I cannot get it to sync to the ECU. I followed the instructions and am using the correct cables in OBD1 mode. I tested it on my commuter car ( 2000 Saturn SL2 ) with the other OBD2 cables and the reader is ok. On the Firebird, no sync, nothing, after I enter the year and the correct J code for the 8th VIN digit, nothing happens. It does acknowledge it has the GM plug on it. I have owned the car from new, though it sat in a barn under a tarp on blocks from Oct 1999 to Sept 2015. The engine was gone over and freshened up by a pro with many new parts including fuel tank, pump, etc. The car works as good as new with 175,000km on it. Just thinking maybe the code reader will not work on this ECU even though the manual says it will. As can be expected, there are not too many MPI 2.8s on the roads in the rust belt of Nova Scotia to check with. Thank you

 

Can't speak to that particular item, or 6-cyl motors at all; but here's a clue:

What were you surfing the Net with in 1986? (the approx. year when that ECM design was etched in silicon) What apps did you use the most on your smartphone that year?

THAT'S yerbasic problem. Your expectations don't match the reality; not the other way around.

Might have to wait ... acoupla days ... of the data stream, for the sync signal to come back around. The baud rate is like 110 or something. Makes dial-up Internet seem like it's SCREEEEEEMIN FAST.

 

Do you know how to make the dash check engine light flash Morse code for the error #'s with a paper clip? That will be easier then look up the error # online

 

Yup... you just short terminals A & B with the key on and engine not running.

The error codes are on this site somewhere but the links on the home page to the page that has them, are broken.

 

I have been using ANCIENT Diacom software to do OBD1 stuff on GM vehicles. It works great. As long as you have a DOS laptop and a 3.5" floppy drive. Oh, and the special cables to go from a parallel port to the OBD1 diagnostic port.

Trust me, you don't have this. Frankly, neither do I any more. My old DOS laptop finally **** the bed when I pulled it out of hibernation a few weeks ago to work on an 85 Camaro. Dead hard drive, memory checksum errors, BIOS flipping the freak out with all the stuff it can't talk to any more, etc.

Now I'm surfing eBay to find a cheap DOS laptop replacement.

I think Sofa's right. Old technology requires old diagnostic tools to function properly.

 

thank you everyone, I am an advance HAM radio operator VE1AAU and used to know morse code at 10 words per minute. I'll try that method. Appreciate your comments.