How to use the ELM327 scanner to diagnose a car: connection, setup, list of supported cars

In this article I will tell you what ELM327 is, why it is needed, how to choose ELM327, what cars can be diagnosed, which application to choose for diagnostics, and I will give detailed instructions for working with ELM327.

Today, every car has an ECU (electronic control unit). The ECU collects all the data from the electronic components in the car and builds the correct operating mode for it. Often electronic components fail and then you have to contact a car diagnostician. This pleasure is not the cheapest, and finding a good automotive electronics specialist is a big problem. As a rule, most of them will simply print out the errors for you and quickly send you to another service, taking a certain amount of money. So why give someone your hard-earned money if you can diagnose your car yourself without any problems?

So today we’ll talk about such a wonderful device as the ELM327, which will help save you a lot of time, nerves and money. I will tell you what kind of scanner this is, how much it costs, how to use it, what cars can be diagnosed.

ATTENTION: today we will look at the Chinese version of the ELM327 and talk about it. How to distinguish the Chinese version from the original? Yes, very simple. Most likely, everything you come across for sale will be made in China. I bought the Chinese version on Aliexpress or you can buy it at a car store at a reasonable price. The original version of the auto scanner costs fabulous money, and why do you need it?

What is ELM327 and why is it needed?

ELM327 - This is a scanner or adapter that connects to the car’s on-board computer via the OBD-II connector and reads readings from electronic control units. This miracle device will help you:

• Diagnose the malfunction;
• View sensor readings online;
• Display operating graphs of various vehicle systems;
• Reset errors of the ECU and other units.

ELM327 Bluetooth
Many scanners open up even more possibilities, and a lot also depends on the car. Case color and shape may vary.

The scanner is most often presented in the form:

• Bluetooth adapter. The most common and cheapest, works with Android (today we’ll look at it);
• USB ELM327, which works in tandem with a computer;
• Wi-Fi adapter. If you have an iPhone, then this is your choice.

The auto scanner is worth buying only with firmware version 1.5 You should not take any tempting ! You will only be disappointed. That is, Autoscanner ELM327 version 1.5 is your choice.

The cost of this device usually starts from 300 ₽. I don’t recommend taking anything cheaper. You need to focus on the cost of 300-600 rubles . There is no point in buying an expensive OBD-II scanner.

also highly recommend not using the disk that comes with the scanner. Most likely there is nothing useful there, and it often happened that there were viruses there.

Setting up on Android

1. Let's start with the application, which can be freely downloaded from the Play Market. There are quite a lot of programs, but I advise you to use Torque.
2. We connect the diagnostic scanner to the car connector if you have not already done so.
3. We start your car.
4. Now turn on Bluetooth from your smartphone. You need to connect to the module; to do this, go to “Settings”, look for the section where the “Bluetooth” connection is located - usually this section is located in the “Wi-Fi, networks and Internet” section. The firmware may differ, so I can’t say for sure. By the way, you can get there in another way - while on the main page, swipe your finger from top to bottom to bring up the “Blind” menu. Next, with Bluetooth turned on, hold down the Blue Tooth icon with your finger until you get to the desired section.
5. When connecting, you need to select your module, usually it is called: “OBD 2”. When connecting, you may need a code - enter one of the combinations: 1111, 0000, 1234, 2222, 4444. The encoding can be viewed on the OBD box.
6. After that, launch the program and go to the “Settings” section. Now select the connected module - if you did everything correctly, it will be displayed in the list and you can connect to it.

There is no point in talking about the interface, since it is quite clear. You can view various information about your car. True, the information functionality is slightly reduced compared to the computer version.

What cars can be diagnosed by ELM327

The first thing you need to know is whether your car has an OBD 2 diagnostic connector and where it is located. The easiest way to do this is by entering the make and year of manufacture of the car .

OBD-II diagnostic connector

I will say right away that almost all cars since 2000 , as well as some earlier models, have an OBD-II diagnostic connector. Even if your car model does not have this connector, do not worry, there are adapters.

List of supported cars and checking the auto scanner for compatibility

Adapter ELM 327 OBD 2 Bluetooth Russian version - supports all cars with an OBD controller. The data transmission architecture was built using the OBDII protocol; it has been used since 1996 in the European automobile industry, and in Russia since 2001. Incompatibility is only possible with connectors, as mentioned earlier, but in this case adapters are used.

List of supported ECUs (not complete):

VAZ:

• BOSCH M 1.5.4 R83
• BOSCH M 1.5.4 E2
• BOSCH MP 7.0 E3
• BOSCH MP 7.0 E2
• BOSCH M 7.9.7 E3/E4
• BOSCH M 7.9.7 E2
• BOSCH ME 17.9.7
• January R83
• January E2
• January 7.2 E2
• Itelma VS 5.1 E2
• Itelma VS 5.1 R83
• Itelma/Avtel M73 E3
• Itelma M 74
• Itelma M 74 K (Classic)
• Itelma M 74 CAN
• Itelma M 74 CAN MAP
• Itelma M 75

GAZ / UAZ:

• Mikas VS 8 E2
• Mikas 11 E2

ZAZ:

• Mikas 10.3/11.3
• Mikas 7.6

List of brands supported by the universal auto scanner for diagnostics: Mazda, Toyota, Lincoln, Ford, Lexus, Honda, BMW, Mercedes, Chrysler, Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet, Renault, Lada, VAZ, Kia, Hyundai, Deawoo, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Audi, Peugeot, Chevrolet, Opel, Mazda, Volvo, Nissan (also Pathfinder 2000), BMW.

An extended list is presented below or follow the link to the official website to order and check compatibility.

List of supported vehicles
Audi: Audi 80 Audi 100 Audi 200 Audi A2 Audi A3 Audi A4 B5 Audi A4 B6 Audi A4/Cabriolet Audi A6 C4 Audi A6 C5 Audi Allroad mk1 Audi A8 Audi S2 Audi S3 Audi TT mk1 Daewoo: Matiz Nexia Chevrolet: Aveo Lacetti	Seat: Seat Alhambra Seat Altea Seat Arosa Seat Cordoba Seat Ibiza Seat Inca Seat Leon MK1 Seat Leon MK2 Seat Toledo GAZ: 3102 31022 310221 31029 3102i 3105 3110 31105 311055 3110i 3111	Skoda: Skoda Fabia Skoda Felicia Skoda Octavia MK1 Skoda Octavia MK2 Skoda Superb UAZ: 2317 2363 Pickup 3151 315108 Hunter 31512 31514 31517 31519 315195 Hunter 3153 3159 3160	VW: VW Beetle VW Bora VW Caddy VW Corrado VW Golf MK2 VW Golf MK3 VW Golf MK4 VW Jetta MK3 VW Jetta MK4 VW Lupo VW Passat B3 VW Passat B4 VW Passat B5 (B5+) VW Polo MK3 VW Polo MK4 VW Touran VW Touareg VW Transporter T3 VW Transporter T4 VW Transporter T5	VAZ: 1111 Oka 2104 2105 2106 2107 2108 2109 2110 2111 2112 2113 2114 2115 2120 Nadezhda 2121 4Х4 2123 2129 2329 Kalina Priora
If you do not find your car model in the list, this does not mean that this device does not support it!

Protocols:

ISO-9141-2, ISO-14230-4 (KWP2000), ISO15765-4 (CAN), J1850-РWМ, J1850-VPW and others, check with managers.

Acura Alfa Romeo Ariel Atom Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Buick Cadillac Chevrolet Chrysler Citroen Daewoo

Daihatsu Daimler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Ford Geo GMC Holden Honda Hummer Hyundai Infiniti

Isuzu Jaguar Jeep Kia Lamborghini Lancia Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lotus Maserati Mazda McLaren

Mercedes Mercury MG Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Oldsmobile Opel Pagani Panoz Peugeot Plymouth Pontiac

Porsche Regal Renault Rolls-Royce Roush Rover Saab Saleen Saturn Seat Scion Shelby Skoda

Smart Subaru Suzuki Tesla Toyota Triumph TVR Vauxhall Volkswagen Volvo Yugo VAZ

Selecting a diagnostic application

I think that you won’t have any questions here. Go to Google Play (Play Market) and download the application “ InCarDoc free ” (Car Doctor). The advantage is that the program is in Russian. I have been using this application for a long time and have not had any problems with it, especially since there is a PRO version on the Internet that can be installed for free.

There are also programs called Torque, OpenDiag Mobile, Car Scanner ELM OBD2, HobDrive and others. Torque, for example, will help display additional widgets on the screen, and if you have an Android radio, you can use this program as an on-board computer. The choice is actually great. Everyone has the same goal - to read the electronic components of your car. If for some reason you don’t like “ InCarDoc free ”, then try one of the above suggestions.

Let's sum it up

As you can see, the ELM327 diagnostic adapter is not just useful, but even a necessary thing that every responsible car enthusiast should have on hand. This scanner allows you to quickly, regularly and timely diagnose your vehicle.

At the same time, the ELM327 scanner provides the ability to read errors and decipher them, which often makes it possible to accurately determine the malfunction and take appropriate measures as part of troubleshooting.

We also recommend reading the article about why the exclamation mark on the instrument panel lights up. In this article, you will learn what it means when an exclamation mark is lit on the dashboard, as well as how to determine the malfunction as part of diagnosing possible problems.

Finally, we note that you can buy the ELM327 today at a very affordable price. The main thing is not to buy too cheap solutions from little-known sellers, since in this case you can buy not just a clone, but a copy of an initially not very successful copy. Naturally, such a device will either not work at all, or the functionality will be reduced to the limit.

To avoid such mistakes, you need to buy car scanners, on-board computers and other car electronics, car products and all kinds of car accessories only from trusted sellers who provide extended warranties for their products.

Instructions for ELM327

So we have an ELM327 Bluetooth version 1.5 , an Android InCarDoc free program installed , a car with an OBD-II connector . Now you can proceed directly to diagnostics:

1. With the ignition off (required), insert the ELM327 into the OBD-II , and it will show signs of life (the LED indicator will light up);
2. Turn on Bluetooth on your phone and look for a device called OBDII (the name may vary), then when pairing devices you will be asked to enter a password: usually this is 1234 or 0000.
3. If everything worked out, then go to the InCarDoc free and click the green “Connect” button (photo on the left). If everything was done correctly, the inactive sections of the menu will become active (photo on the right).

Connecting to a car in the InCarDoc free
4. Once you have successfully connected to the car, you should start it. 5. Car diagnostics. Follow the instructions in the picture below. To diagnose your car, go to the “Diagnostics” , after a few seconds a list of errors that exist in your car will appear on the screen. Take a screenshot of the screen with errors, this is necessary to study them further and find the cause of their occurrence. Now you can safely clean them. Follow the instructions below:

resetting car errors in the
InCarDoc free
6 program. This program has the function of displaying dynamic parameters on the phone screen in real time. For example, I displayed the engine speed at idle (you can see how they float) and the coolant temperature (the car was just warming up). This program has a fairly wide selection of dynamic parameters output, so I use it.

Displaying the dynamic parameters of the car in the
InCarDoc free
7. To finish working with the ELM327 , simply click the “Disconnect” button in the InCarDoc free . Turn off the car engine and remove the scanner itself from the OBD-II .

PC connection

It is best to use a laptop that has a Bluetooth module, because we will connect using it.

1. We look for the “ScanMaster” program on the Internet, download and install it. If necessary, use the “crack” to activate.
2. The connection on a laptop is the same as on Android; you need to connect to the device itself. To do this, first connect it to the car and start the device.
3. In Windows 10, in the lower right corner of the screen in the tray, find “Bluetooth”, right-click, turn it on and go to “Add Bluetooth devices”. In Windows 7, this can be done through: “Start” – “Devices and Printers” – add a “Bluetooth” connection there.
4. When connecting, you must also enter the code: 1234, 0000, 4444, 1111. The code is usually duplicated on the device box.

Recording trip data

If malfunctions or errors occur only while driving, it will be useful to record a detailed log of changes in indicators along the way, and then analyze the operation of the machine.

Even if this data doesn’t tell you anything, a specialist from the service will already be able to draw certain conclusions with their help.

Possible mistakes

If the ELM 327 Bluetooth does not connect to Android and you are unable to use it, it means that the following errors may have occurred during the connection:

• the switch on the adapter is not switched;
• The ignition is not turned on (often required for power);
• insert the adapter into the connector more tightly (blinking LED does not necessarily indicate connection);
• go through all the protocols in the program settings. In Torque in Russian this is the “Car Profile” item in the settings. Try different protocols until communication is established.

If these steps do not help, then the problem is probably with the adapter itself. You need to exchange it under warranty and choose another one.

Measuring acceleration speed and fuel consumption

Everything here is extremely simple: we note the time and, without being distracted by a stopwatch, quickly accelerate the car to the desired speed.

The system itself will tell you the acceleration time to 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 km/h.

By entering the cost of fuel, you can clearly see the consumption both in liters and in monetary terms.

A friend helped me by lending me a compact OBD scanner.

Within a few minutes, the “smart box” suggested that the problem was with the crankshaft position sensor.

To check, we cleared the error using a scanner, and a few days after the lamp came on again, the diagnosis was confirmed.

The cost of spare parts is from 400 to 1200 rubles. (depending on the manufacturer). You can replace it yourself, but you will have to find an overpass or lift. In the first garage we came across, the sensor was replaced for 300 rubles. It took no more than five minutes.

The problem has been resolved, the lamp has stopped lighting up, and the scanner no longer sees the error described earlier.

Fixed the breakdown for 1000 rubles. The official diagnostics alone will cost more, but the garage technicians can rip you off to the best of their arrogance.

I decided to order such a useful scanner on AliExpress.