[Shop-talk] Leave it plugged in or not?

[Steven Trovato]

Brad,

Since no one responded, I'll take a shot at this.  I have a bluetooth 
OBD II adapter, but mine was only around $10!  I have used it in my 
2005 Chevy Suburban on trips while towing.  I can monitor 
transmission temperature that way.  You can plug it in or remove it 
any time you want.  If the ignition isn't on, you don't get anything 
on the Torque app, except a message to make sure the ignition is 
on.  I have left mine plugged in for a week or so and the battery 
seemed fine.  I suspect the OBD II port is turned off when the 
ignition is off, but I haven't verified that.  You are right that the 
combination of the Pro Torque app and a bluetooth OBD II adapter 
works great.  The only thing I avoid doing is making changes, like 
resetting faults, while the car is moving.  It might not be a 
problem, but if anything weird is going to happen, I'd rather it be 
in the driveway.

-Steve Trovato
strovato at optonline.net


At 01:25 PM 1/24/2014, Brad Kahler wrote:
>I recently purchased one of these OBD2 bluetooth adapters and I can't find
>any information on when it should be plugged in and whether I should leave
>it plugged in all the time.  In other words can it be plugged in while the
>vehicle is on.  Can I leave it in or will it drain the battery and can I
>unplug it while the engine is running?
>
>http://www.ebay.com/itm/141020172676?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
>
>It works great with the Android app called Torque.  I bought the Pro
>version and really like how it works.
>
>My preference would be to just leave it plugged in all the time but I'd
>like to know for certain what the ramifications are.