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

[Brad Kahler]

Steve,

Thanks for the reply. I splurged and spent $6 more :)

What you described is pretty much what I expected. I did find out that
selecting "scan for faults" immediately shuts the engine off! Fortunately
I discovered this while sitting in the driveway and not on the road.

Monitoring transmission temps, etc is why I wanted one of these things as
well. So far I like it.

Thanks!

Brad

-------- Original Message --------
From: Steven Trovato
Sent: Fri, 24/01/2014 05:13 PM
To: Shop Talk List
CC:
Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] Leave it plugged in or not?

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.
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