going to buy a bluetooth scanner this weekend looking to have asmany functions as possible be able to set cam cync, read trans , tccm if possible,
need reccomendations on the app to use on my phone.
looking at the bafx bluetooth unit

 

I have the BAFX unit, the BlueTooth one. From what I've read, it's one of the best of the pirated/cloned Chinese adapters. That's kind of like being the world's tallest midget. Or, quoting the movie Argo, "This is the best bad idea we have, sir. By far."

In ELM terminal, it identifies itself as "ELM 327 v1.5". The problem is that ELM never had a version 1.5. Most OBD-II software recognizes that as a pirated/cloned v1.0 firmware and works with this adapter.

With Torque Pro, it delivers an update rate close to 30 PIDs/second with my android tablet, under "best case" conditions. Best case is with no other apps running, and no other apps installed. Your performance may vary.

Torque Pro doesn't do CMP Offset/Retard angle as you download it. It has the options to define a custom PID, and writing up how to do that is on my "to do" list.

If Lesmyer drops in here, he can tell you which app(s) can do CMP Retard angle on which model years. Car Gauge Pro does it for some years, but not for the early models, IIRC. There's another app he's used with early (1996-1997) models.

 

my truck is a 99 if it matters much.
i pulled the trigger for 21.99 even if it sucks its only 22 bucks lol
i will try torque pro and see how that works

 

The BAFX Bluetooth adapter is the one that you want. OBDLinkMX is the only one that is a little better, but it is much more expensive.

For a 1999, both the Car Gauge Pro and Dash Command Apps will read cam sensor retard. Torque Pro will not, and I have not been able to configure a custom PID to do so on Torque Pro. I do not know if RacerX has been successful or not.

Transmission codes are read along with engine codes, so any of the apps will read and clear those. Only one that gives additional live data for transmission is Car Gauge Pro with the Tap cell values and a few other things.

None of these android apps will do anything with the TCCM. Only way I have found to communicate with the TCCM is through typing the actual hexadecimal codes into an OBD2 terminal, and deciphering the hexadecimal responses. It works for reading and clearing codes, but I have only got the custom terminal in ScanXL Pro (Windows) to work for this (so far). I suspect free Android terminal apps will do this through bluetooth, but I'm not computer savvy enough to understand the difference between them and the Scan XL Pro terminal. I'm just not motivated any more on this, as my 4WD is fixed.

Bottom line is there is definitely no perfect Android app for reading OBD2 stuff codes and PIDs. It is amazing to me that some people expect a $10 app to do it all.

Torque Pro is very slick looking and popular. I find it somewhat limited, but still useful with the GM enhanced PIDs turned on. It has been around for quite some time. It is German software. Know that if you want to use it for extended GM PIDs you have to turn that feature on in the software setup. It is the old popular standard for Android OBD2.

Car Gauge Pro will do the most (especially if you have a Ford), but functionality is completely unfiltered for your vehicle. Tons of extra things to select that it can't do can lead you to believe that it is not working right. For the 1998 up Blazer it appears to be fully functional for GM extended PIDs in Powertrain only. For 1996-1997 Blazer it only does the most basic OBD2 functions, and only connects in Generic OBD2 mode. For later GM vehicle with CAN OBD2 protocol (2006 up), the same is true. For Ford, it will do ABS and actually trigger diesel injector buzz tests, etc. Also will connect with later Ford vehicles with extended functionality. As long as you understand the limitations of Car Gauge Pro it is a VERY useful tool. However the user interface is not so intuitive and not so easy to use.

Dash Command from Palmer Performance, is from the same people that make Scan XL Pro. I know it will do extended GM PIDs for ALL years of the Blazers, and it does cam sensor retard. I also assume it will do a lot of 2006+ GM vehicles using CAN protocol. With Dash Command you pay $10 for the app and then $10 for the enhanced PIDS for a particular manufacturer. GM is $10, Ford is $10, etc. I have not yet fully investigated the capabilities of this software, but it seems pretty easy to use. Seems they may have taken more care to see that it works for more vehicles, but they do charge more for their product as well.

If you want bi-directional control to do injector balance tests and crank sensor relearn on Blazers, then you have to have much more sophisticated and expensive software. Plus, this requires more than the Elm bluetooth adapter as an interface. Software like HP Tuners, EFI Live, and Autoenginuity have this capability and their own dedicated hardwire interfaces. They also cost a minimum of several hundred dollars and require a Windows notebook to run on. I have HP Tuners VCM Scanner, but if I had it to do over again I think I would get Autoenginuity as I don't need the capability to modify programming like HP Tuners and EFI Live are designed to do - and the Autoenginuity seems to do much more. I should note that pulling out a notebook and hooking up a hardwire OBD2 interface is a fairly big hassle to do. With the bluetooth and the phone app, I just leave the bluetooth plugged in all the time and only have to whip out the cell phone to do most things. Only time I bother to get out the HP Tuners is when I need to do crank sensor relearn or injector balance tests, etc.

Good luck in your quest. Just keep in mind that you are not going to find the perfect app for $10-$20 that does it all. For what they cost, buy them all! They are a lot of fun to play with and they all coexist on your phone while using the same Bluetooth OBD2 adapter.

 

Ahhh , here is what I was digging for! Hate to dredge up this old necropost...But figured once I wipe all this dust dirt and grease off of it, should be good as new..

Anywhoo , in my stuff stash, i have a few different code readers, but are on the older side.

I need mode 6 capability for random misfires , ABS as well as SRS...

I could jump for a GM Tech 2, but I happen to have one Ford vehicle as well, so hate to limit myself.

That OBDLinkMX looks promising especially when paired with ScanXL.

But, and here's the reason behind reviving this dusty old thread....Does anyone know if there are any apps , or any updates to the apps described above that add ABS and SRS capability to that BAFX scan tool?