Dash Lights ON in Cold

12v battery check says?

 

how many miles on her?

 

i think you would get the red triangle if it were battery related.

always worth testing the 12v, especially at nine below.

 

also, maybe a frozen brake caliper or something in the wheel area set the lights off.

 

Your pal should be able to find a cheap used laptop with Win 7 installed. Buy that and he will be able to install the interface cable and s/w no problem.

You might be better to post a question in the Gen 2 accessories forum and ask specifically about the ScanGauge.

 

Make sure you have the correct mongoose/ DLC cable. I hate to tell you that there are cheap cables out there that dont read. Either they will be clear or blue. Should be green and Mongoose brand.

 

Plus if your ABS lights are on your ABS actuator could be failing which is very common in that model. Ive replaced double digits over a year. Just a shot in teh dark since no codes but is that a piece of tape over your display in one spot? You will either hear a noise from the cowl engine bay area, or have poor braking, or the lights with codes. If your MPG are down check the engine performance as well as the HV Battery terminals at the cells. Corrssion is a sure sign and bet of degradation. Plus tires, spark plugs, etc could all cause low MPG.
My experience as well is those Optima AGM are garbage. Some people have good luck but most I see cause more issues than solve after a temperature shock in hot or cold. Good searching.

 

There are better options than Mini VCI that are cheaper than the Mongoose. While I don't disagree with your assessment, most people cannot/will not spring for the ~$500 it costs for real McCoy, just to do the occasional scan. While you get what you pay for, most of the cheap cables work for reading the ECUs, even if you have to buy 3 or 4 to get one that works satisfactorily.

Also be aware of vendors selling "Genuine Mongoose" that are cheap. They are cheap because that are counterfeit, so make sure, if buying a mongoose, you buy from a reputable supplier.

Be also aware and wary of the cheap rubbish Mangoose counterfeits.

 

You are right totally correct. I would go to a shop that reads codes and has a Techstream. Reading codes should be free. THey may hassle you to fix it with them but that is your choice and sadly the warranty enhancement for the brake actuator is done if that is the issue.

 

Ill take that anyday. Good job.

 

It very well might not be the actuator, but you could have brake drag for some reason.

While postulating based on experience or intuition is tempting, a good diagnostician will always read the codes and add that to the mix of symptoms and reported behaviour.

Seen it too many times where someone, even a licensed ASE mechanic, throws out a "it is probably ..., seen it many times," only for it to be something totally different.

The only thing you know for sure with the ABS light on, is the ABS ECU has one or more codes stored. Read the codes and then at least the direction for fixing the problem becomes more focused. Therefore, I encourage you once again to get your J2534 cable installed and running.

If you bought one of the really cheap Mini VCI cables, you may need to consider it is defective, if you or your pal cannot get it working with Techstream. Just buy another, or buy a better quality option like VxDiag nano for Toyota or Tactrix OpenPort 2.0 For Techstream. The latter is a USA designed and built, if you care to support local industry. There is of course the Mongoose as well. With the last three options, please be careful to buy the genuine product, as there are counterfeits of them all. Caveat emptor.

 

Its ASE. You need to postulate better.