Looking at a Modis, lotsa questions.

[Caliber]

My dealer has a repo'd modis, I'm looking at buying. A few questions, if I buy it, I'm thinking of having him updated it to 10.4, good idea or not?
Is the diesel pickup coverage good? Dodge CTD 5.9 6.7 ? Is there a injector disable test for the 6.7? Ford 7.3 , 6.o , 6.4?
Sprinter diesels?
Will the 5-gas analyzer work with the diesels? I'm wondering if it can detect a leaking EGR cooler on a pickup with the newer emission systems?
I'm thinking of getting the low amp probe, any other accessories you'd recommend?
TIA, Rich

[McCalls Garage]

I am very new to the modis as well, but i will say that you definitely need a low amp probe. I have no experience w/ diesels and the modis. It is a very capable tool...I am learning the scope, amazing what you can do with it when it starts to click

[crackerclicker]

I'm thinking of having him updated it to 10.4, good idea or not? TIA, Rich

if you ask real nice, he may just include the update with the purchase price . i went the route you are thinking before, and typically got an update included. worth a try at least, right?

[Trindaddy]

Modis

I still feel the Modis is the best tool for the buck after all this time. To answer your questions:
-Gas analysis is gas analysis. If you need it for your diesel work, get it.
-Low amp probe awesome for current and parasitic draw monitoring, great tool.
-The scope is superior and works OK with downloadable shopstream program.
-In my humble opinion, if you want a computer (as in the Verus or Verdict) buy a quality laptop and a Modis, not an all-in-one compromise.
*Most useful add-on: Seiko infrared portable printer! Otherwise, printing from modis is a real joke.
Biggest gripes:
-Lack of VW/Audi data support (see my post "blocks")
-Rediculous cost of ignition test leads esp. DIS
-No wireless com! (They ditched the plagued "air link" medium years ago starting 9.2 i think (anyone wanna buy a good used one cheap).
-Printing support

[Joe Rappa]

-Gas analysis is gas analysis. If you need it for your diesel work, get it.

I respectfully disagree. While it will work for a while on a diesel, it won't last long. Diesels make a lot of soot and will get the bench dirty fast. It will need frequent recalibrations before having to go in for repair when it won't calibrate anymore.
Also, diesel exhaust is hard on the oxygen sensor. It will fail in a short time, showing O2 readings higher than 20%.

This is the voice of experience talking...

Joe

[Caliber]

Update

I now have a Modis,,, build date Feb 09' with 10.4, I've been studying up on all the features and can see allot of uses for the lab scope. Now I have a different question, can I save data to a USB flash drive on the modis?

[Joe Rappa]

Yes.
To set it up:
go to the Utilities Menu
Tool Setup Menu
Save Data Menu
Change the location from Internal to USB

When you save a file it will ask you to insert the USB in the pot on top.

Do not use a big USB drive in the Modis. A bigger drive will not store more files. The Modis and Solus-Pro are limited on the number of files they can keep track of. I recommend a 1G, 2G at bthe biggest.

Joe

PS: Remembering the post from above on the Diesel Gas bench question..today I was using the Micro-Bench that I beat up using it on diesels. It went through several O2 Sensors and NOx cells while I messing with those things. I was a slow learner on that one... It sure cost me a few bucks to keep that thing alive, but I love it when I'm messing with a motorcycle/ATV, or anything else with a small charging system.

Joe

[Crusty]

I now have a Modis,,, build date Feb 09' with 10.4, I've been studying up on all the features and can see allot of uses for the lab scope. Now I have a different question, can I save data to a USB flash drive on the modis?

Do as Joe says.
The only thing I'd change to that is, the folders created by the machines are; USER and then DATA.
The DATA folder is limited by windows to 499 files inside.
Store all you like. When it's nearly full, rename the DATA folder to something else that you can remember such as _DATA-Dec-21-10, then make another folder named DATA and away you go, 499 more files saved....
HTH

[Caliber]

Do as Joe says.
The only thing I'd change to that is, the folders created by the machines are; USER and then DATA.
The DATA folder is limited by windows to 499 files inside.
Store all you like. When it's nearly full, rename the DATA folder to something else that you can remember such as _DATA-Dec-21-10, then make another folder named DATA and away you go, 499 more files saved....
HTH

So by doing this, I can use more of a 2G flash drive?
I've seen an earlier post on the CF cards that are too large, so a 2G CF card will work the same?

[Joe Rappa]

Crusty has a great idea on getting more folders on the drive. Honestly, I never thought of doing that.

The problem with using a bigger drive is that it takes longer for the Modis to recognize them. In my experience once you get beyond a 2G drive it can sometimes take 10 or more minutes for the Modis to operate once you put the drive in it. It acts like it's locked up until it sees the drive. Maybe it's just the one I use, but my 4G USB drive can take about 20 minutes to work in my Modis, so I just use a dedicated 1G now and have no problems. If someone else has any observations on this, I'd love to hear them. Admittedly, I haven't tried too many large drives.

Joe

[Caliber]

Yes.

PS: Remembering the post from above on the Diesel Gas bench question..today I was using the Micro-Bench that I beat up using it on diesels. It went through several O2 Sensors and NOx cells while I messing with those things. I was a slow learner on that one... It sure cost me a few bucks to keep that thing alive, but I love it when I'm messing with a motorcycle/ATV, or anything else with a small charging system.

Joe

I also work on the med and HD class trucks, I've just done some of the training for the new`'10 emission engines. The 11 and 13 liter, now have a o2 sensor directly behind the turbo. I don't know what type it is, I'll see if I can find more info on it. This new emission stuff is going to be a nightmare.

The same engine that is a '08 emission standard used a Lambda sensor, I had on-hands class training, the instructor stated that the Lamdba sensor would only last about 100,000 miles.

From my first post, I was looking for a way to detect coolant in the exhaust, with out having to pull off a EGR cooler and pressure test it. Most of the ones we've tested that way don't easily show a leak. They actually need to be at operating temp for a crack to open up and leak.
Rich

[crackerclicker]

i'm not a diesel tech, but you might find this interesting: http://members.iatn.net/forums/searc...=4&qv=1&loop=1

[Joe Rappa]

Hi Rich,
The O2 sensors on the new diesels are there to determine if NOx is being controlled properly, whether it be by EGR Valve, NOx Absorber, or SCR (you probably already know that). They operate differently than the sensors used in a gas bench, so they can work properly while being exposed to diesel exhaust. I don't know what the difference is, but the O2 sensors in a gas bench fail within a few hours of exposure to diesel exhaust. They begin to read numbers way higher than normal. I didn't know that the Diesel O2s were expected to last 100k miles. They're definitely not getting any cheaper to operate!

Joe

[Crusty]

So by doing this, I can use more of a 2G flash drive?
I've seen an earlier post on the CF cards that are too large, so a 2G CF card will work the same?

As Joe says, stay with 1G or at most 2G thumb drives. They're still hold thousands of files, only in 500 file packets.
That's why SSC is so important to use. You can collate hundreds of "known good" screen shots & movies for reference later. And if you sort & store them every day, you can keep them sorted by customer name and then vehicle, and then by data group, such as Engine, Transmission, SIR, ABS, and folders then in each one.
If you understand a windows "path" which is really just a "DOS Tree", you can keep them organized. If you use the same name in each folder such as "ENGINE", then "Engine-Data-1" folders, then you can use files saved today in there as "Eng-Dat-1 Dec-21-10", then tomorrow use "Eng-Dat-1 Dec-22-10".
The files will stay sorted and because you use the date in the folder name it will never repeat within that customers' sub-folders and you can store as many files as your hard drive can hold.
Now the trick is to review the files with SSC......but that's another issue.