OBDII scanner damage the ECU?
 

OK, so I just had an engine swap, and after about 1 day the CEL came on.

The dealership said that it might be a gas cap, and to see if it goes away by itself. They had my car for 4 weeks replacing the engine, and I was not looking forward to bringing it back.

So I cleared it by pulling the battery neg. cable, the CEL went away (yes, I know about the ECU remapping procedure). After about a half hour of driving the CEL cam back (solid, not flashing.)

BTW, there is no noticeable driving or performance issues. So I called the dealership and they scheduled me to come in next week. I suggested that I go to autozone, and pull the code to let them know what it is, in case I shouldn't wait a whole week.

He said that only they should pull the codes, because if someone elses uses the OBDII improperly they could damage the ECU. He also lectured me about resetting it myself. My BS detector is going off big time at this point. I want to call him on it, but 1st I wanted to make sure that I am correct.

There is no way I can 'damage' the ECU by using an OBDII/CAN scanner to pull codes, right? I am hating that service adviser, he is a total a$$.

Thanks

I have never heard of this before. I own a ODBII reader and I have never ever had any issues. Nor have I had a Dealer or Garage tell me I could do damage to my ECU.
If I have a CEL I always tell the Garage the DTC Code

I would support your BS meter on this

With the proper cable and software, you can reprogram the ECU. So his concept that damage can be done is not a complete fantasy. But it's not the kind of thing that someone would do by accident.

If the CEL came on while driving, it's not the gas cap. The evaporative system self-check happens while the car is off. If the test fails, the CEL comes on as soon as you start the car. I can't believe (and neither can you) that they told you to just drive and see if the light goes away.

Definitely find someone who can read the code. IMHO, it's a bad idea to just clear a code without learning what it is. If you have Autozone read the code, don't let them clear it - you really want it to still be there for the dealer to read.

Ken

Good point Ken. I never clear the code either. I leave it in there for the Dealer/Garage to look at as well.

Why is your dealer making you wait that long to read a code? Both the dealers I frequent get me in within 24 hours if I make an appointment. One of the service managers told me if I had a code thrown I could just stop by and they would read it on the spot.

Yeah, well it looks like my dealer is worthless. Because they swapped the motor, I feel like they should button up these lingering issues...otherwise I would go somewhere else.