Do You Know Which Type Of OBD Is Your Car? OBD1 Or OBD2?

Your car's OBD or on-board diagnostics are computers that monitor the engine for any abnormalities or malfunctions. It detects problems and triggers check engine lights and other notifications on the dashboard.

Although OBD1 and OBD2 do the same thing, there are some differences between the two. The most important is the interface on each interface is different. OBD1 has an interface specific to each manufacturer, while OBD2 has a universal interface that makes it easier to connect to OBD2 to communicate with the diagnostic system. The OBD2 is also more advanced and can provide more diagnostics for your car.

You may want to know "Which type of obd is my car? Is my car belong to obd1 or obd2?

Then there are several different ways to determine this. One of the main ways to find out if your car is OBD1 or OBD2 is the year it was manufactured. Since 1996, all manufacturers was required the use of OBD2. So if your car is in 1995 or before, it is likely to have an OBD1. However, some manufacturers began complying with this requirement in 1995, so if it is manufactured in '95, it is possible that OBD2.

If your car was manufactured in 1996 or later, it definitely has an OBD2, so you need an OBD2 scan tool to communicate with the car's diagnostic system. Since OBD1 is not standardized, OBD1 scan tools are usually only available for specific brands and models. Therefore, the type of OBD1 scanner you need may different. The OBD2 scanning tool can be used with any OBD2 car.

You can also determine what type of OBD your car is by looking at the interface system. The OBD1 interfaces are different and completely different. The standard OBD2 interface is a 16-pin connector. OBD2 interfaces are the same, so if the interface has 16-pin connector, so your car is OBD2. If it looks different, your car is OBD1.

The OBD interface is usually located somewhere on the dashboard of the car. The brand and model of the car will affect the location of the interface. In most cases, the interface is located on the left side of the steering wheel under the dashboard. Sometimes it's behind a latch or in a compartment, but you don't need any special tools to access the interface. Sometimes it is located in the glove box or close to the shift position.

You can also check if your car is OBD1 or OBD2 through the hood. Your car should have a label indicating whether it has been certified by OBD1 or OBD2. If it is OBD1 or OBD2, it will also be explained in the owner's manual.

There are several different ways to determine what OBD your car is. The easiest way is to determine when your car is built and start from which year. The new car produced after 1996 must be OBD2.

Will OBD2 read OBD1?

If you have an OBD2 scan tool, you may wonder if OBD2 will read your OBD1 car? The answer is not necessarily simple "Yes" or "No". The OBd1 and OBD2 diagnostic systems are very different, because OBD1 and OBD2 have different interfaces, so the OBD2 scanner cannot be connected to OBD1.

However, if you have an OBD2 scanner, you can purchase an adapter cable to connect the OBDII scan tool to the OBD1 interface. This adapter is usually an extra cost, but it's a good choice because you don't need universal scan tools for different cars. But even if you can get this adapter, it is important to know that you may still be unable to read all diagnostic information because OBD1 is different from OBD2's computer program. And you will not be able to properly communicate with the system, so you may not get fully accurate information.

Therefore, if you have the right adapter, you can technically connect OBD2 to OBD1, but it may still not work for you. If you want to read OBD1, the best way is to get a specific OBDI scanner tool. And you may need a product with a different interface accessory, or you need to purchase a scanner that matches your car's interface, as the OBD1 interface is not standardized and is usually different from one car brand and model to the next. This may make it more difficult to find a suitable OBD1 scanner, but many models have emerged that allow you to connect it to any OBD1 interface.

For all above, may be you could consider Ausland MDS9099 Pro, it including varies OBD1 connectors to suit for your OBD1 car, it can support both OBD1 and OBD2 cars.