Obdii

[tavvi]

QUESTION 1 Can anyone confirm this for me: 3rd gen surfs are NOT OBDII compliant?

Having searched around the internet for a while my logic is as follows:
OBDII compliance from 1996 applies to the US market only and since the Surf is a Japanese domestic market vehicle the compliance criteria does not apply. It looks like the 1KZTE engine was never made OBDII compliant and is illegal for all but offroad use in US emission controlled areas.

Similar Asian and European market compliance rules appear to have been introduced later and so OBDII compliance in those markets doesn't seem to kick in until 2003/4 -ish.

QUESTION 2 If this is the case does anyone have any idea what type of data can be retrieved from the 3rd gen ECU and a good scan tool for retrieving that data?

I had originally hoped that I could pick up an Auterra 300 which can be used with a PDA and can be configured to display like a dash guage - so in theory I could have used it to display, for example, engine coolant and transmission oil temps. Since I already have a suitable PDA this might have been a cost effective way of monitoring temps and getting a decent scan tool at the same time. I appreciate my logic may well have been seriously flawed.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

[BUSHWHACKER]

The OBDII socket should be under the dash to the left of the steering column. (above your left shin as you sit in the driver's seat)
It's a black rectangle shape.

My 2001 (petrol) Surf has one, not checked on my '96 (petorl) Surf yet.

The advantage of OBDII sockets is you can retreive more descriptive codes and read live data such as engine revs and temps etc.

ODB1 sockets are on or near the engine on all Surfs/engine types.

[red barron]

Obd

There is a lot of confusion regarding EOBD and when cars were compliant from. Although cars in the USA were OBD2 compliant from 1996, cars in the UK and Europe were not required to be EOBD compliant until 2001, and to confuse things further Diesels did not have to comply until 2004, add to this the fact that most cars sold in the UK and Europe were fitted with the EOBD 16 pin diagnostic plug from 1997, it`s easy to see why there is this problem. although there were some cars which were OBD2 compliant sold in the UK and Europe (mainly Americian manufacturers or cars made for the Americian market, examples are: Jeep, Chrysler, Ford and larger engined BMW to name a few)
Basically EOBD is this:
Petrol/LPG fuel Cars should be EOBD compliant from 31 December 2000
Diesel Cars should be EOBD compliant from 2004

[tavvi]

Thanks for the speedy response Bushwacker.

I know there is an OBDII-type socket but apparently that doesn't guarantee that the vehicle is OBDII compliant. I noticed from an earlier thread that you have an EQUUS scanner which is OBDI and OBDII compliant so I wasn't sure if you were, in effect, using it to retrieve OBDI data. However, if you are certain that you are getting OBDII data then I will bow to your unquestionably greater knowledge.

[tavvi]

There is a lot of confusion regarding EOBD and when cars were compliant from. Although cars in the USA were OBD2 compliant from 1996, cars in the UK and Europe were not required to be EOBD compliant until 2001, and to confuse things further Diesels did not have to comply until 2004, add to this the fact that most cars sold in the UK and Europe were fitted with the EOBD 16 pin diagnostic plug from 1997, it`s easy to see why there is this problem. although there were some cars which were OBD2 compliant sold in the UK and Europe (mainly Americian manufacturers or cars made for the Americian market, examples are: Jeep, Chrysler, Ford and larger engined BMW to name a few)
Basically EOBD is this:
Petrol/LPG fuel Cars should be EOBD compliant from 31 December 2000
Diesel Cars should be EOBD compliant from 2004

Thanks for the response. I think that reinforces what I wrote in my second post - but doesn't preclude the possibility that a '98 surf is OBDII compliant so hopefully Bushwacker can provide further info.