Help please

[PaulC5]

Makes me wonder if the reader direct from China is a copy one.
To use one it is usual to have the car turned off completely, then plug it in, turn the ignition key so the dash lights up and the reader should then detect the car. Then have a look on the reader for any fault codes through a menu and also for any pending ones. You can also look at freeze frame data to see what the sensors were showing when the last fault was stored. Write all these things down and then you can start the engine and look at live data. If you want to delete fault codes this is done with the ignition on dash lit up but the engine not running. Before unplugging the reader switch off the ignition and remove the key.

[Expertamateur]

Genuine or copy? It's very hard to tell. It came in proper packaging (skin packed) on a card with WWW.foxwelltech.com on the back. The minimal quick setup guide says what the four buttons on the unit are for and to go to the website to download an Update Tool which I did. I downloaded it and then I am supposed to connect the reader to the PC and the Download Tool says "Device not connected". Game Over.

Is it possible that I need to download the Update info to a laptop and plug into the car's socket to get the update to go into the reader at the same time? I tried to fill out a contact form at the company's website but it won't accept all the information and I doubt that they will respond anyway.

I will try your sequence and see if I get any different result.

[Expertamateur]

I did as you recommended and it threw up only one fault code. P0597 "Thermostat heater control circuit open". I'm not sure how this relates to intermittent non-starting but who knows.........At first the "emissions" warning came up on the dash but at some point it went out.

I tried having a look at the rest of the stuff under "Live Data" with the engine running. Lots of stuff going on there, unintelligible apart from engine RPM that responds when I give it some juice, and "Spark Advance" which moves as it should as I tweak the loud pedal. The rest is temperatures of various things and lots of abbreviations.

I think my next move will be to risk taking the car out of the driveway and take short distances with stops and restarts. Not too far to walk home if it plays games again, but this time I will have the code reader with me when it happens, hopefully to gather some more codes.

[PaulC5]

This might help with P0597 viewtopic.php?t=85307#:~:text=Re:%20P05 ... et%20thank)%20that's%20faulty.

A faulty thermostat can give poor fuel economy. Look at live data, you should see about 90 to 96 degrees in the engine/coolant temperature if the thermostat is ok when the engine has warmed up.

[Expertamateur]

Faulty thermostat is a real possibility. The car is a serious petrol gulper. I notice this after driving 2 litre diesels for about 25 years. First a van, and now the wife's 406 estate. They both returned 50 to 60 mpg on highway use. The 2 litre 16v petrol was a real shock but I figured I could put up with it because I don't don't do a lot of mileage these days. Any idea how long it should take to get up to "normal" running temp? A new thermostat will be a cheap fix and I am happy to follow this clue. I'm still interested to find out why there has been an intermittant "non-starting" fault. Hot or cold seemed to make no difference. I will start a few test runs over the next few days and post any new results here. Many thanks for your help.

[Expertamateur]

Well, I threw caution to the wind and tried a short trip (5 miles) to the Post Office. The car had been starting perfectly well a few times over the last week while I was trying to figure out the Code Reader. Bad idea. 1) the bloody Post Office was closed. 2) the car wouldn't start for the trip back home.
I had the wife with me at the time and she just happened to have a mobile phone with her. We almost never carry one and it stays at home to receive security codes for our bank, etc. We had the phone number of our insurance broker in the car so rang them to see if we were covered for breakdown/recovery. All OK, about half an hour for them to come out. Not allowed to just take the car home, they had to take it to the nearest garage. The nearest one had a very bad reputation so I was glad when we found they were totally booked solid with hardly a space for the recovery wagon to park. We convinced him to go to a garage we do trust but was much farther away in another town. A bit of cash in his pocket sealed the deal. That garage was also solid but they accepted the car because they knew us. We then had to find a taxi to get home. A long walk to a supermarket with "for sale" cards on the wall, etc. and found a number and the Taxi was willing to take us home. €50 lighter we got home. I translated an email and sent it off to the garage asking them to investigate the problem and let us know what they find. It will be a case of cheap fix and get rid of it, or expensive fix and take it straight to the breakers. I've had enough.

I have also had bother with the Code reader. The Update software won't load because it can't connect to my PC. Because of a missing driver. Great!

[MattBLancs]

Oh dear, sorry to hear of your frustrating day! Hope the garage comes back with a cheap fix and you get a chance for some enjoyment of the car!

[Rp0thejester]

Strange you couldn't find a mention of a decent code reader on here. I use easy diagnostics. I have a Lexia from them and can't fault it, but that's just my opinion. A starting then not starting problem regardless of heat makes me think starter motor but I'm sure you've checked that. I'm interested to see what the garage says.

[Expertamateur]

I did have a recommendation from a member here. Granted it is probably only an entry level one but as I am already sick of this P.O.S. I was reluctant to spend hundreds on a top end unit. If I have another car it won't have an ECU that I have to play games with.

I don't think its a starter problem either. It spins fast. In fact it turns so fast you hear the engine start so quickly you're not aware of the starter turning at all. And then ten minutes later when it decides its not going to play, you hear the starter, spinning fast enough to start but won't fire. Sometimes it will fire but immediately dies.

[Rp0thejester]

My 'Lexia' from easy diagnostics does Citroen, Pugs etc so I'm happy.if starters fine, surely it's over fuelling, maybe a dodgy spark plug or rail.

[Expertamateur]

With so many different sensors sending data to the ECU that then makes a decision on what to do next, all it takes is a tiny bit of wet/corrosion/broken wire/etc. on any of them to result in a "You're walking home" situation. All this techo-crap undoubtedly produces more fuel efficient cars and probably in some indirect way makes them safer but also makes them more unreliable. Too bad we're not offered the choice. I wouldn't swap a brand new 2025 car of any sort for any one of the cars I have owned from 1929 to 1978. Without exception, the newer the car, the more trouble it has been, and more expensive to fix.

[Expertamateur]

Update-

The garage emailed me to say it is fixed. It was a large lump that looks like a carburettor, with a black box of electronics at one end. A fairly expensive piece of kit but luckily the garage didn't charge me crazy money to do the diagnostic stuff. €23 (£20). My next task is to try to find a buyer for a RHD convertible in a LHD country, Oh, and the top doesn't retract.

Many thanks for the help and suggestions.