Diesel Laptops Handheld Scan tool (and regens) at half price

[Rich W.]

Periodically these come up for sale used for half price. I bought mine used and couldn’t tell it from new. I was just on their website and noticed they have some used ones now, so if you’ve been thinking about it now would be a good time. And no I am not in any way affiliated etc etc etc.

Used Diesel Laptops Handheld Heavy-Duty Scan Tool with Regen

Please Note: This kit is used and is in good condition. The Diesel Handheld scanner is very simple to use. This handheld is specifically designed for the heavy-duty market. It allows reading and clearing of DTC's, Live data reading, and even DPF regens on most makes and models. This tool comes...

www.diesellaptops.com

PS: Neal if this belongs elsewhere please move it - I looked over the forums briefly and didn’t see a better place. I’m involved in something else right now. I’ll check again later.
PSS: I still would like to see a Diesel Emissions forum

 

[Neal]

Thanks for sharing the sale info, I highly recommend having one of these as well. Mine is out and I need to check the status of my coach with all of my short runs for services, etc.

Suggestion heard on another forum area, for now I think what we have should suffice. If I see the number of discussions warranting a better home for such and them not fitting where they are landing then I'll reconsider later. I'll change the title of the one below slightly to better align with your suggestion and hopefully cover the topic.

Engines - General Discussion

General discussion related to engines on RV's, Motorhomes, Tow Vehicles, and TOAD vehicles.

rvforums.com

 

[DennisT]

This is the one I picked up - works great and will do forced regen as well.

Caught it with a 20% off on Presidents’ Day.

Heavy Duty Truck Code Reader with DPF Regen

Amazing deals on this Truck Code Reader W/ Dpf Regen at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[Ventana]

Lots of choices on Amazon for less money. Many offer regen capability. Is there any meaningful difference for a casual user like myself?

 

[Rich W.]

This is the one I picked up - works great and will do forced regen as well.

Caught it with a 20% off on Presidents’ Day.

Heavy Duty Truck Code Reader with DPF Regen

Amazing deals on this Truck Code Reader W/ Dpf Regen at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

That looks very similar (identical at a glance). I wasn’t aware of that one.

 

[Rich W.]

Lots of choices on Amazon for less money. Many offer regen capability. Is there any meaningful difference for a casual user like myself?

This is a high quality instrument made by a company that specializes in much more expensive high-end diagnostic equipment for professional service of heavy duty diesels and it delivers as advertised. They also have a good return policy so no risk.

On the cheaper units from Amazon, with their return policy, you could to try them out and see and send them back if you aren’t satisfied. Maybe I should do that and write some reviews but I‘m also a little choosy about what I plug in to my 1939 port. I’ve read that some of the less expensive code readers claiming regen capability haven’t performed as advertised, but I have no direct experience with them.

The Diesel Laptops handheld also has excellent customer support (real on-site company employees that will actually answer specific questions correctly) works on OBDII and J1708, reads codes for transmission, brake, instruments, etc as well as engine codes, displays live data, has a DTC library, and they offer free updates although the process is a bit cumbersome (for me anyway, I think Neal has done it). Theres more to it than that, but given the capabilities, manufacturer, and quality of the device, that’s enough for me.

Another high quality option is OTR diagnostics. They have more emissions related commands, great libraries that include trouble shooting steps (app based), and while their live data displays fewer readings, they display the important ones and they are organized is an easy to read format. I was a beta tester for the current version and it now includes the ability to function in areas with no cell service (internet for the app) which was one of my peeves. The downside is that it requires a $600/year subscription but OTR is really intended for shops and fleet owners and not for individual owners. Wonderful product but pricey.

 

[Rich W.]

I was thinking about the this thread and shorting plug after discussing forced and parked regens in another thread. Technically all you really need is the Shorting Plug and the LBCU for the most basic functions of code reading and parked regens, and not an external device like the Diesel Laptops Handheld I opened this thread with.

The reason I don’t rely on the shorting plug (actually never even used it) is because it will not do “forced“ regens. It will only do parked regens when the DPF lamp is already illuminated. And that’s the difference: a parked regen is initiated with the shorting plug (or regen switch on the dash of trucks) and can only be performed when the DPF lamp is on. I try to avoid letting it get that bad, which is why I keep something that will do forced regens with my at all times. That way I can perform regens in advance as a maintenance procedure to maintain the health of my DPF and avoid issues while traveling.

But for anyone in need of a regen (DPF lamp on) and not in possession of a tool to perform forced regens, the shorting switch is a viable option as follows:

Shorting Plug​

NOTE: The DPF lamp must be illuminated before the shorting plug will initiate a parked regen.
The shorting plug is used to initiate a parked regen of the ATD. The shorting plug is located under the dash, next to the steering column. Mounting locations vary. See Fig. 7.6.

• 1.Primary Lock
• 2.Secondary "Red" Lock
• 3.Plug

Fig. 7.6, Shorting Plug
To initiate a parked regeneration, perform the following steps.
1.Park the vehicle away from all combustible and flammable materials. Chock the tires. Start and warm the engine until the coolant temperature is at least 150°F (66°C).
2.Set the parking brake. If the parking brake was already set, it must be released, then set again.
IMPORTANT: The driver must remain with the vehicle during the entire regen cycle.
3. Disconnect the shorting plug, as follows.
3.1Slide the secondary red lock away from the white cover. See Fig. 7.6 , Ref. 2.
3.2Push the primary lock in. See Fig. 7.6 , Ref. 1.
3.3Pull the plug apart. See Fig. 7.6 , Ref. 3.
4. Wait four seconds.
5. Connect the shorting plug.
6. Engine rpm will rise, and initiate the regen process.
7. The regen cycle will finish after 20 to 60 minutes, at which time engine idle speed will drop to normal and the vehicle can be driven normally. The HEST lamp may be illuminated, but will go out when the vehicle speed exceeds 5 mph (8 km/h), or the system has cooled to normal operating temperature. The DPF light will shut off.
8. To stop a parked regen at any time during the process, engage the clutch, service brake, or accelerator pedal, or turn off the engine.

 

[Neal]

Technically all you really need is the Shorting Plug and the LBCU for the most basic functions of code reading and parked regens

Not exactly true as your outline pointed out. The DEF lamp has to be active for this to work. We really don't want to see that as it could be quickly followed by a derate, as I had. The point of having the tool such as diesel laptops handheld is to perform a parked regen preemptively.

 

[Rich W.]

Not exactly true as your outline pointed out. The DEF lamp has to be active for this to work. We really don't want to see that as it could be quickly followed by a derate, as I had. The point of having the tool such as diesel laptops handheld is to perform a parked regen preemptively.

I agree that by the time the DPF lamp is illuminated you are at risk of an imminent derate as well as accumulating a significant soot load that will leave a lot of ash and can reduce the functional life of your DPF. Relying on the shorting plug is marginally effective, and from what I gather, the manufacturer‘s attempt to provide the most basic and minimum necessary user controls.

But it is theoretically sufficient even if suboptimal. I’ve never used it because my DPF never gets clogged up enough for the lamp to illuminate. Likewise I don’t rely on the LBCU for code reading because that’s all it does with no further support or controls. But its there, like the shorting plug, as the most basic adjunct for displaying codes.

So that’s the point I was trying to make. You can get by with both the shorting plug and LBCU but the DL Handheld is far superior and gives me a significant sense of security knowing I have more control over the fragile emissions system that has been forced on us.