I'm buying a non-runner MIEV here in Japan!

[Rational]

Did you purchase it from the scantool.net website, or a verified distributor?

What type of screw head is used on your LX? There are counterfeits out there and they use a different screw and the guts of it use the ELM chipset--total fake out.

They have an app for ICE cars, OBDLink, and it also works with the app, Torque.

i've used it with leafspy on my 2012 laef.

The Blueteeth radio has to "pair" to another device; you should be able to "see" a list of devices it finds when the radio is turned on.

Got it from amazon japan. I'll take a pic tomorrow and post it. Box was very deluxe. Seemed legit. I'll keep trying with it.

Had to sleep the whole afternoon. Probably started to get a little heat stroke trying to work during high noon today.

Yeah, apps see it in the bluetooth list as the LX. None of the apps had any data populate the screens though so was frustrating.

I thought I could at least test it with my prius, leaf and alphard first. Didn't try the alphard yet. Might tomorrow. Will have to wait until I have the miev.

Any benefit to buying the icarsoft i909 for mitsubishi scanner or using the winxp french citroen/triplet 7.5x software? Or trying to find a MUT3?

Or not necessary these days? I was able to grab the virtualbox image and got it up and running this afternoon. Seems I need to find the correct dongle for it from aliexpress? Found the MUT3 software on yahoo auctions, but seems there's more needed for a hardware piece? Gotta read some more threads it seems. Found one MUT3 but listed as 'junk', so not guarantee it works.

 

[Rational]

The most basic information required to give you an idea of pack ‘health’ is age and mileage, another hint is that from about mid/late 2012 cars manufactured (not sold) were equipped with the much improved (as far as degradation goes) LEV50N cells.

Unfortunately there is no definitive way to determine the performance of a pack until you run a battery calibration which requires a working car and about a day to do.

It’s possible to read out CMU data (cell voltage/temperatures) of a removed pack similar to a Leaf but that gives no clue about its remaining capacity.

You might be better off going for a NMC upgrade in the long run:

https://myimiev.com/threads/main-traction-battery-upgrade-i-miev.5458/

Thanks. Anyone trying LFP cells instead of NMC? I'd read before that NMC are more volatile and at increased risk of thermal runaway compared to LFP.

I'm hoping sodium ion figures out their issue soon so they become a thing. Zero chance of fires with those. Too bad their power per pound is still lower.

Cycles are much higher too.

I may just end up ordering cells from china and rebuilding the pack myself to get it as high of a kWh as I can. Lots to study up on before that stage.

Might get a pack off of yahoo auctions to play with first since they're so cheap. Plus can play with the one that's in it.

Were any of those links or info of benefit? Or already all well known?

 

[MickeyS70]

Any benefit to buying the icarsoft i909 for mitsubishi scanner or using the winxp french citroen/triplet 7.5x software? Or trying to find a MUT3?

Or not necessary these days?

Afaik there are two apps that have been confirmed to be able to read/clear DCTs on triplet; HobDrive and CarScanner. I have used them both with my trusted OBDLink LX on an Android 5/8 phone/tablet. These are generic apps, you need to select the correct car in the profile.

Lexia/Diagbox clones are ‘poor men’s’ MUT3s but work surprisingly well, even on an IMiev.

 

[kiev]

The MUT/Lexia/Diagbox tools are the OEM devices used by the techs at the dealerships. They likely meet or exceed the requirements of the SAE J2534 spec for pass thru programming, which defines diagnostic "modes" (e.g mode 06 or 09), and can read/write data and clear any codes.

They consist of a windoze laptop/pc to run the MUT/Lexia/Diagbox software; a USB cable to connect to the VCI, Vehicle Communication Interface, a little black box that converts CAN buss signals to serial data; and another cable to connect the VCI to the OBDII port.

Most of the aftermarket scan tools have gotten better over time with more features and smaller size, and can operate in more "modes". The Launch scanners are based upon the X431 chipset. For example the i909 is an "old" x431 device compared to the new stuff which can run on a phone or tablet now. The i909 is a nice and simple code reader, but can't clear all codes. For the same money i would consider buying something newer.

 

[Rational]

The MUT/Lexia/Diagbox tools are the OEM devices used by the techs at the dealerships. They likely meet or exceed the requirements of the SAE J2534 spec for pass thru programming, which defines diagnostic "modes" (e.g mode 06 or 09), and can read/write data and clear any codes.

They consist of a windoze laptop/pc to run the MUT/Lexia/Diagbox software; a USB cable to connect to the VCI, Vehicle Communication Interface, a little black box that converts CAN buss signals to serial data; and another cable to connect the VCI to the OBDII port.

Most of the aftermarket scan tools have gotten better over time with more features and smaller size, and can operate in more "modes". The Launch scanners are based upon the X431 chipset. For example the i909 is an "old" x431 device compared to the new stuff which can run on a phone or tablet now. The i909 is a nice and simple code reader, but can't clear all codes. For the same money i would consider buying something newer.

Thanks for that. Is there a particular recommended cable I can use for MUT/Lexia/Diagbox that's known to be working well with them and of reasonable price? I see a bunch on aliexpress but am unsure which to buy. Lots of MUT3 options at a wide range of price points, as well as Mongoose JLR or plus, openport 2.0 or even the Lexia if it will work with a JDM miev.

I'll of course be using what I have already first to see if it's adequate. But want to get my bearings on these higher end OEM level devices should I need or want to go that route as well.

Since the miev is so old now I've read the latest versions of MUT3 and all other tools latest updates really aren't required, right? I just need to confirm if there's a universal cable I could get that would work with all of the above tools. That would be handy to have so I can play around with them all with a single cable.

In addition to the above, I'll also still look into the launch line of products again. Was looking at them a few months ago. Wasn't sure if Autel was the best since they seem to be the leader over launch? Or does Launch work better with the miev perhaps?

 

[kiev]

There's a J2534 thread on the forum that may be of interest.

i think Piev has had good luck using the Tactrix Openport 2.0 device with a laptop to run a MUT software, worth looking into that solution.

Also gary12345 has some video showing a nice large screen device. Have to search on his posts.

All of the dongle devices use the Hayes AT Modem commands to initialize communications. The apps and high end devices wrap higher levels of GUI or UI to send those commands and interpret the results.

With the right hardware, such as the Openport, you can send your own commands and requests for data directly from a terminal window on a pc laptop. (roll yer own option)

At the end of the day, we are at the mercy of the programmers as to whether or not a given device/code will perform and do what we need or want.

 

[Rational]

There's a J2534 thread on the forum that may be of interest.

i think Piev has had good luck using the Tactrix Openport 2.0 device with a laptop to run a MUT software, worth looking into that solution.

Also gary12345 has some video showing a nice large screen device. Have to search on his posts.

All of the dongle devices use the Hayes AT Modem commands to initialize communications. The apps and high end devices wrap higher levels of GUI or UI to send those commands and interpret the results.

With the right hardware, such as the Openport, you can send your own commands and requests for data directly from a terminal window on a pc laptop. (roll yer own option)

At the end of the day, we are at the mercy of the programmers as to whether or not a given device/code will perform and do what we need or want.

Yep. Sadly it seems so. But I've discovered that ai assistants are helping programmers nowadays to code faster and with less errors. In fact, non-coders are hopping in now as the ai tools can guide laypersons through the minutiae surprisingly well. Both good and bad I'm sure will come of this. But before long it will rapidly be able to code anything based on verbal natural language input.

Anywhoo.., It looks like we will pick up the new miev tomorrow!

Any problem with towing it on the rear wheels? Regen doensn't automatically overcharge the battery if pulled long distances of course right? Just making sure.

Still haven't validated if there is physical blockage on the wheels yet. Probably should confirm 100% before trying to tow it I'd imagine.

 

[MickeyS70]

Any problem with towing it on the rear wheels? Regen doensn't automatically overcharge the battery if pulled long distances of course right? Just making sure.

The manual says ‘no towing’.

Best way to do it is with car in READY and lever in N to prevent any regen. Others (and I) have towed it long distance without issues using an A-frame (all 4 wheels on the ground, key in ACC, lever in anything but P).

Still haven't validated if there is physical blockage on the wheels yet. Probably should confirm 100% before trying to tow it I'd imagine.

It should only take little effort to push it once it’s out of P and no handbrake.

 

[Rational]

The manual says ‘no towing’.

Best way to do it is with car in READY and lever in N to prevent any regen. Others (and I) have towed it long distance without issues using an A-frame (all 4 wheels on the ground, key in ACC, lever in anything but P).

It should only take little effort to push it once it’s out of P and no handbrake.

Okay. Thanks for that quick answer. Hmmm... I'm not so sure as it is REALLY hard to push when in N. Like something is seized. I'm asking if the guy picking it up for us has a flatbed or not. That would be best it sounds like. He may only have a wrecker that leaves two wheels on the ground though, so I'm a bit concerned if it has some damage to the motor or transmission. Or perhaps brakes/axels. Not sure I will be able to test before he tries to pick it up.

 

[kiev]

Brake rotors likely rusted from sitting outside (mine do this) and a few miles drive usually scrapes and clears them.

 

[Rational]

Brake rotors likely rusted from sitting outside (mine do this) and a few miles drive usually scrapes and clears them.

Hope that's all it is.

@MickeyS70 Turns out the guy towing it today (in about 3 hours from now) does not have a flatbed.

So I'm guessing that at least two tires will have to be on the road spinning. Would it be better to have the front wheels on the road and the rear end lifted? Or is that not normal?

I also left the brand new 12v battery in my son's van which isn't nearby. So it looks like I'll have to go buy another one today before picking it up if I need to have the car in READY mode. But is it a good idea to have it in ready mode without someone sitting in the car when being towed?

I fear we may damage the car even worse just trying to get it home today not being on a flatbed...

If you concur I may just tell him to stop for today and arrange another flatbed tow later.

Edit: Update! He has a flatbed. Crisis avoided.

Just saw the pic of his rig. We're all good. Phew! I really didn't want to damage it further.

And for those searching in the future, this thread had some great details: https://myimiev.com/threads/towing-the-i.177/

 

[Rational]

In other news, the Openport 2.0 clone arrived yesterday. Perfect timing.

I installed Windows 7 32bit on an old Dell laptop last night and got all the drivers and software from the CDs loaded.

I haven't tested it yet on a car, but the dongle detects in device manager and the lights light up. So just need to try it out next.

 

[Rational]

Hey guys. @MickeyS70 @kiev I got it home!

I'll post some pics and videos of it being off loaded off the truck. And also the start up lights.

Everything starts up normally and goes to READY. But as soon as I put it in Reverse the check engine light comes on.

More importantly in the short term, I can't get any OBD2 reader to talk to it. Does this ever happen? If so, what might be the typical cause?

And for the openport 2.0 dongle, which is the best software to use with it? MUT3? Is there another I should try?

Can't get SDD to connect to the car either.

Edit.: Okay. Finally got the car to talk to a Japanese scan tool called a TOPDON. But it only finds two things in the car. And only with the special Mitsubishi download pack for this scan tool. Not the generic OBD settings. None of the standard obd profiles could talk to the car.

Need to get MUT3 downloaded and installed next I think.

 

[MickeyS70]

Everything starts up normally and goes to READY. But as soon as I put it in Reverse the check engine light comes on.

Good, that means there will be DTCs

More importantly in the short term, I can't get any OBD2 reader to talk to it. Does this ever happen? If so, what might be the typical cause?

As mentioned in post #43, a genuine OBDLink LX Bluetooth dongle is proven to work with an I-MIEV using an Android device, anything else is more miss than hit, unfortunately.

The fact that yours won’t work with Leafspy either seems suspicious (DOA/clone)?
Btw does your dongle show as “OBDLink LX” on Bluetooth or just “LX” ?

The car going to READY means the CAN bus itself is up and running, it’s unlikely, but there could be an issue with the OBD port itself, might be worth checking if all else fails..

 

[kiev]

Could a made for Japan
home market car use a different protocol?

The OBDII requirement is a USA mandated spec, but other countries may not feel the need to follow the SAE standard for their home market cars.

Maybe pull out the connector and check the wiring and pinout to verify. Here is an article that covers pinouts for 5 protocols,
https://obdplanet.com/obd2-protocol/

 

[Rational]

OBDLink LX

"OBDLink LX" is what it shows up as under bluetooth. What's weird is that in hobdrive I think it is, it passes all tests. But no metrics display on the screens.

Maybe my android tablet is too old perhaps.

Well, I tried my hardest today. No luck. Now I know why people prefer the vmware images as they're already all installed.

I tried to install MUT3 and diagbox, and both didn't work once installed. Long, cumbersome software installation processes for these.

So I'll try to find a good VM image tomorrow and try again.

Well, for today at least I can share some pictures and video of it being delivered.













I was able to clear that U1073 code. The health report now shows all clear, but this scantool only shows these two areas.

Unfortunately the car still doesn't move when put into D or R.

But the car is moving easier now when in N and we push it! Haha.

 

[Rational]

What's interesting is these standard OBD protocols do not work.




It also can't find the VIN code during the standard OBD search attempts. And manually entering the VIN code never works. Perhaps I'm not entering enough

digits?



MUT3 gives me the above error. It also isn't finding the VIN code automatically, or I don't know how to do that.

It also didn't accept the VIN I entered from the above post where the TOPCON was able to retrieve it and display it as HA3W-0100439.




Looks like the TOPCON can perform a special function though for 'Battery Matching".

 

[MickeyS70]

"OBDLink LX" is what it shows up as. What's weird is that in hobdrive I think it is, it passes all tests. But no metrics display on the screens.

What exact profile (ECU Settings) are you using in HobDrive?

Might want to try OBDZero (or CanIon) as these apps don’t need a profile.

I tried to install MUT3 and diagbox, and both didn't work once installed. Long, cumbersome software installation processes for these.

The MUT3 error tells me no communication to the VCI?

So I'll try to find a good VM image tomorrow and try again

Diagbox expects a Lexia cable, not much point trying without

I was able to clear that U1073 code. The health report now shows all clear, but this scantool only shows these two areas.

Typical, if the wrong profile is selected, can you manually change it?

It also isn't finding the VIN code automatically, or I don't know how to do that

Japanese cars don’t have a VIN number, instead they use a chassis (frame) number which is shorter

Could a made for Japan
home market car use a different protocol?

There are lots of second hand Japanese cars imported into Australia, New Zealand, UK and Ireland, never heard of them requiring a different OBD protocol…

 

[kiev]

That's a cute car--looks like a chipmunk with full cheek pouches

Looks like your scan tool is able to connect and collect some data about the various ECUs. Not sure what it needs to go all the way. Maybe some device driver for windows to find/talk to the VDI?

Somebody with more experience with this needs to speak up here.

 

[Rational]

That's a cute car--looks like a chipmunk with full cheek pouches

Looks like your scan tool is able to connect and collect some data about the various ECUs. Not sure what it needs to go all the way. Maybe some device driver for windows to find/talk to the VDI?

Somebody with more experience with this needs to speak up here.

Yeah. I LOVE the look of the i-MiEV. Reading that many hate it. Oh well, their loss!

Yeah, the drivers are key. I didn't check the little box to 'trust' all future installs from the particular vendor during the installation wizard as I thought that meant it might allow future installs from like Tactrix, etc. But maybe it also gives approval for security reasons within the OS.

So I'll try VMs next as they're already set up and tested. I'll only try the software install again if I can't get a VM to work.

I also registered at mhhauto and will try their images ASAP. Not sure I can deal with the French language interface from the .fr site though. But their VM I was able to download and start up just fine. But trying to change it into English bricked it.

And the downloads from the chinese aliexpress sites are on mega which has a daily download limit of 5gb, and it's a 15gb VM file. So that will take a day or more to download as it has a timeout timer. Fun....

In the meantime, I was reading on the french site that these are the recommended adapters to get. They even share the links and which particular model exactly to order. Very cool that they've tested and know which are the best already. Nice.

Source: https://www.psa-diag.fr/index.php

I've shared the above in the other two threads on here for those searching in the future. I typically don't cross post on forums but this was an important find and thought it worth saving others time in finding a recommended adapter to order.

I ordered the cheap $43 one, but in reading further they say not to get this one. Of course I've already bought it. So I'll order the FULL CHIP one here next week as I need to get past all these roadblocks with OBD2 readers not working.