[Miata] ScanGauge, Not Just A Toy

[Neil Tusing]

Up to yesterday (07/31), the ScanGauge II has been
just a toy.  In fact, I got a little bored with it and
wasn't even plugging it in for the past month or two. 
It's been sitting in the passenger's seat of the OTM,
my daily driver.

I haven't been driving the '01 Miata due to a bent
rims problem, the two on the passenger side (that's
another story).  Plus I have an '04 MSM which has been
doing yeoman's service when it comes to fun in the
sun.  But just on the weekends, no long trips where
I'd want to play with the ScanGauge.

Anyway, just got the rims taken care of (to the tune
of about $600, again, another story) and decided to
give the OTM a rest and use the '01 for work.  Well,
yesterday, I get a check engine light.  Now this car
only has a smidgen over 45k on it and has been well
cared for.  Naturally, the ScanGauge is still in the
OTM.

After getting to work, I do the requisite gas cap
check.  It seemed to be a little loose.  I unscrewed
it and tightened it back down to a good three or four
clicks.

CEL is still on for the drive home, after work.  If
memory serves, it takes a number of starts to get the
ECU to reset itself.  As soon as I get home, I grab
the ScanGauge and plug it up.  Yep, a P0455 code,
except I don't know what this means so I just clear
it, another nice feature of the ScanGauge.

Now, being somewhat naive, I thought this would just
clear the Scangauge.  However, it resets the ECU, an
even nicer feature.  I do have to read those
directions one of these days.  :-)  What if you have
more than one code?  Can you scroll through them? 
Need to check that.

No CEL this morning for the drive to work.  Went here
to check a P0455.  Looks like a good site for the
generic codes.  

http://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/generic/p0455-evaporative-emission-control-system-leak-detected-large.php

I also looked here.

http://www.miata.net/garage/obdii.html

This has just the Miata specific codes, but a very
good listing.

Still no CEL when I went out for lunch.  So, it looks
like the problem was the gas cap.  However, I do know
it can take awhile for the ECU to throw a code, unless
it's really something major.  So, I'll keep the
ScanGauge plugged up in the '01, as long as I'm using
it as a daily driver.

Moral:  The ScanGauge is NOT just a toy.