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WDS and the 6.0

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Does the wds work with the 6.0? or is that why it was replaced with IDS. I have a friend that could get me a WDS set up with the cables, docking station, tablet and all for pretty cheap if I want it. He said the tablet worked great but has come up with an error message now after trying to update it a while ago. Is the tablet shot now or can it be salvaged? Any info on this system is appreciated, thanks guys.

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I know the WDS is kind of old technology and I would LOVE to have and IDS. It's just not in the budget right now. Just curious if I can use the WDS for a while until I can get the IDS worked into the budget. We dont have a need to do software updates at this time. I am looking more for better diagnostic capabilities(cylinder contribution, IPR command for leak testing, etc.) Thanks again guys.

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It should work for the bidirectional tests you mention, but remember the drawbacks- it hasn't been updated for several years, it locks up and crashes on a regular basis (at least every one I used did), it's frighteningly slow, flashing will be out of the question, and if it needs repairs you're SOL. Define "pretty cheap"- Don't spend more money than you're willing to lose, because it's a dead horse. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't give more than a hundred or two for it.

 

Good Luck!

 

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You can buy a Dell mini for 299.00$ with a 10.1" screen 160 GB hard drive and 1.66Gb processor with XP still on it. And if need be, they have payment plans. That's what I would recommend. then you would be able to have OASIS and your service manuals as well. Does your shop have an extra VCM that they can and should supply for you?

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He told me that they are cleaning out a closet and found it. If they can get something for it than great if not was told to throw it. I think it comes down to what it costs me to get it shipped here. He told me one tablet doesnt work but the other did until they were playing with it(slow day at the shop) and tried to update it, now it gives an error message upon start up. I have never messed with one of these so not sure if it is an easy fix to get it to work again or a complete waste of energy. Dwayne the laptop is no problem it is getting them to spend the money on the ids software and vcm. I currently use a auto-enginuity which works great on 7.3 but now that we have more 6.0s I am way behind the eight ball. They have had stuff they wanted me to do and I have told them go to the dealer I cant do shit without and IDS. they get mad and say we will have to look into it and thats the last I hear about it til I need it again. I am tempted to just buy my own IDS and everything but thats not in my personal budget right now either. Thanks for the info guys, will have to ponder on this for a while, I would tell him to just send it to me but it is big and bulky and going to cost a couple hundred to ship.

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I wasn't sure where you were working at first. But you are working for an independent shop from what I see, or am I wrong? Even if you are, I don't think you should have to buy an IDS out of your own pocket and I don't think the WDS is really worth it. If they want you to work on this shit, they should cough up the freakin money and pay the piper. For Christs's sake, don't they know it takes diagnostic equipment to diagnose this shit? And from what I am understanding, you allready have a laptop? You can tell tehm that you will meet them half way on the diagnostic equipment by supplying the laptop and they can supply the VCM. Other wise, I would tell them to pack sand.

 

 

I hope I am understanding this situation correctly.

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I am sitting in my office looking at a WDS that hasn't been used in at least four years, for good reason. If I remember correctly it was not working correctly at the end because you could not update the software and it wanted software updates done at regular intervals. We backed up the clock to get around this for a while, but eventually noone wanted to use it anyway so it got parked. A scan tool that does not do anything or that is not supported is worth less than nothing, even if it was free. If I was to drag this thing out and put it back to work now there would be a revolution. I have my own NGS at home, a was thrilled to get it at the time, now it sits for the same reason, unless I am blessed with a Villager to work on. I should park all this stuff with my timing light, dwell guage, distributor wrenches, and everything else that has gone obsolete, just like the WDS. To bad we still don't have oun SBDS.

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I work for a cat dealer as a truck technician. However I do all of our fleet maintenance and repairs. Our 6.0 liters have come off of warranty and with the economy they have decided to keep the rigs 7 years or more. I now have more engine work to do on them and they are beginning to have more issues as they age. I use the scan tool for my own personal use, I do some work on the side for select people and help out my buddies with their pick-ups as well. However I think after christmas and all that I am going to order and IDS. I am just going to tell my buddies that I will buy the tool but I am going to have to charge them a little to help recover the cost.

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In all honesty, the only way to take on a WDS is for free.... Investing coin in one of these units is only going to draw you away from your goal... not get you closer.

 

Buy the best tool you can find and only cry once... buy a cheap one and cry every time you use it.

 

For a personal use scan tool, you must decide what features are important to you... remember that every feature you discard is an opportunity to regret the decision.

 

Side work... I have my own views on that. Like I've said before... most of my side work is of a charitable nature. If you want to do side work, pick the easy stuff.... Imagine telling your buddy he is going to have to help pay for an inadequate scan tool that told you both that you need a better scan tool.

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Here's something to maybe help convince your bosses to buy an IDS. Ford just released an update to the VCM that they call "Generic OBDII functionality". IDS will now work on non-Ford vehicles from 2005 and up. Here's a list of what it will do. Mode 01: Monitor Parameter Identification Data (PID)

Mode 02: Read Freeze Frame Data

Mode 03: Read Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs)

Mode 04: Clear Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs)

Mode 06: Read Diagnostic Monitoring Test Results

Mode 07: Read Pending Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs)

Mode 08: On-Board System Readiness

Mode 09: Read Vehicle Information

I haven't updated mine yet to see how it works.

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Does the wds work with the 6.0? or is that why it was replaced with IDS. I have a friend that could get me a WDS set up with the cables, docking station, tablet and all for pretty cheap if I want it. He said the tablet worked great but has come up with an error message now after trying to update it a while ago. Is the tablet shot now or can it be salvaged? Any info on this system is appreciated, thanks guys.

It only works on the older ones. The newer(05 or 06 and up)6.0's are not compatible as they use a high speed network. I would pass on it unless you only work on pre-2005 vehicles, no matter what the price is. They have been orphaned by FOMOCO, so no updates have been available for ages, so no reprogramming can be done. Ours mostly sits and collects dust, unless the IDS is in use and we are working on an older vehicle. Posted Image
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