John Deere Diagnostics
John Deere has recently been in the news because of their strict opposition to allowing farmers, equipment owners, and repair shops access to the information they need to repair and maintain their vehicles. If you read the main stream news, you would be left to believe that John Deere diagnostic with a computer is impossible. Well, we are here to help dispel that myth and give some more exposure to some tools that actually do perform diagnostics on John Deere. There are actually several solutions in the market, some of which we will cover in this post.
John Deere EDL and Service Advisor
The very best solution in the market is what the dealers use. John Deere dealers use a combination of PC-based computer with two critical components – John Deere Service Advisor software and the John Deere EDL v2 Adapter. The EDL v2 adapter looks like the picture shown below. It comes with a hard carry case, the adapter itself, a 9-pin connector, and the USB cable. This tool is available for purchase from our website as well.
The John Deere EDL Adapter also has a variety of “extra” cables you can purchase, almost all of which are for some of the much older equipment. You can see all of the available cables on our website.
The problem comes into the other side of the equation — The diagnostic software. The Heavy Duty Scan Tool John Deere dealers refuse to sell this software to anyone. This includes owners of the equipment, repair shops, or anyone else for the matter. The reason for this is simple: Dealers don’t want anyone besides themselves to perform John Deere diagnostic tests and commands, since it would in sense be money leaving their own pockets. If there is no one else that has the software solutions to perform the advanced diagnostics, the customer has to go to them. However, we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to get our hands on this software, so here are some screen shots showing what this software looks like.
Unfortunately, as stated previously, this software isn’t available to purchase. This leads a lot of customers to seek alternative means through bootleg, pirated copies of the software from China or other black market sources. For most customers, this isn’t an option and it leads us to our next solutions
PF-Diagnose by Pocketfleet
PF-Diagnose is an universal “read everything” program, and works very well with John Deere. With this software, you would be able to read all the diagnostic trouble codes, view all the live sensor, and clear codes. Unfortunately, this tool is “read only”, so you won’t be able to perform diagnostic tests or advanced functions. However, for a lot of customer, this is a good option and gets them more then they could do before. This tool also has a low entry point, and is available for immediate download.
TEXA Diagnostic Tool: Off Highway Edition
TEXA is a company in Italy that has been around for more then 3 decades providing advanced diesel diagnostic solutions, including John Deere diagnostic software. TEXA is the only one that gets anywhere close to the ability of the John Deere Service Advisor software. TEXA has coverage on all John Deere market segments, including Agriculture, Construction, and stand-alone engines sold in generators, air compressors, and other equipment.
With TEXA Off Highway Edition, you can not only view live data, view/clear codes, but also perform John Deere diagnostic commands on the engine. Some of these commands include:
Cable Diagnostic Mode
Communication Error Test
Cylinder Compression Test
Cylinder Cut-Off Test
EGR Valve Cleaning
Enable low pressure fuel pump
Engine load profile
Clear codes
Exhaust temperature management test
Fuel dosing pump diagnostic test
Misfire
Air throttle actuator learned value reset
Clear after treatment latched error codes
DOC calibration
Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) calibration
Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) service regeneration
EGR valve calibration
Engine hourmeter
Injector Programming
Reprogramming VGT learning values
… and many more!
The TEXA system can also handle John Deere diagnostics on other sub-systems such as Chassis Management, Instrument Panel, Rear Hydraulic Lift, Transmission, and other systems. Here is a detailed video that gives a walk-through on a 2012 5E Series Tractor.
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