I recently purchased a 1998 Camry 2.2L, and it has a CEL on. I used a DriveRight CarChip E/X OBDII reader/logger (like this one) to check the code, but it didn't log anything when I plugged it into the OBDII port. In fact, it isn't reading any data at all from the car, and it won't clear the code like it's supposed to, either. It's like there's no data coming out of the port. I made sure the contacts on both the port and the reader are clean, and I made sure the reader works on other cars. Is this year Camry fully OBDII compliant? Is there some other reason why I'm not getting data from the OBDII port? I noticed a different port under the dash labeled DIAGNOSIS that I've never seen on other cars. What's this for?

 

The ODBII port should be compliant with US government standards and owners have not reported any issues in having the codes read. If the car was made for another country the system may not be.

Suggest you call the CarChip and ask them.

The other port also allows access to the cars computer.

You may be able to clear the codes by removing battery power for 90 seconds. However don't do this if you radio has theft prevention (should state this on the front of the radio) or the car has a Toyota theft prevention immobilizer.

 

Yes, I can make the CEL go away by disconnecting the battery, but it comes back after about 10 miles of driving, so I really need to know what code(s) it's throwing. This evening I took the car to Autozone, and they couldn't get anything out of the OBDII port either. They tried three different scanners, and the only thing they show is that they're being connected to the port, but no data. It's a US car. Maybe a faulty wiring problem? Is there a fuse that would cause the OBDII port to stop working? I'm really confused by this. I've never heard of a dead OBDII port on any car.