Scan Gauge II, for monitoring engine/trans temps and more

[Blue~Go]

I have recently seen a few questions on engine temperature, so I thought I would post about the Scan Gauge II, which I have found to be a fantastic addition to my Chinook (and the Class B van I had previously).

In a nutshell, I like information. When I first got my Class B, the initial trip was towing cross country, with mountain passes. It made me nervous to just see the Ford needle engine temperature gauge sitting there, as usual, in the "good" range. Was it really good? Why did it not move? Was it going to stay good but then suddenly fly up into the hot range with no warning? And what about the transmission? What temperature was that running at? What if I was towing in Overdrive - how would that affect it? And just where were those RPM's on my way up steep passes? Best to keep them up to avoid lugging.

If you have a 1997 or newer chassis (with Ford vans anyway), you have an OBD II port. This is a small, trapezoidal plug/socket that is at the bottom/front edge of the dashboard, basically right ahead of your knees, in the center below the wheel. The Scan Gauge II plugs into that. It is really plug-and-play -- that simple. You buy it (~$150), plug it in, and suddenly you have a world of information at your fingertips. There are tens of different things you can choose to monitor, and any four can be displayed at one time. There is no learning curve to speak of.

Some examples of choices I routinely monitor (situation dependent):

Engine temperature (this is in degrees F, not a needle!)
Transmission fluid temperature (again, in degrees F)
RPM
Present MPG
Average MPG
Intake air temperature (used this as a thermometer of sorts on my previous rig that did not display outside temp on the mirror, although now I do have outside ambient temperature on the mirror)
Alternator performance (volts) (had an alternator slowly die on me once, years ago, and strand me - I think I would have been able to pick up on it with this gauge).

There are many other choices, and they are easily cycled through.

This device also reads and dismisses (if you choose to) codes. Have a check engine light come on? You can find out what the code number is, Google it to see what it is, and then dismiss it if you choose to (which is not to say that you don't want to repair the issue, but sometimes you want to see if it comes back, such as an evap leak that might just be a loose gas cap, etc.). Or show up at your local repair shop armed with info.

You can also do quite a bit with fuel mileage, fuel average, etc. I sometimes use this in the mountains, because after many ups and downs, sometimes it's hard to tell if I'm climbing or descending on a mild grade. If I see 8mpg, I'm climbing; 25 and I'm descending

RPM's are something most of us don't need to see after we are used to our vehicles, but I do sometimes still like to watch them when towing, as I will downshift manually on or approaching uphill grades, where I can see what is coming before the transmission can (best to keep RPM up in good range, vs. lugging). Also it's not always that easy to hear the engine (radio, fan), and with an automatic not as much "feel" as with a manual.

Transmission temperature: The main reason I bought the gauge. To display this you have to program in a few numbers (it is a free extra "X gauge" function) but this is not hard. If anyone wants a walk through I can give you one. Once it's in your Scan Gauge, you can view it whenever you like. Transmission temperature does vary, and this is very good information to have.

Engine temperature stays pretty constant on the V-10 (was even more constant on my previous V-8 of the same class). So the stock gauge not moving is pretty much "true." It is still nice to monitor it, and when the extra fan comes on it's not such a surprise (No more, "What, is a helicopter landing on me!?" )

The look can be customized slightly (background color; brightness) but it's basically what you see is what you get. I have seen some folks mount them on top of the dashboard, just ahead of the top hump of the steering wheel, but that didn't provide good visibliity for me. My first proposed location seemed like it would be great, but the gauge would have been obscured when I put the shift selector in Drive, so that is something to check for.

The Scan Gauge can easily be transferred from vehicle to vehicle (presuming both vehicles are compatible with the gauge).

To "install" the Scan Gauge II there are a couple of options:

1) Velcro, somewhere on or around dashboard
a) They give you a piece of Velcro, but I found that the adhesive gives up the ghost in hot weather.
b) I used a couple of pieces of adhesive "Dual Lock" Velcro-like product instead, and that has held up just great through heat/cold/everything.

The cord comes out the side for options 1 and 2, so you can see it. This doesn't bother me, however...

3) The cord can also be led out the back of the gauge (there is a second socket), so if you wanted to drill a hole for it in the dash, the cord could be completely hidden.

Here is mine in place:

And in use:

a) On a blazing hot day in the desert (sorry about poor photo quality, but it gives you the idea anyway).

Here is what it is showing in the above photo, going around clockwise from upper left:

1) Alternator is putting out 13.6 volts
2) Engine cooling water temperature is at 193º
3) Transmission fluid temperature is at 170º
4) Fresh air intake temp is 118º *
*Ambient outside air temp was actually around 108º (man it was hot!). The "Fresh Air Intake" gauge is a reasonable guide to outdoor temps, usually, but not if you have just been stopped, etc. which I think I was in this photo. Once you get out on the highway it is close, although a dedicated outside/ambient thermometer is better for monitoring outside temp.

b) Chugging my way up a steep/long mountain pass, while towing, in the Sierra. Really nice to be able to glance over and see that all is okay with the temps, etc. This is after I installed a larger transmission cooler. It was okay before, but I wanted to keep the transmission temperatures even cooler when towing/hot weather.

Here is what it is showing, going clockwise from upper left:

1) Fuel mileage, 4.5 MPG (did I mention it was a really steep grade?)
2) Engine cooling temperature is 198ª
3) Transmission fluid temperature is 158º
4) Engine RPM are 2,734


Here is a link to the company's page for the gauge, and then one to the Scan Gauge II on Amazon. They are also available at Autozone, etc.

http://www.scangauge.com/products/scangaugeii/
http://www.amazon.com/ScanGauge-Automot ... B000AAMY86

[1998chinook]

Nice write up. Thanks for the details. I just checked, the connection point was right where you said it would be. Mine had a plastic cap on it that read "Data Link Connector". I am going to invest in that Scan Gauge.

In July we drove to Boulder for a softball tournament. One day we had an afternoon off so we drove over the Rockies to Breckenridge. We were followed by another teammate's dad in a Chevy PU. He had a temp guage on his transmission and he said he was close to pulling over a couple times to let it cool down. I kept an eye on my temp gauge and it never moved. I wished I'd have had some of the data available with the Scan Gauge you described.

[Blue~Go]

Glad my post was of interest. And yep, that's the connector - if it's like mine that cap just shifts out of the way but is still attached by a little plastic strap. That first trip in my new-to-me-but-older van (pre-Chinook), I was nervous until I picked up the Scan Gauge (along the way, at an Autozone in South Dakota). Once I had that information, and knew all was fine, it was a whole different world. Pulling Homestake pass with a trailer in tow, it was great to be able to look over and see engine temp sitting right where it should be, and transmission temp at 185º (higher than usual for that rig, but not so high I needed to worry since I was just about at the summit). I wouldn't be without one now.

[Manitou]

I bought one of these:
WIFI ELM327 Wireless OBD2 Auto Scanner Adapter Scan Tool for IPhone Ipad IPod

and downloaded "EngineLink" app to my phone.

It's not as nice as a permanently mounted screen solution, but fit my needs (for about $35 total).

[Blue~Go]

One note on that app (maybe). A friend of mine (who also has a Scan Gauge II, but just likes to try new stuff) bought an OBD II app (maybe the same one you have or maybe a different one) and installed it in his towed car. Then parked at a camping spot for a couple of weeks, not thinking much about it.

At the end of that time, went to start the car and... dead battery. Turns out the OBD II app had drained it. There was actually a clue which he didn't totally "get" at the time: I was camped nearby and we could see this "wi fi network" that we didn't recognize. Turns out it was the OBD II app on the car "broadcasting."

Maybe there was a way to turn that off (likely there was) and maybe your app doesn't do that anyway, but just in case I thought I would send you a note. My friend decided to just get another Scan Gauge II in the end, but the app did function (he just ended up preferring the Scan Gauge II).

[Manitou]

Mine would have the same issue. There's a newer model version of the hardware that comes with a on/off switch. I figure I'll just use this for check engine lights and the occasional "how's my engine doing during this long drive to xzy" boredom.
You're is the more serious and useable device. Mines considerably cheaper, but just a half assed way of doing it
Works for my curiosity and diagnosing check engine lights (in any vehicle).

[Blue~Go]

Yep, I can see the value in either one. Horses for courses I travel a lot and sometimes tow, so it's an essential tool for my peace of mind, and I refer to it constantly. This is the second rig I've used it on, and I also took it along with me when I helped a friend tow a big travel trailer cross country (with a 1-ton pickup, not my Chinook!). In light of that, it's "cheap" at $150. But each person/situation is a bit different, so as with many things, I don't think there is a universal "best."

Good to know there will now be an "on/off" switch for the OBD broadcaster on the app you have (now). (And just in case this got confusing, it does not pertain to the Scan Gauge II, but to the OBD broadcaster on the app that Manitou has and my friend had.)

[Hittheroad]

Followed you lead on the OBD2 Scan guage 2 and ordered one today, I am like you and like factual information from what I read it does turn off when ignition is turned off. Hoping it will work for transmission temperature but may have to call on you for info on how to program it in but it sounds like their tech department is outstanding.

[Blue~Go]

I hope you like it! I think 1996 (engine) is the first year for OBD II (which is required to make it work). I had mentioned it started in 1997 above, but later read that 1996 was the first year.

I'm not sure if you would add the same codes as I did for my engine, but the basic idea is that every function has four sets of numbers. The ones that come standard on the SG are already in there (water temp, MPG, etc.). To add an optional function (e.g. "TFT" (transmission fluid temperature) I went to their website and looked up "X codes" (or maybe it's X gauge, this was in 2012), which is what they call the extra codes you can use. Found the set of four numbers for the TFT for my engine, and then entered them into the gauge. The numbers look long and formidable, but it's pretty easy to just punch them in to the gauge itself. Then you name the code (I used TFT as that is a common acronym for it, but you can use what you want) and from then on you will have whatever you just added as one of the options you can select for any of the four "corners" (you can see four things at once in gauge mode).

You can also use it to scan codes (and clear them) which is handy. Definitely beats the OBD I in my previous car where you had to huddle under the hood, poke a wire into a thing, and count and write down flashes (of course that seemed space-age at the time).

[pdemarest]

I had installed a Scan Gauge after reading a post from Blue over a year ago. I do feel more secure actually knowing what the engine and transmission temperatures are but my favorite part is the readout for current MPG. When going downhill my Chinook gets 999 MPG - its way better than a Prius!