Posted by Michael B on January 6, 2010, 7:33 pm
No, but I'll bet a vacuum gauge could.
I got the Scan Gauge because of an erratic
"check engine" light that the dealership said
was a glitch that could be ignored. Next time
it shows up, I'll need to check for that error code
and decide if it needs to be reset.
On Jan 5, 9:22 pm, m...@privacy.net wrote:
> My question is this..... do you think a scanguage can
> PAY for itself by giving the operator the info needed
> to get better gas mileage etc?
Posted by news on January 4, 2010, 7:02 pm
On Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:22:51 -0700, wmbjkREMOVE@citlink.net wrote:
>On Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:44:26 -0600, me@privacy.net wrote:
>>
>>>and a Scan-Gauge from Auto-Zone.
>>
>>How well has that ScanGuage been working for you?
>>
>>What data do you monitor and how has it benefited you?
>I have one as well, and I really like it. I leave the main display set
>on instantaneous mpg, average mpg since last startup, average since
>fill-up, and speed. The main benefit for me is understanding what's
>going on with mileage, which varies from about 30 on the highway to
>about 7 going up a steep grade at slow speed in 4WD. It provides a
>quick way to grab fault codes, which would be helpful to know on a
>trip or before calling for service.
>Wayne
I have an OBDII reader ($28US) and some PC software (both free and
paid) that I use on an old laptop. The biggest value to me is knowing
what conditions affect mileage and how best to manually shift the
automatic transmission - the OEM computer is relatively stupid and
very slow to respond - as in waiting so long to downshift on a long
grade that it must go down two gears instead of one. Waiting that
long to down shift means the engine is kicked up to 5500RPM to
maintain highway speed which is not fuel efficient - nor is it
particularly kind to the engine. A manual downshift from 4 to 3 when
the engine load increases audibly works fine.
I'm considering building a downshift unit that does the 4->3 shift
(solenoid to kick the shift lever to the side) when road speed is
above 50mph and the engine load increases by 10% or so. When engine
load decreases for more than 60 seconds, a solenoid on the other side
would kick the shift lever back to drive. I'm confident that my
design can respond within a second or so, instead of the 5 seconds the
OEM computer requires.
The transmission lockup at lower speeds only releases when the road
speed drops to somewhere near 20MPH, so you wind up braking against
the engine's momentum (remember that the return to idle speedl is
computer controlled to reduce pollution - it doesn't happen
immediately when you take your foot off the gas pedal). Hitting the
brakes *should* release the lockup mechanism at speeds below 35MPH.
John
Posted by Michael B on January 4, 2010, 7:24 pm
But how about causing it to kick out completely and
freewheel down a hill? Or at a stop?
On Jan 4, 7:02 pm, n...@jecarter.us wrote:
> I'm considering building a downshift unit that does the 4->3 shift
> (solenoid to kick the shift lever to the side) when road speed is
> above 50mph and the engine load increases by 10% or so. When engine
Posted by news on January 5, 2010, 1:30 pm
On Mon, 4 Jan 2010 16:24:43 -0800 (PST), Michael B
>But how about causing it to kick out completely and
>freewheel down a hill? Or at a stop?
While possible, I choose to not have a semi-autonomous device putting
the transmission in neutral. An unexpected 4->3 or 3->4 shift might
be disconcerting to another driver, but does not require any action on
the driver's part to maintain driveability. With a neutral coast
option on downgrades, some drivers would stay on the brakes
continuously on a long downgrade, leading to loss of braking from
overheating.
(Have you ever driven the western route through Virginia and North
Carolina? There are sections of road with 4 runaway truck ramps on a
single long downhill segment.)
John
>On Jan 4, 7:02 pm, n...@jecarter.us wrote:
>> I'm considering building a downshift unit that does the 4->3 shift
>> (solenoid to kick the shift lever to the side) when road speed is
>> above 50mph and the engine load increases by 10% or so. When engine
Posted by Michael B on January 4, 2010, 6:22 pm
Reason I mentioned getting it at Auto-Zone was because
it's the Scan-Gauge 2. And I had to give them its stock
number, because the staff didn't even know about it.
I mainly watched instantaneous MPG while I learned
the quirks of my "new" Saturn Ion 5 speed. The neatest
part was in letting off an incredibly small amount on the
gas and seeing nearly 5 MPG improvement on the gauge.
No surprise, without jackrabbiting it's best to get out of
the lower gears, but there really needs to be a sixth gear.
But I knew that from during my days with a 64 VW Beetle.
On Jan 4, 1:44 pm, m...@privacy.net wrote:
> >and a Scan-Gauge from Auto-Zone.
> How well has that ScanGuage been working for you?
> What data do you monitor and how has it benefited you?
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> PAY for itself by giving the operator the info needed
> to get better gas mileage etc?