Just got one and I like it. I've only read a little bit of the manual. Figured out the Xguages and have only added fuel level so far. What are some good things to be watching live with it? I was going to add the head temp xgauge when I'm not lazy.

Also, since it gives you mpg readings, what are the benefits of doing the two fill ups that it says to do?

16.7 average for 70 miles of city driving isn't too bad.

Mounting was easy and I hid the cable nicely without taking anything apart. Also, girlfriend got me a decent bottle of whiskey too.

 

I use a 4 gauge screen on mine. I have the voltage because my 2014 doesn't have a volt meter in the dash or any amp gauge. I have instant fuel mileage and if you learn to drive by it, you can increase your gas mileage by a lot. For me, it's about a 2 mpg difference between the real gas mileage and lie-o-meter in the dash. I also beat EPA estimates by 2-3 mpgs using it. I run the tach as it gives you exact numbers and I run the temp which also gives you exact numbers. If you do not have a transmission temp gauge and pull any kind of trailer, you should have that in your display. Otherwise, tranny temps will just about mirror engine temps. Since this is your first one, you might run the HP gauge to see just how little power it takes to go down the road. My Screw runs down the road at hiway speeds only making between 45-55 hp. Mine is a 3.7 with 3.73 gears. The biggest downside to having one.....you'll find it hard to drive anything and not have one. Welcome to the real world of driving!

 

Thanks! And it's great to finally be joining the real world of driving. I feel like this will be coming with me for any vehicle I use on long distance trips!

When you say you run the temps, are you speaking of the head temps? That seems to be the only one listed for the xgauge. Since I have a manual transmission, do they heat up as much as the autos? And I tow maybe once a year for a few miles. Guess I go with voltage, head temp, instant fuel mileage, and average fuel mileage for now unless you think there's something more important I could have in place of the average mph. You can only use 4 gauges at a time, correct?

I did have the hp on at one point and I was also surprised to see how little it uses. And you're right about saving gas. Seeing my instant fuel mileage drop with the slightest touch of the pedal is crazy. Watching it go down definitely made me accelerate much slower!

Thanks again!

 

Also, I tried adding the xgauge codes for the transmission temp, doesn't show anything. Does anyone know if it doesn't work on a manual transmission? Otherwise, I simply entered it incorrectly.

Lastly, am I better off keeping an eye on the coolant temp or the cylinder head temp?

Sorry about the dumb questions.

 

Hey.

No trans temp PID fer a manwell tranny.

Coolant temp is inferred from CHT (only one sensor). So I'd monitor that.

Merry Xmas!


MGD

 

Thanks! Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

 

2008, you really don't have to worry about transmission temps since you have a manual transmission. You have no torque converter that heats up under load when unlocked. Basically, all you would have to worry about are slipping clutch plates when towing, which might mean they've become worn out or oily.

I don't have a Scangauge, but I monitor the CHT, Inst Gas Mileage, Charging System Voltage, Transmission Temp and Commanded Gear and Torque Converter lock state. I can actually monitor up to eight PIDs on my CTS Gryphon, but I like the analog five gauge display better. Since I have an automatic transmission, I want to know what's going on in it.

- Jack

 

Ah! Makes sense as to why it wasn't reading anything for the trans temp now!

80 mile trip averaged 20.1 mpg. Watching my instant milage and being gentle. This thing is pretty cool to use. Nice seeing a 20 mpg average with larger tires and a lift.

I wish it would kee the average mpg and not reset every time I shut the truck off. Not possible I take it?

 

Thanks for all the help. Last dumb question, if I have one of my 4 gauges using IGN, ignition timing, what would a normal reading show? I know the more advanced it is (less retard) the better it is for mpgs. This whole read out is just new to me, and I'm not sure I understand.

I did a Google search, but nothing anywhere came up with any readings.

Thanks in advance!

 

Hey,

I'd ignore the IGN PID except if yer looking fer incipient knock, as the PCM pulls timing under said conditions. Otherwise, it's all over the map. And it's best monitored via a capable datalogger ( like an SCT handheld programmer, along with sevaral other related PID's / DMR's ) not as a constantly changing display number.

Here's a good PID - last pargraph in this post: https://www.f150online.com/forums/v8...ml#post4940462

EXCEPT - yall don't have that one lol! My bad, hehe ....


MGD

 

I don't know that there's anything published for ignition timing on these new (PCM controlled) motors. I haven't found anything.

Anyway, you're not quite right about having more advanced timing being good for gas mileage. The timing needs to vary according to engine load and RPM and too much advance causes pre-ignition, which means the fuel mixture is igniting before the piston has moved far enough up the cylinder. This would have the effect of pushing the piston back down before it reached the top of the up-stroke. You'd hear it as ping. Too little advance, and the piston reaches the bottom of its stroke before the ignited mixture stops expanding.

But, the PCM actually comes to your rescue here and retards the spark (too much, actually) when pre-ignition is sensed. (You have a "knock sensor" in your engine that tells the PCM when this occurs.) If the knock sensor reports pinging, you will get poor mileage.

So, the goal is to advance the spark just enough to cause the expanding "push" of the expanding flame front to happen during the part of the downstroke that occurs before the exhaust valves open, so that all the energy is directed on the piston and not out the tail pipe. (I'm simplifying a bit here, but this is close.)

A tuner will try to adjust the spark advance perfectly over the entire operating engine envelope, so that pinging does not occur, while keeping the spark from being retarded to a less than optimal point.

I think the only thing you might find using your Scangauge to monitor Ign, is if the PCM is pulling spark to stop pinging. I suspect you'd see a drop in timing (probably under acceleration) and you might feel a loss of power.

I've not monitored timing with my CTS, so I don't know exactly what you'd see. I decided, since the PCM was controlling things, and I wasn't hearing ping or feeling power loss, there wasn't much reason to.

Since you have a manual transmission, I suggest you monitor Charging System Voltage, Cylinder Head Temperature, Instant Gas Mileage, and something else (your choice). You don't have an oil temperature sensor in a 2008, so that's out.

- Jack

 

Thanks to both of you. MGD, I'll check the link!

Jack, ok cool. And I guess I took what I read in the Scanguage manual. It stated "the more advance (less retard) the better the power and fuel economy." Thanks for clearing that up though.

I do get some really really slight pinging when going up a grade on the highway. I've had it checked and re checked by the dealer at least twice and was told its normal and nothing to worry about. I do not feel any loss of power when it pings. The pinging is so slight that it's hard to hear. Been doing that for the past 50k miles so I don't worry about it.

I currently have volt (always shows either 14.3, 14.4 or 14.5), water temp (this is always shows the same temp as cylinder head temp). Is there a big difference between the two and which one is a better pick? Other than that, I use instant mpg and average mpg.

 

Your charging system voltage is what it should be for a healthy alternator and battery. I'd monitor the Cylinder Head Temp and forget the Coolant Temp. And, I really think the Average MPG is normally so badly in error, that it's not really worth looking at. But, the Inst MPG can tell you if you're driving economically or not. So, that leaves you with one other thing to monitor. If you have a Tach in the dash, there's not much need to monitor RPM and of course you have a Speedo in the dash.

Since you have no oil or transmission temp sensors, I can't really think of any other "good" thing to look at. What other things does the Scangauge offer?

A barely noticeable ping under load used to be a good thing, in vehicles with distributors - it meant you were operating at close to the best timing setting. But, distributors were fairly crude timing devices and the PCM should be better. If you were to monitor the Ign, and you saw a drop when you heard ping, then it would tell you the timing curve in the PCM's program is set too high. But, as MGD said, the timing display would probably not be steady enough for you to determine much.

I've noticed what sounds like a "tiny" ping sometimes when pulling my trailer up a long hill in hot weather, but I don't think it's anything to worry about.

Hope I'm making sense with all of this, and I see my previous post repeated some of what MGD wrote in his last post - we were posting at nearly the same time.

- Jack

 

Jack,

Thanks a ton. That makes perfect sense. I'll switch it to head temp instead of water temp. What's a normal head temp reading? Water temp was always 182° - 186° on a long grade, I saw it climb to 192° and then instantly drop back to the low 180s. Obviously the thermostat is doing its job. I have a tach on my dash so I don't see much need for that.

Are the averages really that far off? They seem to resemble my miles divided by gallons when filling up. On the Scanguage its around 13-16 city, mix has been about 18 and only long highway trips have been around 20.

The very slight "tinny" Ping is exactly what I hear in my truck under load. And you know what, come to think of it, I've only ever heard it in the summer months! So that makes sense that it's not an issue.

Thanks for all of your help and time!

 

Since your Scangauge is new, and you live in a northern tier state, I suspect you are seeing normal Cylinder Head Temps. I'm in Arizona, and in the summer, the temps are often around 110-115 on the highway. When I'm just "cruising", on level ground, the CHT is around 210-212. But if I climb a long hill, such as the 12 mile 6% grade out of Camp Verde pulling a trailer at 65 mph with the transmission in 2nd gear, I see temps around 226.

It's winter here now, and the outside temp is about 46 degrees. I suspect I would see about 190 during a level cruise.

If you see reasonably accurate Avg MPG readings, then it would be a good thing to have displayed. I always "hand" calculate the MPG at each fillup and I also track, using a spreadsheet, the cumulative fuel economy when I'm towing and when I'm not. Any sharp increase from normal gas usage would be a sign that something needs investigating.

But, wind resistance has a fairly significant effect on cruising MPG. I'll easily see a 2 mpg decrease when driving into a strong headwind compared to no wind. And, I've gotten pretty good MPG figures when traveling with tailwinds too.

- Jack