Automotive Computer

[mebedave]

This is not about a garage but it goes into what belongs in a garage, a car...
I'm looking for a Automotive Computer for my 2005 Silverado to mainly monitor real time fuel usage. I did a search and this is all I could find http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AAMY86/?tag=atomicindus08-20 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001LHVQIQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I do not know much about them, I know there's lots of smart people here maybe you can help me out. Which ones to shop for, good or bad ones etc... Thanks

 

[lutter94]

A friend of mine had a Scan Gauge II in his cavalier. He really liked it, I didn't play with it much, but it seemed like it showed alot of information......

 

[036.6turbo]

There are alot of "scan tools" on the market. Your 05 is a OBDII system, I have an AutoTap interface for my laptop for OBDII. I would not give it rave reviews, but it works? I am an iPhone user, and have been looking at this one;
http://gopointtech.com/ I first saw it on here (GJ) and the poster seemed to like it.

Some of the newer "tuners" i.e.; "Bully Dog", "EFI Live" etc, may have the functionality you are looking for. I know they do for diesel trucks, not sure about the gas motor platforms.

http://www.efilive.com/

 

[nehog]

Many of the Hummer H1 owners use the Scan Gauge II for this, and report once calibrated they work very well. I'm going to recommend this as Lutter94 did. Much easier to implement compared to trying to custom build something. You can get them on Amazon, or probably eBay as well.

 

[allinon72]

Keep in mind that the fuel mileage feature of these are not terribly accurate in my experience.

 

[JYank]

Check Bullydog

 

[koditten]

Have had the scan gauge in my Toyota Tacoma for three years. Once you get it calibrated by calculating the economy by hand and adjusting the "gain" it is really close. I figure it took about 4 full fillups and it was locked on. I still calculate my economy by hand and the difference is never more than 2/10ths of a gallon of fuel.

Just remember, it is a code scanner, it doesn't tell you in words what sensor has tripped. It only shows you the code. You have to go to the internet to decipher the code. Still good info if you want to know what is going on with your ride.

The unit did save my head gaskits for me. Toyota is known for having a "dead spot" in the factory temp gauge. Once the temp goes above "normal", its too late. The car is overheating. The Scan GaugeII reported high water temps and I was able to get it shut down and make proper repairs.

I won't be without one for my daily driver.

KO

 

[wssix99]

Keep in mind that the fuel mileage feature of these are not terribly accurate in my experience.

Right, the computer just makes an estimate based on operating conditions. There is no equipment on the car that actually makes this measurement and the fuel tank gauge does not act linearly as gas is consumed. (It may move faster/slower as the fuel level changes in the tank.)

 

[1949 caddyman]

The factory computer system looks at injector pulse width and odometer to calculate MPG. It then uses math to calculate the MPG. The one in my 05 STS is usually 1gal. lower than actual gas used.

 

[jweller]

If you have a smartphone, check out the torque app. lots of features, customizable display. you'll have to buy a obd2 code reader as well, preferably one with bluetooth connectivity, but they are pretty reasonable.

 

[jasonreck71]

There are alot of "scan tools" on the market. Your 05 is a OBDII system, I have an AutoTap interface for my laptop for OBDII. I would not give it rave reviews, but it works? I am an iPhone user, and have been looking at this one;
http://gopointtech.com/ I first saw it on here (GJ) and the poster seemed to like it.

Some of the newer "tuners" i.e.; "Bully Dog", "EFI Live" etc, may have the functionality you are looking for. I know they do for diesel trucks, not sure about the gas motor platforms.

http://www.efilive.com/

Check out my BLOG on the GoPoint scanner for Iphone. They make an app that you can get for $50 that tracks every data point you can imagine. I just use the free app, that keep track of MPG and temp which are the 2 most important to me