Why would one use a scan gauge on a 2010

RPM / temp gauges which are in every other car?

Instead of SG, just get the $20ish Bluetooth adpater elm327 from ebay and use the free TORQUE application on Android phones or other equivalents ... it is awesome and the developer is super easy to reach - and will work with you if you need Prius specific data ... devices like scangauges for most is already EOL.

Ian Hawkins

 

Beats me. I suppose if you were a real technical enthusiast, it would be interesting, and I suppose helpful. I do not think, however, there is an attractive place to mount a SG; and, among other things, I think a tack would be useless information to me. The Prius is NOT like every other car.

Even the diagrams displayed above .... I do not need this information, although some seem to really understand and enjoy these displays.

I am perfectly willing to let this wonderfuls machine worry about all the details that I cannot do anything about. For example, the level of the HV charge; the operation of the HV fan; the radiator cooling fan; the ratio of load to ICE rpm; and I could go on and on. The Prius is a masterful, technological wonder .... the computer is efficient and effective, certainly performing it's duties much quicker and more accurately that I could ever could. So I am content to leave it alone and I will enjoy the passing scenery ... and more importantly, keep my eyes on the road and avoiding other vehicles and pedestrians that cannot hear me coming.

 

^^^^plus one

 

Well if Toyota provided a temp gauge and Tach much less people would need one...I also disagree that the gauges provide a wealth of information lots of flash no substance.

 

The main reason I use mine is to keep a watch on temperatures (coolant, inverters) when I have grill blocking in place to make sure nothing gets too hot as the outside temp rises.

It's also handy to see the current flow to/from the battery, that way I can keep the display showing the MPG bar history but have an easy way of seeing whether I'm gliding effectively.

Another help it provides is the ability to readout diagnostic codes, but I haven't had to do that yet. It can also help program features like removing the seat belt/backup beeps if your dealer won't do that (or charges too much).

 

Clear codes if any. Disable reverse beeps and seat belt warnings. Monitor inverter coolant temp when grill blocking. Important tool for hyper-milling.
Just a few things that came to mind.

 

I normally watch RPM, Water Temp, Intake Temp, and System voltage on my 2009.

Is it for everyone? No. But if you are curious about what your ICE is doing, it is available.

 

I can tell by the coolant temp if my EV limit is 10 or 25 MPH, and I normally use EV mode in parking lots. I also watch the coolant temp in the spring with grill blocking in place as others have noted. I use the Fuel Level gauge when I am nearing the end of a tank as it is more granular than the car's fuel gauge.

 

"Instead of SG, just get the $20ish Bluetooth adpater elm327 from ebay and use the free TORQUE application on Android phones or other equivalents ... it is awesome and the developer is super easy to reach - and will work with you if you need Prius specific data ... devices like scangauges for most is already EOL."

Pooka...do you know if the application is ported to mac or PC? I don't have a cellphone but would love to use this app!!

 

Well, many of us are technically interested in how the car functions, and the HSI is a far from complete representation of what is actually going on. For example, it is really hard to tell when the car is actually gliding in the non-fueled but spinning "warp-stealth" mode at highway speeds. You need to give it a little bit of accelerator to use the battery to compensate for the non-fueled ICE drag. However, often the ICE will kick into a 5 kW, very inefficient mode, and you really can't tell from the HSI. The HSI is essentially an MG2 current meter below the center line, and essentially an ICE output power meter above the center line, but this can get all confused in the interplay between the two MGs and the ICE. The Fuel economy gauge is essentially showing the mass air flow into the engine from the MAF sensor and converting this to instantaneous mpg using the air/fuel ratio. However, there is a lot more going on that you don't see (eg rpm, batt current, batt voltage, abs. torque, coolant, oil, MG1, MG2 temps, etc...). The car even knows the tire pressure, rotation accel, and temps through the TPMS (toyota calls it TPWS) sensors. There are wide band oxygen sensors, status info from the AC (temps, etc), valve timing, injection timing, intake temperature and pressures, accelerometers, and many more.

It is amazing that the car actually has multiple communication networks linking more than a dozen ECUs (read small computers or microcontrollers) which operate the vehicle. These ECUs will tell you about themselves and what they are doing, and will report upwards of 1000 parameters if you ask them. That's cool. The geek in me wants to know exactly what's going on! Essentially you are driving a video game with wheels, and games should have lots of buttons and displays. Why miss out on 1/2 the experience?

 

I'm just waiting for the rumored Garmin gauge 'add-on' to come out. Not sure what it's called but would it would have most of the info that the SG displays.

 

More on Garmin:

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-hybrid-news/71862-garmin-adding-odb-ii-support-nuvi.html

http://ces.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-10425380-269.html

 

So, what setting do you use for this?

I agree that Scan Guage, while not necessary, is very usefull and informative.

I like having Daily fuel economy, see how I do each day. Also mpg is more accurate once Scanguage is set up properly. I also like seeing rpm ans coolant temp.

 

No need to wait :rockon:, I just ordered one from Amazon with 2 day delivery, I should have it on July 8th.

1 "Garmin ecoRoute HD Vehicle Diagnostics Communicator"
Electronics; $131.53

Suggested retail is $149.99

Be aware that they only work with 1xxx series Garmin GPSs according to Garmin

 

to reset the 5,000 reminder?

 

I use a DashDaq and have made a gauge for total ICE power output:

Power output (kW or HP) = appropriate_constant*RPM*ICE_engine_torque

With your foot off the accelerator below the magic cutoff (somewhere around 47 mph), RPM is zero and Torque is zero and the engine isn't supplying any drag. Above the cutoff the ICE is spinning although unfueled with your foot off the accelerator. In this mode RPM ~= 1000 RPM, and Torque is slightly negative. The end result is 1.5-2 kW of drag. Thus you need to apply a little accelerator to overcome the unfueled engine drag (with the traction battery), but it is really very little. A little too much and you see the Torque go positive which means the ICE has lit. This can happen with the HSI as little as 1/8 of the way up towards the center line. I can also feel a slight kick when it lights (or I at least imagine I can). To truly glide I try to keep the HSI slightly above the "charging" region but below where the ICE lights. It can be tricky and I'm not all that good at it yet. I'd like to find another diagnostic of when the ICE is fueled. I'm going to look at the MAF sensor more closely and try to look at some of the injector paramaters.

 

The screenshots for the Nuvi paired with this thing look pretty cool! Unfortunately the Garmin website:

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=38354#

has shockingly little information. Not surprising for Garmin. I love my garmin GPSs (I have 3) but they are always really short on info, especially technical info.

Do me a favor. When you get the cable and get it paired with your Nuvi, can you jot down and post which PIDs (Parameter IDs) it can see? I imagine you will just get the generic OBDII PIDs rather than the Toyota specific ones, but who knows. Thanks in advance!

 

Can you steer me towards a list of what PIDS there are. I'm new to the Prius and obviously new to the Garmin widgit, but not new to reading PIDs with a PC. Between learning the Garmin and the Prius and having a real life, I will have my hands full for awhile.

Edit: There is a bit of info in these reviews
http://garman-gps.no1shop.co.cc/Garmin-ecoRoute-HD-Vehicle-Diagnostics-Communicator-B00313JWSO.html

 

It can? I thought only the proper software and/or a dealer (or a couple of very resourceful forum members) could do that. At the Scangauge website it does mention the ability to turn off the "check engine" warning light.