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Hi guys, I have a 2000 Excursion 7.3 and i have a Galaxy S8 phone. What exactly do I need to get to make the Torque Pro app perform on my phone. Is my phone big enough?? I have never done this before and now would be a good time since my ICP or IPR valve are bad (even though I changed both 1 1/2 years ago). and I need help to diagnose which one is bad right now.... I do not have any aftermarket gauges.....thanks in advance...Ron Miller
First, welcome aboard the FTE board. Tugly's posts are where you'll find great info on Torque Pro etc. Start with this link below by scrolling down to Part 3. Then just search for Tugly's posts and you'll find every answer to any question you may have provide by Rich & friends.
You can get TP on your S8. It's android. Get the $5 paid app. It will work but if you want to be monitoring real time pretty regularly, your eyes will appreciate a bigger screen like a tablet. Also need the OBDII port adapter - the one linked above is a good one. Bafx on amazon is another cheap one that seems to be well-revered. Tugly has paved the path for us so definitely check those links sunavubug posted. Much to monitor and how to interpret them.
I highly recommend the OBDLink MX. It supports MS/CAN and some cheap adapters don't fully support it, but it's impossible to know until you buy it (even if they claim support.)
Torque Pro is great for monitoring and checking some basic CEL codes and PIDs. However, if you want some more in-depth data and tinkering capabilities, check out Forscan. It's a free program for computers. It can also use the same Bluetooth adapter as long as the computer you're using has Bluetooth (USB options are available as well.)
Butting in for more info, hope you don’t mind. Sous, am I correct in understanding the usb plug in one will essentially function the same as the wireless but I can plug it into my laptop and watch live data or change parameters, like tire size, with forscan loaded on my laptop?
@Eaglescout94 , that is correct. I carry both the USB and BT adapters. The last thing I need to deal with is a testy BT connection when troubleshooting a mechanical issue.
I have the USB adapter to use if the BT us being a pain, which rarely happens.
Forscan is free, so with a 15 year old Netbook that we carry around in our travels, it made sense to me.
I have an older version of AutoEnginuity, which comes with a USB adapter. I also have OBDLink MX (I bought it before the plus version was available)... wanna guess which one gives me a better data rate while monitoring gauges? Our Jurassic electronics have a throughput of about 41K baud - where computer modems at the time were 56K baud. Even at that glacier-movement speed, the USB adapter put gaps in my data because it was too slow. At least the OBDLink MX (and plus version) feed the data at the truck's electronics full data rate. I've also used my adapter on a 2007 Prius, logging about a gazillion PIDs (there are dozens just for the batteries) - and the MX/MX+ is up for the speed challenge.
Maybe my AutoEnginuity adapter was just a poor design, but it wasn't the laptop - I've tried everything from a 10" netbook with an Atom processor, to my current laptop with an i7, 16G of RAM, USB3, an NVME SSD, and a 4K touch screen. That particular USB adapter just sucks.
There are times when my phone won't link with the BT adapter, but I just unplug the adapter and plug it back in and the problem is gone (reboot). You see, while most other OBDII adapters continually leech electrons from your batteries with the key off, the OBDLink MX/MX+ does not. I've left it in the port with the truck keys on the hook for as long as two months straight - no battery drain. So... I leave the adapter in there all the time, and I've learned these things need an occasional reboot because of it.
I don't watch the gauges - I log them. I have the gauges up on my phone to be sure... but I really only glance at three of them while driving/towing - Engine Oil Temp, Transmission Fluid Temp, and Torque Converter Slip. I no longer look at boost... unless I were to start rolling coal or lose power. As for the ICP, IPR, FIPW mix... there is no way in hell you can suss all of that out while driving - unless you really really understand the relationships between them all AND you're not sharing the road with other drivers. Log them, then peruse of over the log with a beverage at your home computer... or share the logs here for analysis.
Don't forget the alarm feature. You can program every PID you want with a min/max - then an audible alarm will sound, and a voice will tell you what is out of range. I had an annoying demonstration of this feature last summer. Apparently, Frankenstinky has a bad EOT sensor, and the alarm gave the ol' chest pumper a test fire. Once I determined the sensor was bad by way of the IR thermometer I keep in the truck, I reset the calculations on the PID to give some semblance of accuracy, fired everything up, and drove on. That PID is still boogered, but hey - it's winter now. I'll get around to replacing that sensor, but the workaround in TP is not something you can do in all OBDII apps.
Anyway... don't worry about the size of the screen like I used to, you really don't even need the screen up with the logging and alarm features.
Ok... been playing with Torque Pro and I have some questions.... or can someone direct me to the page that this is already on ??
First.... What 10-12 gauges would you set up to monitor ???
Second.... Is there a list that shows the readings that should be expected on gauges ?
And this is a mostly stock 7.3.... the one listed below
Thanks guys !
10-12 gauges is a lot, and way more than you need for monitoring a stock 7.3L. Keep in mind that the more PIDs you have active, the slower their refresh rates will be. The data transmission rate of OBD is very slow.
Transmission temp, boost, and EGT are the most important, only one of which is available via OBD. There are of course tons of other PIDs you can monitor if you have specific problems or concerns.
Is it safe to leave the OBDlink MX+ installed while not in use or is it ok to leave?
OBDLink has a feature that will put it to sleep after a certain time threshold. Many leave it installed or plugged in all the time. I don't because when we travel, I take the tool with me in whatever vehicle we are driving.
Originally Posted by A/Ox4
Transmission temp, boost, and EGT are the most important, only one of which is available via OBD. There are of course tons of other PIDs you can monitor if you have specific problems or concerns.
I beg to differ that boost is in the top 3 most important gauges, but that is OK that we don't see it the same way. Although, on a 4R100 truck, transmission temperature and boost are in fact available as a PID which negates your "only one of which is available" comment.
Transmission Fluid Temperature Short Name: TFT PID: 221674 Units: °F Max/Min: 250.0/0.0 Equation: ((A*256)+B)/8 230 degrees F is the limit, according to the book. It has been mentioned by the forum's resident expert that the transmission doesn't reach optimum efficiency until about 165 degrees F.
Manifold Absolute Pressure Short Name: MAP PID: 221440 Units: PSI Max/Min: 45.0/0.0 Equation: ((A*256)+B)*0.03625 It is important that this reads the air pressure of your altitude in PSI (same with EBP and BARO) with Key On Engine Off, then it just adds boost to that while running.
Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) and Fuel Pressure (FP) are two of the most important aspects to keep an eye on that are not included in the PID list.
For a 4R100 truck, TFT, FP and EGT are my top 3 gauges. The additional ones can be added from there like EOT, etc...
OBDLink has a feature that will put it to sleep after a certain time threshold. Many leave it installed or plugged in all the time. I don't because when we travel, I take the tool with me in whatever vehicle we are driving.
I beg to differ that boost is in the top 3 most important gauges, but that is OK that we don't see it the same way. Although, on a 4R100 truck, transmission temperature and boost are in fact available as a PID which negates your "only one of which is available" comment.
Transmission Fluid Temperature Short Name: TFT PID: 221674 Units: °F Max/Min: 250.0/0.0 Equation: ((A*256)+B)/8 230 degrees F is the limit, according to the book. It has been mentioned by the forum's resident expert that the transmission doesn't reach optimum efficiency until about 165 degrees F.
Manifold Absolute Pressure Short Name: MAP PID: 221440 Units: PSI Max/Min: 45.0/0.0 Equation: ((A*256)+B)*0.03625 It is important that this reads the air pressure of your altitude in PSI (same with EBP and BARO) with Key On Engine Off, then it just adds boost to that while running.
The reason I suggested that boost be added as a valuable gauge is because it is such a good indicator of the health of your engine. Low boost can quickly identify boost leaks, or other causes of low power. While it wont diagnose it, identification will come early.
Is the MAP PID being used for boost new? I'll admit that it has been quite a few years since I have toyed around with a 7.3L, but back then we had to add a boost gauge where the AIH was in order to get a reliable boost reading. Is this something that Forscan brought to the table?
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