Bluetooth live engine data

[Walruslike]

I've tried searching but can't really find....

Although my new Freelander 2 MY13 has a console that looks impressive with gadgets everywhere, it doesn't really have much in the way of real info about the engine etc.

On a long drive towing I would like to able to see if it's coping well. I understand there is a data port and that there are tools that can connect to it. I believe they might even have Bluetooth.

Instead of installing gauges.... could I get a phone app to read data? And if I did, can it advise transmission temp and turbo temp and oil pressure etc?

[jonesfam]

Have a look for "Scan Guage 2"
Or similar.

[Walruslike]

That's a option but I was hoping to get something that wasn't installed but rather a hidden dongle to talk to my phone and let an app show the readings.

Basically I'll only want it sometimes and don't want to mess with the beauty that is my current console. :)

[jonesfam]

Just did a quick Google search, there are WiFi connectors & phone Apps. EvilBay seems to have them under $50.00.

How good I don't know but they are out there.

I think I would prefer the scan gauge, no mucking about, it's just there & does what I want.

Jonesfam

[Walruslike]

Thanks for helping me with this... can I ask what did you search for? I must be using wrong terms... my GoogleFoo sometimes sux... :)

[Walruslike]

So far I can see we have something called a obd (on board data ?) port possibly located in driver footwell. I can see that folk here have bulk bought various tools and that they can clear codes and display live data to laptops.

What I can't find out is whether any dongle exists that has Bluetooth to an app. I can see there are apps like that... But not whether they will work with the Freelander 2 and if they do what hardware is needed.

I don't know if the live data on board the FL2 is stuff that would tell me if the car is stressed by towing. Thanks for the info Jones... just wondering if anyone knows the answers to above?

Maybe also.... does anyone recommend additional cooler for transmission or is stock ok even under long tows?

[Ferret]

So far I can see we have something called a obd (on board data ?) port possibly located in driver footwell. I can see that folk here have bulk bought various tools and that they can clear codes and display live data to laptops.

What I can't find out is whether any dongle exists that has Bluetooth to an app. I can see there are apps like that... But not whether they will work with the Freelander 2 and if they do what hardware is needed.

Did you look at the web sites of the various tools that people have talked about?

Gap Diagnostic (https://www.gap-diagnostic.com/)

[ramblingboy42]

funny world now.....I remember towing up to 28' caravans with an FJ holden ute.

We never considered any of that stuff , just hooked it up and towed it.....sometimes on a red hot day it would boil but you carried water for that and waited a while for things to cool down

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Maybe also.... does anyone recommend additional cooler for transmission or is stock ok even under long tows?

Heat and lack of servicing kills auto's,, the harder the tow, the more servicing.;)

[Walruslike]

Simpler times ramblingboy. :) But not necessarily better... I like my coils and aircon and cruise control etc. :)

Ferret yes thanks I have looked there... but the description is sparse and no indication of apps capability etc. same everywhere I looked.... That's why I asked, I was hoping someone had already done it.

In truth I think that Gap kind of unit is overpriced and out of date. I don't really want a hand held unit... I just want a phone app that can read and display the network traffic on the rare occasions I want to see what's going on.

I don't know squat about this but if the data is available on the port, and a cheap dongle exists, then a app should be able to do the display and interpretation work at a fraction of that cost.

But as I say I don't know squat so it may not exist. Maybe an opportunity for a savvy programmer. But really if these tools are anything like marine it's probably wildly overpriced for what it really is... a standard Bluetooth chip and a logic board.

[jonesfam]

OBD2 Bluetooth: Other Diagnostic Service Tools | eBay (http://www.ebay.com/bhp/obd2-bluetooth)

I'm not good at this but I hope the link works?

Jonesfam

[Walruslike]

OBD2 Bluetooth: Other Diagnostic Service Tools | eBay (http://www.ebay.com/bhp/obd2-bluetooth)



I'm not good at this but I hope the link works?



Jonesfam


Yes thanks Mr Jones. That looks like the type of thing I thought must exist... I will investigate further. Thanks heaps.

[Walruslike]

Taking a punt I've ordered a wifi dongle http://m.ebay.com/itm/252420291696?_mwBanner=1

and I will try to read it with this app: OBD Fusion - OBD2 vehicle scan tool and diagnostics by OCTech, LLC
https://appsto.re/au/eOkYM.i

Might work, might not. Not much cost to try it. Will advise how I go if it ever arrives. :)

[ramblingboy42]

I don't know how different the OBD works in the Land Rover compared to the Ford Ranger, but with an easily sourced app and an old smartphone plugged into the OBD just about every possible mechanical thing that can be monitored can be screened either as analogue guage format or digital.
I've been meaning to do it myself.

My son is in a European Car Club in Brisbane and he says many of his veedub owning friends do exactly that.....he said some of them just bluetac the phone or velcroe it where it can be seen when driving.

apparently hundreds of variations of the display are available.

cheers Dennis

[Walruslike]

Thanks Dennis. Makes you wonder how they manage to sell $600 tools to do less than the same thing.

[BMKal]

Thanks Dennis. Makes you wonder how they manage to sell $600 tools to do less than the same thing.

The tools you are talking about can only "read" and display information. The $600 tools recommended (actually they are a lot cheaper than that at the moment) can do a whole lot more than that. ;)

[Walruslike]

The tools you are talking about can only "read" and display information. The $600 tools recommended (actually they are a lot cheaper than that at the moment) can do a whole lot more than that. ;)



I'm not sure that is correct... won't know till I try it, but the blurb says they can reset faults and change settings. Logically that seems reasonable... It's the same port that both types use... It's no harder to write Comms than it is to receive...

[Walruslike]

Wooohooo! The dongle arrived today and I've just had a play with it.

I downloaded a iOS app OBD Fusion and it connected and started displaying gauges and graphs no prob.

My observations so far:

- haven't yet found a app that specifically supports Land Rover

- can configure all sorts of gauges and readings

- should have got Bluetooth instead of wifi because wifi sucks power out of the old battery in my phone

- both phone and dongle got hot

- stupid place for data port near accelerator pedal. Would have been better in passenger footwell. Didn't kick it while driving but didn't like it being there.

- didn't have any trouble codes for my vehicle registering so pleased about that

- app seems to think it can reset check engine etc... don't know if that's true

- dongle cost (can't recall exactly) around $15 and app cost $12

- I've seen hints I might be able to manually advise the app of specific LR codes for things I want to track

- I can now see the engine coolant temp! (instead of that stupid stuck-in-middle graphic that is on the dashboard)

- dongle probably sucks some power or it might keep the data bus alive so removed it after use.

- at first blush I can't see the transmission oil temp. Don't even know yet if my FL2 MY13 has a sensor there.

- turns out you don't go blind playing with your dongle... :)

All up very pleased... hours of fun for the geekily inclined. :)

[Walruslike]

Here are a couple of piccys from the App Store page... It looked much like this for me...

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/328.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/329.jpghttps://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/330.jpg

[jonesfam]

Can you change the gauges etc to proper, modern measurements? You know, something like metric?

Other than that looks good.

I have never been able to get the Scan Gauge 2 to give me transmission temps in my D3!

Jonesfam

[Walruslike]

Yes it can be metric... any guage can use either units... adjust them as you prefer. As I mentioned the pictures are from the app store... I was having too much fun last night to capture my screens. :)

Its not the only app either... there seem to be a bunch of them. I wanted this one because apparently it allows some manual inputs of PIDs which I believe might let me in to the more LR specific stuff. Still need to do some research.

Regarding what units to use... I am fairly clueless with engines... I have basic spanner skills but dont know much... so I am trying now to get a feel for what readings would be useful to me to know how much load the engine/transmission is under when I'm towing.


Part of that I guess is knowing what units people are using when they discuss things... so at least the app will let me switch to any combination of metric/ imperial to allow me to see how my readings compare to norms.

But it may turn out that not much is actually useful in that regard... as I say... clueless... :)

[Walruslike]

Ok.. Update... It's bloody brilliant! I now can monitor my coolant temp and my gearbox temp. Also boost, percentage engine load, voltage, various other things.

I now can tow the boat while knowing whether the box temp is climbing or not. In normal usage it maps pretty close to the engine coolant temp but that is because they are coupled by the heat exchanger (so I'm told..)

I would also like to get the current gear number displayed as well as the oil pressure but no luck with them so far.

The details in case anyone else needs the info on the Freelander (and possibly other LR vehicles?) transmission oil temp is:

PID DF0A
Module TCM (transmission control module)
OBD Mode 22
Priority Medium..... Doesn't need to be high I think..
Equation: A * 256 + B Gives a reading in degrees Celcius

Hope this helps someone else. If you want to see these things on your phone a eBay cheap ELM 327 module with a $12 app will do the job. I wouldn't leave the unit on except when I need it, because it could be a voltage vampire.