What exactly does a Scan Gauge allow you to do.

Is it just an aditional gauge or does it actually allow you to change certain aspects of your vehicle. I have noticed some ppl saying the adjusted it for thier tire size, is that just on that gauge or does it adjust your vehicles computer. What would I need to purchase to adjust my air fuel ratio? Is their anything out their that allows me to adjust the shifts on my transmission. I live in the south and assume that most vehicles are built to comply with more strenious laws in other states like for instance the secondary air filter. Also it is a very damp climate here in louisiana unlike cali.

 

I was wondering about getting the tranny to have some firmer shifts, more precise. I am having a difficult time going from a 72 muscle car to this tacoma. I love the truck and have also owned an 02 tacoma but this is the first time I am trying to do anything to this vehicle. I love the fact that the old car shifts firm and was looking for that here. I am not removing the cats just looking to get the vehicle set up for living down here. Like when racing at different tracks you need to make a few passes and adjust your vehicle for the elevation and weather conditions, atleast on a carb. That is why I am assuming if I adjust the AF on this truck it should perform slightly better.

 

if you don't have an s/c i wouldn't worry about the a/f. make sure you keep the a/f at a safe ratio or you could burn your motor up.

 

Can you take it from vehicle to vehicle?
It mentions being able to save info to send to your computer (in vehicle) whats that about?
It also talks about using the internet to correct problems, then wouldn't it be possible to write programs?
Do you have to mount it in your vehicle or could you leave the wire plugged into the OBDII port and just unplug the unit and remove it? I don't car for the look of it inside the vehicle.
Does it affect any of your factory gauges,ie your trip or Odometer, I know you can adjust the sg for tire size but does that adjust your vehicles tach, speedo, or trips?
Finally for those of you that have the sgII is it worth it for the long run or is it something you purchase and kinda forget about?

 

well the SG2 is a soft code reader so it won't change anything you don't want it to do. yes you can put it in different vehicles. you use the internet to receive codes that may help you understand what is going on with the ecu ie: cel light. yes you have to mount it...... do you want it flyin around the truck, yes leave it in the OBDII port thats how it works, no it shouldn't affect the gauges unless you change something in the computer then you're ecu will change said gauge on its own sliding scale of however many percent you are off.

 

Got to remember that this is a truck and not a 1972 muscle car, it won't perform like the car because it's not designed to, the apples to oranges theory. Once that settles in ( I know it's going to be difficult ) then all will be well. A little time, and a few moments seeing the truck work like a truck, carrying loads, showing the torque, it will come to you.

 

Each vehicle has it benifits so I only use the truck for hauling loads, and offroading. I don't want it to be fast just efficent. I find that the transmission is kinda slugish and I wanted to firm it up slightly. I didn't know if the scan gauge was doing some of the same things that the programers were doing. Thanks for the info I get lots of good advise here. Much appreciated.

 

The scangauge is a a read only device, for lack of a better description. It takes and interperates information sent to it by the ECU through the OBDII port. It does not send anything back to the truck, with the exception of being able to clear a trouble code like any other code reader.

To adjust the speedo, it only does this on the scangauge. It takes the signal it gets from the ECU and then factors in a correction factor before it outputs to the SG display. It functions the same way with the fuel usage numbers.

This will not allow you to alter anything with yout tranny, or any other part of the operation of the truck.

It is a great tool, and I personally like having the real time fuel usage data, as well as a volt meter and intake temp gauge, etc. So for what it is capable of doing I feel it was money well spent for me, but I do not believe that it would be money well spent for you as it does not do what I believe you are looking for it to do.

With regards to the URD maf calibrator. 90% of what it is able to change is in open loop (I think open loop, which means above 4500 rpm) You will see very little benefit unless you drive you truck that way. I was looking into buying one myself, untill I realized that in the year I have owned my truck I think I hit 4500 rpms once. Not knoncking the MAF calibrator in the least, I think it is a great product, and it does what it claims, but you kind of need to drive your truck like a 72 muscle car to get the benefit of it.

Sorry, I don't really have any constructive advice for you, I just wanted to lay out the capabilities of the two devices in question so you could make an informed decision before laying out the cash for them.

Regards,

 

Maverick Thanks that was some very useful info for me to think on and I agree with you, I never hit those types of rpm I tend to stay under 2000 rpm. I was looking for some way to increase my mileage or atleast a very accurate view of what it is now since I will be installing a toytec 3" lift later this week followed by some 285/75/ may be a 16 or 17 wheel depending on price. but thanks again.

 

The scan gauge actually can do both of those things. Because it gives real time consumption data it can help you modify your driving habits to maximize your mileage. It's amazing the effect on fuel consumption the smallest movement of the throttle makes.

 

I'll vouch for that I have just driven 340 miles to and from work but this time I wasn't in a hurry so I knocked off about 5 to 10 mph and achieved 24.7 mpg in my truck. I was trying to duplicate an Anomaly, I calculated a 29.8 mpg the other day after fueling up and driving almost 300 miles highway, however it was a weekday and after midnight time early am hours when I got home.