Community Forums

midasman · 06-25-2019, 09:39 AM

Last year I installed a $160 ScangaugeII on my 2019 Entegra 30X (Jayco 30X clone) Ford E450 V10 powered. Here's how I use it: First of all, any of you with a Ford chassis should have noticed that the water temp (and oil pressure) are phony...water temp NEVER moves and the oil pressure is ALWAYS in the same spot. The gauge can't read oil pressure because Ford doesn't supply that info to the OBD port. But the gauge DOES give you coolant temp, tranny temp, mpg, and percent power output, among other things. This gauge cost far less than tuners, and IS NOT a tuner. Besides the value of knowing your crucial temps, the throttle setting or power output is SO HELPFUL in controlling SHIFTING (which is a too often heard complaint)...Here's how I use it:
What I call that setting is the LOD. It reads 0-100% power. If you keep that reading below 100%, it normally will not randomly downshift while climbing. If you then gently press the throttle, it will then shift from 6th to 5th gear (and STAY in 5th). If you are still slowing and you again nudge above 100%, you're now in 4th (or you can pull the gear shift down to 4th). BUT if you are in cruise, usually it will downshift with a jerk to a noisy 4th. So the gauge gives you much better control (and use) of 5th. Whether in Tow/Haul or not does not matter. I normally do NOT use Tow/Haul because it seems to take forever to finally upshift after cresting the hill. Sorry for the long post.
Questions???

Capt Steve · 06-25-2019, 01:34 PM

You are making a huge mistake by not using Tow Haul. Just the weight of the coach is enough to necessitate using TH for optimum performance. Add in a heavy load or towing anything and you really need TH.

You are effectively, slowly but surely, cooking your tranmission by not using Tow Haul. When you engage it the torque converter locks up eliminating a lot of heat generating friction. Even a slight grade or 2 or 3 percent will quickly heat up your trans fluid temperature.

You can easily note this with your Scan Gauge. Sometimes I inadvertently forget to engage TH and notice the trans temps climbing dramatically. I immediately enage TH and watch the temps drop 12 - 15 degrees in just a mile or two.

About the only time you don't need to run TH is on a long shallow descending grade. On steep descending grades using TH will save your brakes and a lot of fuel. I can come down a 12 mile 6 - 8 percent grade in TH and probably never touch my brakes and without burning a drop of fuel. Again your SC will demonstrate this clearly.

I wish I had your 6 speed trans but my 2011 E-350 Chassis does have the 5 speed Torque Shift trans and it works very well. I usually run near or at my GVWR of 11,500 and most of the time I am towing my 10' cargo trailer hauling either my Indian Springfield or my Polaris RZR. The bike and trailer weigh in at 2,220# and the Rzr and trailer are 2,560#.

I always run with my SC displaying average mpg, real time mpg, coolant and trans fluid temps. There are a couple of dozen different displays available and switching between them is just a couple of keystrokes.

I have had my SC for 8+ years. Bought it for my F-150 5.4L V-8 when I was towing a 22' TT {GVWR of 5,600#}. The MPG displays quickly educated my right foot generating an almost immediate 10 percent improvement in fuel economy - just play the game of trying to keep your real time mpg higher than your acverage mpg. When I bought our 24' Class C I just reprogrammed the SC for the 6.8L V-10. I would not own a truck or RV without a Scan Gauge.

As always... Opinions and YMMV.

DirtRider · 06-25-2019, 07:59 PM

Has anyone with a 6 speed successfully displayed what gear they're in? Scangauge gives some codes that they think should work, but I've never gotten them to work. Their tech support was very specific that "here are 2 that should work, if not, we have no ideas". Kinda crazy that it doesn't work with one of the most common transmissions around, but whatever.

Mike8253 · 06-25-2019, 09:00 PM

I use the following Ford Extended PID in TorquePro:
Name: Current Gear
PID: 221e12
Equation A
Header: Auto

This PID tracks what gear I'm in very well. It drove me crazy when I first got our Allegro that I couldn't tell what gear I was in when not in 6th. This PID solved that with instant info. Now, after having the MH for two years, I know by sound and RPM. But I still like having the digital gauge on my Torque Dashboard.

midasman · 06-26-2019, 08:11 AM

Howdy, Cap'n,
Perhaps with my 6 speed, things are different. It is ALWAYS in lock-up whether in Tow/Haul or not. Pulling my Rubicon, tranny temps never got over 206 F according to Scangauge climbing Eisenhower Pass westbound on I-70 out of Denver! I definitely engage TH going DOWN for the engine braking. Transmission fluid is still like new pink after 5000 HARD Colorado miles! There is NO QUESTION that TH could reduce shifting going UP, but I have never had that problem. By the way, I don't EVER display MPG because it depresses me to KNOW! I would like to display oil pressure too, but Ford doesn't send that data to the OBD II port...
Thanks for your thoughts, and responding.

midasman · 06-26-2019, 08:18 AM

Hi Dirt Rider,
I can tell by sound in my 2019 E450 but perhaps you could make a chart by picking, say, 55 MPH and kicking down one gear and charting the tach reading. Then you could use the shift lever and 4th and note it again. ??? Would that help any?

JumboJet · 06-29-2019, 08:44 PM

If you drive enough, and monitor the RPMs, you will know what gear the automatic transmission is in at any speed.

I use Tow/Haul for the transmission down shifting when braking as well as normal driving. Cruise Control is terrible on my 2017 E450. The slightest rise in a grade or a strong puff of head wind, and down shift to 5th and then to 4th.

BTW - 4th gear on my E450 at 65 MPH is 4100 RPM. Going from a Class A Diesel Pusher where the Maximum RPM seen was just over 2000 and having the engine in the rear, it took a while before I was comfortable with 4000+ RPM front engine noise.

Tow/Haul descending a pass in northern New Mexico, the engine went to 5000+ RPM and CEL came on - engine missed a firing sequence or two during that short event. Cleared CEL with a code reader and haven't seen a re-occurrence. My daughter was driving.