[mdlug] Scantool report

[Drew]

     The Scantool arrived today.

     It did not need to be soldered; and it included copious quantities of
cable, though I did have to make up a nullmodem as the device I intended
to run it on was a Palm. I got it without the fancy box, saving me $15
off the price; I'm making my own box for it.

     I had already had the OBD software on the Palm, so all that was
necessary was to make up the nullmodem, hook everything together, and
plug it in to the OBD port. Soon as the ignition was turned on I got
readings, including mass air flow, ranging from 6 grams per second at
idle, to well over 100 grams per second under high boost. There were
also readings of fuel trim, usually around zero; engine RPM, air and
coolant temperature, and vehicle speed.

     The Palm app has menu options for data recording, though I've yet
to figure out exactly where it puts this recording or how to get to it.

     I even managed to clear a trouble code, something about a catalyst
inefficiency, and got the Check Engine light turned off.

     The main glitch is that the vehicle speed readout from the OBD port
doesn't agree with either the speedometer or reality. When I have the
speed set to 40 MPH (which I have already determined is actually 46 MPH),
the VSS readout says I'm going 35. I would like to find out why, and
if possible establish that the MAF sensor is telling the truth.

     As stated I did not need soldering assistance after all. But what
I would like, whenever convenient, is if someone could bring along a
laptop to run the other software on, and ride along with me to see if
it reports the same numbers that the Palm version does. I have all the
necessary cables; and of course a nullmodem would not be necessary
in this case.

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- Drew.