Engine monitoring while towing

[Vtec44]

I bought a Veepeak OBDCheck BLE bluetooth device on Amazon and OBD Fusion app for my phone. It's a pretty neat combination to monitor your engine in real time while towing. The transmission oil temperature is actually part of a $50 software upgrade for additional features. All the gauges are customizable with whatever colors, values, and how many gauges you want.

Some pretty interesting statistics regarding oil temperature in various components. I have a 2016 Highlander LE Plus 3.5L V6 with the tow prep package that includes a "larger" radiator, transmission cooler, and wiring for trailer lights.

1. The transmission oil doesn't get above 150F at freeway cruising speed with ambient temperature at about 82F . I have a separate transmission oil cooler. Coolant temperature stays at around 185F while moving at 70mph.
2. I was driving up the mountains about 40 minutes at moderate speed and the transmission temperature got as high as 160F but stays around 155F for most of the drive up.
3. Engine oil and transmission oil are at around the same temperature.
4. Everything got really hot when I stopped at a rest stop, even with coolant fan running. Air flow is kind of important

I can use this as a baseline to compare with when I tow my little trailer on both the freeway and up hill in a few months. I thought I'd share this here in case someone may find the info useful. What are people using out there to monitor the towing vehicle?

 

[MtnDon]

Thanks for posting that

 

[rjgimp]

Ok... I am very intrigued by those torque and horsepower numbers. I assume that is a snapshot in time of how much of each is being used to propel you down the road.

I have at least three questions:

1) What does your engine produce and at what rpm is the maximum reached?
What (if you recall) were the road and weather conditions at the time of this screenshot? I see 82 degrees, but was it dry and calm and were you on level ground?
Fourthly, do you know what your total weight is when hitched up and loaded?

What a fantastic tool! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Vtec44]

Ok... I am very intrigued by those torque and horsepower numbers. I assume that is a snapshot in time of how much of each is being used to propel you down the road.

I have at least three questions:

1) What does your engine produce and at what rpm is the maximum reached?
What (if you recall) were the road and weather conditions at the time of this screenshot? I see 82 degrees, but was it dry and calm and were you on level ground?
Fourthly, do you know what your total weight is when hitched up and loaded?

What a fantastic tool! Thanks for sharing.

Yeah, the HP and torque figure is snap shot of that split second that I was cruising down a slight hill.

1. I'm not sure if I understood it right but it's rated for 270hp@6200RPM and 248lb-ft@4700RPM. The max redline looks to be at around 6300RPM.
B. It was sunny and clear at 82F, going slightly down hill. The manufacturer's MPG is rated at 19 city / 25 highway so I was cruising down hill in 6th gear

The total weight of the towing vehicle or the trailer? The towing vehicle is about 4250lbs with a payload of 1400lbs and max tow capacity is 5000lbs. The trailer tongue weight is about 280bls at full load. The entire trailer is about 2000lbs fully loaded. Mostly it's just under 1400lbs since I don't always load it to to the max.

 

[rjgimp]

Yeah, I could have assumed with the 51+mpg figure you were coasting down a grade. Even my wife's Hummer will get that once in a blue moon!

The torque number fascinates me. I never would have guessed it would use that much under such conditions. I assume the rpm was fairly low at this point?

 

[Vtec44]

Yeah, I could have assumed with the 51+mpg figure you were coasting down a grade. Even my wife's Hummer will get that once in a blue moon!

The torque number fascinates me. I never would have guessed it would use that much under such conditions. I assume the rpm was fairly low at this point?

I think the torque figure was just the amount of torque available from the engine running at that speed at that specific RPM, not necessarily the torque needed to push the car going down hill. Gravity was doing most of the work!! LOL If I remember it correctly 6th gear cruising then the RPM should be just under 2000.

 

[Sparksalot]

I use a scangauge on my tow vehicle. It can be configured to display four items. Many more can be monitored, and scrolled through as well.

I’m pretty sure the horsepower figure displayed is simply read from a lookup table based upon rpm and throttle position.

 

[working on it]

I bought a Veepeak OBDCheck BLE bluetooth device on Amazon and OBD Fusion app for my phone. It's a pretty neat combination to monitor your engine in real time while towing. ... What are people using out there to monitor the towing vehicle?

* I have used two different apps on my Android phone and tablets, Torque Pro and OBDLink, to monitor my '04 Silverado 2500HD when going on trips. I used the Torque Pro running in the background on my tablet (with Google maps in the foreground) on long trips, or used OBDLink on my phone (if only going on familiar shorter hops, not needing the Google maps for GPS use). Either app works well for me, but I've switched between one and the other for specific PIDs and codes I'm scanning for, and such. The OBDLink uses a bluetooth dongle that I can leave plugged-in at camp, while I use a BAFX dongle (must be unplugged) for the Torque Pro app. I think the OBDLink LX dongle might also work with Torque, but I can't remember if I tried that before.

* I bought my first Android phone (Samsung Rugby Pro) in Sept.'13, just so I could use the Torque app (I really liked my 2010 model flip-phone, a Samsung Rugby 2, a non-Android phone, and still keep it charged-up as an emergency back-up, in my truck). When I was using my HHR Panel as a daily driver, with the truck as a back-up for my 120+ mile commute, I had two OBDLink LX dongles in use year-round. But, after retiring, I really haven't driven much at all, and mainly use my Innova 3100i plug-in scan tool for diagnosis at home. The mapping feature of both Android apps is the main usage I have for them now. that and the instant mileage and temperature functions on the truck (it's a worktruck version, that came without a DIC dashboard display). I just now realized that I haven't set up my latest phone (a Samsung S7, acquired two years ago) to run with either app, and have not used them for two years, even on trips.

 

[Tyrtill]

I've been using a TrekPow ELM 327 Bluetooth 4.0 with my iphone using the car scanner app (I bought the pro version for $3 but the free version was pretty good).

The adapter is probably the same as https://www.amazon.com/SAVFY-Blueto... $15 for the software and the bluetooth unit.

 

[gudmund-TNT]

still loving my Scanguage, even after over 15+ years of use - should say Scanguage's, being I now have two of them - one in each vehicle !!! The one feature I really like is the 'speed' feature being it can be adjusted up/down for a speedometer that is not close, I have slightly oversized tires on my PU and it reads slow (reads 97/98 miles driven ever 100 miles traveled) and this along with living close to 'Canadian' land where they use Km's, it is 'SO' nice to be able to change from miles to Km's when crossing north over the 'line'..... so much easier to read the Scanguage than the 'tiny' printed Km's on the speedometer (and to think this speedometer on this PU used read out in -large- print 'Kil-o-meter's being this PU started life as a 'Canadian' before it was 're-patriot-ed' back to the states where it had been assembled (Louisiana) when new - 12 GMC Canyon - sold new in Alberta - than BC, now makes it's home in Washington)

 

[DoctahDeane]

I bought a Veepeak OBDCheck BLE bluetooth device on Amazon and OBD Fusion app for my phone. It's a pretty neat combination to monitor your engine in real time while towing. The transmission oil temperature is actually part of a $50 software upgrade for additional features. All the gauges are customizable with whatever colors, values, and how many gauges you want.

Thanks a lot for the pointer to this solution. I looked on Amazon and the Veepeak device is ins the $35-$40 range and then as you say I'll need the app. The software upgrade is not an issue but do I need to be concerned about the tow vehicle compatibility or is this thing sort of a universal "dongle" for the OBD port? Sorry a bit new to this. I do want to monitor tranny fluid temp. Thanks for any info.

 

[flboy]

I did this to upgrade my factory dash/radio to a 7inch display with Android Auto. The radio interfaces with the Ford factory system (Sync) and connects steering wheel controls through Maestro Rr2 module. On Idata capable radios/media players like the Panasonic DMH-2660NEX, the Maesteo Rr2 connects the OBD2 data to the radio and you can customize parameter displays. Also ports over Tire Pressure. It is all bonus stuff that is embedded in the Maestro functions which are flashed by vehicle/media player combination. Very useful

Factory 4.2 inch non touch display

A mess taking out factory equipment and reconfiguring control boards in a new panel to accommodate 7 inch display and building a new wire harness from a Maestro FTR1 kit for the 2020 F250..

The finished Mod! Love it!

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

 

[gudmund-TNT]

looks SWEET!! nice redo...............

 

[Tony Latham]

I bought a Veepeak OBDCheck BLE bluetooth device...

Which one?

Disregard. You cost me $32!

Tony

 

[twisted lines]

Wonder what this guy was looking at.
She lived.
HP
TQ
Over the bridge?

Run it like you stole it.

 

[gudmund-TNT]

in fact - she walked away from it with minor injury's.....was one big freeway jam-up for hours.... I even had a hard time getting to my doctors visit driving the side/back roads being so much of the freeway traffic were trying to use the same side roads.