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Early on I
purchased a Locking Gas Cap to thwart gas theft temptation. To my
surprise, the gas cap virtually disintegrated with regular use within a
few months. The defective cap triggered a Check Engine light which
remained on even after I replaced the broken cap.
Not being certain why the Check Engine light would not turn itself off,
I took the truck to our dealer. The dealer said they used a
scanner to determine that the light had been triggered by a gas cap
making an inadequate seal when secured to the truck. They checked
that all was well with the new cap and reset the light for me.
It intrigued me that the dealer knew how to reset the Check Engine
light. I researched the procedure on the Internet and quickly
discovered that the only way to reset the Check Engine light was with a
compatible computer scanner.
Since the nineties, all commercial vehicles are required by law to have
a scanner connector located near the steering column. Auto makers
might differ on the protocol used with the data read by that port, but
there are a wide variety of scanners available and most automatically
determine the proper protocol. Repair shops use such scanners to
quickly diagnose any number of problems, read vital engine statistics or
check on the historical use of the vehicle. Some of the devices
also enable the user to reset the Check Engine light to remain off once
the reported problem has been corrected.
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With a
little more research, I discovered a product called
ScanGauge II.
The product pledged to not be a diagnostic tool, but it can also be
used as a real time set of gauges. I found my best price of
$154.98 including shipping from
J.C. Whitney.
I placed the order and a few days later it arrived.
Skeptical on
how easy the gauge might be to install, I procrastinated and waited
another several weeks before opening the package. On one day off
for work, I removed the unit, plugged it in to the port and found that
it was as ready-to-run as pledged by the advertising. The product
comes with a 32-page instruction booklet, but I hadn't opened it once to
get the product working.
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Although the product is small and lightweight, I found it
difficult to find an appropriate place for it. To make
it a little easier, the product is designed with a cable
connector on the back and another connector on the end.
The only downside to the product is that their mounting
bracket is a strip of hook-n-latch tape. It would have
been nice if they provided a simple adjustable bracket.
I
located an old plastic curtain rod bracket and adapted it to
my needs. I used a couple of short strips of 3M tape
to secure the device to the low profile bracket. |
The
hardest part I had during the installation was threading the
provided cable behind the dash, but that was mostly because I do not
do this type of work regularly. Anyone with more
automotive work experience than me could have threaded the cable
much more quickly. The company provided a cable with plenty of
length. I had to plastic tie a wad of the cable under the dash
because it was so long. By the way, power is supplied through
the cable, so no power wiring is required. The device
automatically turns on when the engine is started and turns off
after a short delay when the engine is shut off. The product
also features a non-volatile memory to remember statistics even
after it has been shut off.
I like
the fact that the MPH is more precise than the analog factory
speedometer. I'll enjoy reviewing MPG stats over time and I'll
certainly use the device before running to the dealer if I can solve
a future Check Engine report on my own.
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