Favorite OBD-II Monitor?

[Krayziekid]

Hey guys! Quick question. So I'm looking into getting an OBD-II monitor for my 03 4Runner for a number of reasons, but I've come across so many that I am getting overwhelmed. I know a lot of people use the scanguageII, but I'm not super crazy about the form factor of it. Either way, I was just wondering if anyone has had an experience (positive or negative) with the

-Ultragauge
-ScangaugeII
-Edge Insight CS2

The Ultragauge looks appealing for the price. The CS2 looks awesome and relatively small, but I can't seem to find any sort of review or anything about the product. I want to stay away from Bluetooth adapters because my cousin has gone through 3 and they never tend to work for more than 6 months for him. Anybody have any insight? Thanks!

 

[wadle5]

You want a monitor or just a a scanner?

I have a bluetooth one that then it pulls up on my phone? Bought it from snap on, but they are on amazon for $40. Can clear codes and lights as well as read all your engine vitals.

 

[paperchasin]

Whats your budget and what features are you looking for? I personally have an Innova 3130c and its great. In the end, you have a lot of choices depending on features and cost.

 

[Krayziekid]

You want a monitor or just a a scanner?

I have a bluetooth one that then it pulls up on my phone? Bought it from snap on, but they are on amazon for $40. Can clear codes and lights as well as read all your engine vitals.

I'm really looking for a monitor I can pop on when I need it/am offroading/all that stuff. I don't always need it on in day to day use, but having one would have been useful at some points in the past. Those three I listed above were the good entry level ones that I could find.

 

[Martinjmpr]

SGII and UG...

As I've posted here before, I have both the SGII and the UG. They both have their pluses and minuses.

The SGII is in my '07 T4R and the UG is in my DD 96 Mazda B2300 (AKA Ford Ranger 4 cyl/5 speed.)

Besides being cheaper the UG shows 6 gauges to the SG's 4. The display is better and easier to read. The UG is a little trickier to mount because you have to be able to access the back of it in order to work the buttons. I find that a satellite radio receiver mount (inverted T type) works well for mounting the UG. Not pretty but it works. Here it is in my Mazda:

The UG is easier to calibrate than the SGII and it can be calibrated more "finely."

Biggest advantage of the SG is that it monitors more things including transmission temp. Since I pull a trailer that's an important one for me. The SG is a little easier to mount. Best place on a 4runner is on top of the steering column:

On the SG all the buttons are on the front and there are two network sockets, one on the side and one on the back, which, again allows for more flexible mounting options (on the UG the cable is permanently attached to the gauge.) Although the UG is easier to calibrate for things like different tire diameters, once you have it calibrated, the sequence of buttons you have to push every time you fuel up on the UG is a lot more involved than on the SG.

Finally, while it's true that the display on the SG is a little "old school" with its 80's looking LCDs, it has a nice advantage in that you can change the color of the display. On the UG, your display can be any color you want as long as you want blue.

So to sum up, they both have their advantages. I like the SG a little more because it's smaller and easier to use, but as long as you don't need to monitor transmission temp, either one will work fine.

One great thing about both monitors is that if you have them calibrated correctly (make sure you adjust for tire size if you are not running stock tires) they will give you a much more accurate "DTE" that is, Distance To Empty which can become a de facto gas gauge. That's actually the reason I got one initially, my 3rd gen 4runner had a very inaccurate fuel gauge (which is a well known problem with 3rd gen T4Rs) and I wanted something that would give me a more accurate reading of how much fuel I had left.

 

[Krayziekid]

Whats your budget and what features are you looking for? I personally have an Innova 3130c and its great. In the end, you have a lot of choices depending on features and cost.

I would say my budget is about $300 absolute max. But I have no problem spending less

In terms of features, they all seem to do the same sort of things, but if I have to narrow it down to key ones I need, I would say MPH and RPM reading, Voltage, iMPG. Those would be the major ones but I'm sure I am forgetting some other ones I would want.

 

[Krayziekid]

As I've posted here before, I have both the SGII and the UG. They both have their pluses and minuses.

The SGII is in my '07 T4R and the UG is in my DD 96 Mazda B2300 (AKA Ford Ranger 4 cyl/5 speed.)

Besides being cheaper the UG shows 6 gauges to the SG's 4. The display is better and easier to read. The UG is a little trickier to mount because you have to be able to access the back of it in order to work the buttons. I find that a satellite radio receiver mount (inverted T type) works well for mounting the UG. Not pretty but it works. The UG is easier to calibrate than the SGII and it can be calibrated more "finely."

Biggest advantage of the SG is that it monitors more things including transmission temp. Since I pull a trailer that's an important one for me. The SG is a little easier to mount. Best place on a 4runner is on top of the steering column:

On the SG all the buttons are on the front and there are two network sockets, one on the side and one on the back, which, again allows for more flexible mounting options (on the UG the cable is permanently attached to the gauge.) Although the UG is easier to calibrate for things like different tire diameters, once you have it calibrated, the sequence of buttons you have to push every time you fuel up on the UG is a lot more involved than on the SG.

Finally, while it's true that the display on the SG is a little "old school" with its 80's looking LCDs, it has a nice advantage in that you can change the color of the display. On the UG, your display can be any color you want as long as you want blue.

So to sum up, they both have their advantages. I like the SG a little more because it's smaller and easier to use, but as long as you don't need to monitor transmission temp, either one will work fine.

Thanks for the insight. Yea I don't do a lot of towing or anything like that, so monitoring transmission temp would only be an added feature that I likely wouldn't need. Got a pic of the UG in the Mazda so I can get a sense of it's size? That's the last thing sort of holding me back. It is so hard to get a good approximation of the size of these things on the dash. Thanks!

 

[paperchasin]

Found this older thread on tacoworld: SG vs UG

 

[TheTurboMRT]

Thanks for the insight. Yea I don't do a lot of towing or anything like that, so monitoring transmission temp would only be an added feature that I likely wouldn't need. Got a pic of the UG in the Mazda so I can get a sense of it's size? That's the last thing sort of holding me back. It is so hard to get a good approximation of the size of these things on the dash. Thanks!

Newest UG also monitors transmission temp, FYI. I know you don't need it, but I wanted to make sure it was included in the thread

 

[Krayziekid]

Newest UG also monitors transmission temp, FYI. I know you don't need it, but I wanted to make sure it was included in the thread

Wow thanks man! Smaller than I had thought. I think that picture alone just sold me on the Ultragauge, especially if it does Trans Temp now.

Thanks!

 

[TheTurboMRT]

Wow thanks man! Smaller than I had thought. I think that picture alone just sold me on the Ultragauge, especially if it does Trans Temp now.

Thanks!

Make sure you get the Ultra-Gauge MX 1.3 if you want trans temp, and select the Tacoma/Tundra option, and it will come with everything you need pre-loaded.

I love mine, I get to see the trans temp rise while towing up hill and fall on the opposite side. Never seen above 215 degrees F with my V8, even hauling a boat on the highway in O/D

 

[Krayziekid]

Make sure you get the Ultra-Gauge MX 1.3 if you want trans temp, and select the Tacoma/Tundra option, and it will come with everything you need pre-loaded.

I love mine, I get to see the trans temp rise while towing up hill and fall on the opposite side. Never seen above 215 degrees F with my V8, even hauling a boat on the highway in O/D

Do you know if it will still work on 2003 4Runners? That's the only thing I am afraid of.

 

[TheTurboMRT]

Do you know if it will still work on 2003 4Runners? That's the only thing I am afraid of.

I can only vouch for the VVTI/5 speed generation, as mine is a 2007, but I would check with customer support before I ordered.
From some quick googles, I found that people have gotten the scangauge to work with 03-04's, but I don't know if Ultra-Gauge has found the appropriate codes to make their gauges work.

 

[Drunner97]

I use the torque app and a bluetooth adapter.

 

[navin]

Make sure you get the Ultra-Gauge MX 1.3 if you want trans temp, and select the Tacoma/Tundra option, and it will come with everything you need pre-loaded.

I love mine, I get to see the trans temp rise while towing up hill and fall on the opposite side. Never seen above 215 degrees F with my V8, even hauling a boat on the highway in O/D

At what temperature should you start to be concerned when towing?

 

[Krayziekid]

I can only vouch for the VVTI/5 speed generation, as mine is a 2007, but I would check with customer support before I ordered.
From some quick googles, I found that people have gotten the scangauge to work with 03-04's, but I don't know if Ultra-Gauge has found the appropriate codes to make their gauges work.

Do you think the rest of the gauge will work since it is still OBDII? Trans temp is just icing on the cake. Not necessary since I rarely, if ever, tow things. The small form factor and price are really appealing. If I can just get MPH, RPM, MPG, DTE, and iMPG, then it would be a success for me.

 

[TheTurboMRT]

Do you think the rest of the gauge will work since it is still OBDII? Trans temp is just icing on the cake. Not necessary since I rarely, if ever, tow things. The small form factor and price are really appealing. If I can just get MPH, RPM, MPG, DTE, and iMPG, then it would be a success for me.

It should be able to do all of those things.

 

[TheTurboMRT]

At what temperature should you start to be concerned when towing?

I would say consistent 240+ would be cause for an eyebrow to go up. I was seeing 215 up hills, cooling down to 190 on the downhills.

Instantaneous 270 or consistent 240 would be where I would have my alarms set (which this unit is capable of setting off overheat alarms!)


Generic chart that references consistent temperatures vs. fluid life

Mine reads 190 all day long in Georgia heat when I'm not towing. With a 3000 lb trailer, in overdrive, it does up to 215 on the uphills and back to 190 on the downhills, I'm pretty happy with the performance of the OEM transmission cooler.

 

[Krayziekid]

It should be able to do all of those things.

Fantastic. I might pick up the EM Plus version just because it is so cheap compared to the rest of the competition. If it works, great. If not, I can always return it and if that doesn't work, then it isn't really a ton of money in the long run.

I am still hung up on the Insight CS2 however. I think it is a slick looking device, but I cannot find any sort of literature on it besides other websites selling it. Really bumming me out and I want to try it, but I don't want to spend 300 bucks without being sure.