Datalogging - OK, somebody hook a brother up! :D

[EVO-00X]

Hi guys

I've read heaps of times about guys using dataloggers to fault find and monitor the health of the engine sensors and ECU and I am absolutely jealous like a muthrfkr :lol: Can someone steer me in the right direction on what I need and how to start doing it please? I'm very computer and mechanically apt and understand how everything works, just dont know where to start

Problem:
The Mrs car has a 4G93 DOHC in it and its been to the only auto eleccy in town and he doesnt have anything suitable to track down the fault. We cant figure out why the check engine light comes on now and then. I've changed ECU, 02 sensors, TPS, AFM, Plugs, Leads, Ignitor and Coil Packs and still have the same issue. I'm about to change the CAS on the weekend to see if it's the cause :roll: Lucky I've got a lot of spare parts around otherwise it would have cost a fair bit changing things over.

Symptoms:
Car starts and runs as normal, every now and then under 3000rpm the car begins to miss for a few seconds and the check engine light would come on, then the light goes off and the car gets its full power back again. Sort of like unplugging the AFM for a few seconds and then plugging it back in again. Car is drivable but it's embarassing that it misses on take off and is underpowered. This concerns me especially when it comes to safely turning out of intersections into oncoming traffic. The auto eleccy blamed the ECU and tried getting more $$ out of the Mrs to have it sent away and tested but I swapped the ECU with a mate's ECU and it still has the same symptoms in her car. Our ECU is chipped with a Powerchip but this isnt the cause because we also tried my ECU on my mate's car and he never got the check engine light issue.

This is why datalogging would come in VERY handy so I put my hand up for some help for a change :lol:

cheers

Rob

 

[DOUGMO]

oxy sensor?

 

[DOUGMO]

i think you need a certasin type of palm pilot pdf thingy(as you can tell im compuetr literate too) a data cable which i think meek sells and the software for the palm pilot,

something like that anyway

 

[EVO-00X]

Yep, 02 changed and still no love :lol: And have a palm pilot but no cable or software. The MMCD software is downloadable off the net isnt it? are there different versions to suit different engines?

 

[DOUGMO]

yep the software link was posted up about a month ago i think,
cant remember what it was called.

its no good to me, im running aftermarket ecu

 

[DOUGMO]

http://www.meek.com.au/index.php?v=Product&id=74&pcid=29&PHPSESSID=016bdf668d53bcb9a74eee243793d1c6


looks like you get the software with the cable rob

 

[EVO-00X]

Thanks George

Oh, I also have an older style laptop with serial port as well just sitting around doing nothing if that helps any? I found this thread where VR4-PLAY posted a link to a program for a laptop by the looks of it. Can the laptop and this program be used as an alternative to the Palm Pilot? http://4gtuner.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3236&highlight=datalog

Found this from Clutz too
Okay what you need is 4 things.
1) A palm pilot, easily found on ebay- i'd go for a M515, thats what I use- and its fairly easy to operate.
2) Serial port to palm cable- plugs your palm pilot into your datalogging cable
3) Logger cable, plugs into the port, and are found here: http://www.meek.com.au/index.php?v=Product&id=74&pcid=29
4) Software. I use MMCD, which is free, from this website: http://mmcdlogger.sourceforge.net/

And a link to this: http://www.mmc.org.nz/forum/viewtopic.php?t=43269&highlight=pinouts

OK, time to get myself setup first :lol:

 

[CLuTZ]

heya rob, yeah these things are worth their weight in gold. I wouldnt have even guessed at looking at the coolant temp sensor plug (r.e other thread) until it told me that the coolant temp was -59.0

I would have swapped everything around and torn my hair out without it! :evil:

**EDIT** I just saw that you found my last post on this subject. Just to add, you might also need a serial -to- hot sync CABLE, if it doesnt already come with it. Make sure the battery in the palm you buy is good also, as they're fairly expensive to replace.

The software side I use MMCD, which has seemed to be very good so far.

If you plug the logger in, and launch the application, it comes up with the first page.

The different numbers, dates and times are different logs that have been stored. if you tap the MMCD icon above, it brings down a menu. if you click on 'Test' it will bring up a page that will alow you to read the codes that the ECU has stored.

here are the fault codes as taken of VFAQ.com:


11 O2 sensor

12 Volume air flow sensor

13 Intake air temperature sensor

14 Throttle position sensor

15 (1.8L only) Idle speed control motor position sensor

21 Engine coolant temperature sensor

22 Crankshaft position sensor

23 Camshaft position sensor

24 Vehicle speed sensor

25 Barometric pressure sensor

31 (2.0L Only) Knock sensor (turbo only)

36 (1.8L Only)Ignition timing adjustment signal

41 Injector

42 Fuel pump

43 EGR (Ca. only)

44 (2.0L Only) Ignition coil, ignition power transisitor unit


If you only want to find out why its briefly throwing a code, I can send you my logger to use for a few days, if you dont want to go through the whole process of buying one?? Drop me a pm if your intrested




dre

 

[EVO-00X]

I would have swapped everything around and torn my hair out without it! :evil:

:lol: lol yeah, sort of like the stage Im at the moment with the Mrs car. It's the daily driver and gets the little one to school, Mrs to shopping and me to work since our Proton was written off in the floods :roll:

Thanks heaps for posting those pics and info Dre, and your offer for the loan of the logger is very tempting and kind of you . I'll check what sort of Palm Pilot I have in the meantime as it would be good to have a logger setup at home for when things go wrong and to run regular checkups with. I'll let you know how I go...

 

[CLuTZ]

I would have swapped everything around and torn my hair out without it! :evil:

:lol: lol yeah, sort of like the stage Im at the moment with the Mrs car. It's the daily driver and gets the little one to school, Mrs to shopping and me to work since our Proton was written off in the floods :roll:

Thanks heaps for posting those pics and info Dre, and your offer for the loan of the logger is very tempting and kind of you . I'll check what sort of Palm Pilot I have in the meantime as it would be good to have a logger setup at home for when things go wrong and to run regular checkups with. I'll let you know how I go...

no sweat, if you change your mind, let me know!

here's the MMCD website if you want to check it all out, and also see what palms are supported, and which ones arent............


goodluck with it all!!

 

[EVO-00X]

Im pretty sure the PDA we've got is a HP iPaq and less than a couple of years old so looks like it aint supported :cry: Had a quick look on EBay and theres M500, M505, M105, M130 up for auction. It would be best looking for one which takes AAA or AA batteries instead of a battery pack wouldnt it? And does the PDA need a colour screen?

 

[CLuTZ]

I'd much prefer a colour screen, so you can differentiate between different sensors when look at the log.

I'm not sure which ones have AA or AAA batteries, I thought they'd all have batteries like cell phones.

 

[EVO-00X]

I just popped my YouTube cherry then by uploading this vid I took on my mobile phone of what I'm experiencing :roll: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKTED8xKKnI . Seems like 3000rpm the light goes away, although I have experienced past this point sometimes. The car runs sweet in the upper rev range though, its just down low thats pissing me off.

 

[EVO-00X]

OK, just won a Palm M505 Colour screen PDA (the model under yours Dre) for $36 + delivery on EBay Comes with USB cradle, stylus and original installation CDs. Now I have to get a cable from somewhere :lol:

 

[DOUGMO]

i know you have checked the o2 rob but did you replace it
with a new one? how many wires does it run?

just wondering if it is not preheated and is cooling down and tripping out at lower revs and idle. then when it gets up to temp again
the light goes off, im clasping at straws really though.\

i would watch more of the vid if i wasnt on dial up

 

[EVO-00X]

Thanks George I'll give it a go because I replaced the 02 with a 2nd hand one. I've got another spare 02 here, and my brothers car is in the garage that I can take his off and try his 02 too I'll do that later this arvo if I get time. I'll let you know how I go

 

[EVO-00X]

Changed the CAS on the weekend and instantly the engine ran better. There is no missing down low and the 3000rpm phenomenon doesnt happen anymore. The car runs quieter and smoother now so we're nearly there. I'm still getting a check engine light thrown every now and then (but not as often as before the CAS change) but whatever it is, it doesnt appear to be effecting engine performance so it must only be a small problem. Hopefully the datalogger works on the ECU and tells me WTF it is