Boost gauges

[gwhalin]

Not sure what that box is for. Looks like if you had a car that only had CarPlay you can use it to run Android Auto through CarPlay.

Anyway, I had an app that I downloaded from XDA-developers called OBD2AA. It was a plug-in for Torque Pro that let you display Torque Pro data on the Sync screen. It required you run Android Auto in developer mode and it was tedious to setup the gauges you wanted to see but it did work. It required you to launch Torque Pro on your phone and wait for it to connect and be up and running. Then plug in you phone to Sync and wait for AA to connect and display on the screen then you would launch OBD2AA. It took some time once launched before it would actually display data.

The guy that developed it pulled down off XDA-developers so he could concentrate on his wireless AA solution.

The box looks to be a android auto box that will work without a phone and will display any app on the screen.

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[Big Blue]

I don't think there is any actual information. As I understand it, that ICM looks at other values on the HS CAN (engine rpm, engine coolant temp and even engine load should be among them) and calculates the oil temp and pressure from that. My thought is that Ford had those sensors on a test engine and trained the ICM to reproduce those readings when giving various inputs on the actually available values. If Kevin's test confirms it functions I plan to get the 2016 -2018 Focus ST gauge pod. I'm hoping that I can get 2 broken Ranger clusters with the tach and speedo so I can get 3 blue needles from the fuel and engine temp gauges to move to the ST gauge pod so they match.

So what your saying is the oil pressure/temp information displayed on the gauges is all bogus and means nothing. I'm not even sure what they could use to calculate the pressure. Why even have them. I know the boost is calculated using MAP and the barometric pressure, it may not be real, but it is based on real measurements. You could lose all oil pressure and have the oil light come on but still read a pressure on the gauge.

 

[ControlNode]

So what your saying is the oil pressure/temp information displayed on the gauges is all bogus and means nothing. I'm not even sure what they could use to calculate the pressure. Why even have them. I know the boost is calculated using MAP and the barometric pressure, it may not be real, but it is based on real measurements. You could lose all oil pressure and have the oil light come on but still read a pressure on the gauge.

All I understand is that they look at several inputs. I would assume that where every they are calculating the oil pressure they are considering the oil pressure switch input and if it shows low pressure the gauge should reflect that as well. But, without knowing all of the inputs for the function of getting oil pressure calculation I don't know. I guess I could just unplug my oil pressure switch and ground it while the engine is running and see if the oil pressure indicator drops too.

And I don't think "all bogus" is the right way to explain it. While it is not data from a sensor dedicated to sensing that information, with enough observation of other engine sensors they should be able to model what a real sensor would be providing, or within a reasonable margin of error. They would just have to monitor that real sensor on a prototype along with the others sensors to get the relations and then define a predictive model that was close to the actually sensor on the prototype. Then on the production model save money by not including the sensor and just adding code to emulate it from the sensors that you actually have to have for the engine to operate properly.

 

[Dgc333]

So what your saying is the oil pressure/temp information displayed on the gauges is all bogus and means nothing. I'm not even sure what they could use to calculate the pressure. Why even have them. I know the boost is calculated using MAP and the barometric pressure, it may not be real, but it is based on real measurements. You could lose all oil pressure and have the oil light come on but still read a pressure on the gauge.

FWIW, MAP-Barometric= Boost. That's as real as it gets.

 

[Big Blue]

And I don't think "all bogus" is the right way to explain it. While it is not data from a sensor dedicated to sensing that information, with enough observation of other engine sensors they should be also to model what a real sensor would be providing, or within a reasonable margin of error. They would just have to monitor that real sensor on a prototype along with the others sensors to get the relations and then define a predictive model that was close to the actually sensor on the prototype. Then on the production model save money by not including the sensor and just adding code to emulate it from the sensors that you actually have to have for the engine to operate properly.

I'm sorry but any value for something as critical to the life of the engine as oil pressure and temp, that is not an actual reading, is bogus. It is no better and probably worse than an idiot light. Especially if you are using it for towing.

 

[ControlNode]

Well, assuming all is working normally I guess the gauge can be trusted. It appears to work well in my RS and I have no reason to really doubt it at this time. If I were to add an oil cooler, I would expect this value to then be beyond a margin of error since the PCM would not know about this change, unless you know how to update the calculation/model so it would be right again.

 

[ControlNode]

Well, I've ordered an ST harness and an OBD-2 connector pigtail so I can make a testing adapter once those arrive. I'll just pull the gauge from the RS before buying the ST gauge since that would be the most expensive single part. If it works I'll buy the rest of the parts (ST boost and oil gauge pod, a couple of speedo gauge clusters with blue needles like the Ranger)

 

[Kevin Franklin]

Well, assuming all is working normally I guess the gauge can be trusted. It appears to work well in my RS and I have no reason to really doubt it at this time. If I were to add an oil cooler, I would expect this value to then be beyond a margin of error since the PCM would not know about this change, unless you know how to update the calculation/model so it would be right again.

All three of my gauges work in my ST and I have no reason to believe that they are bogus values as they change along with the RPM levels and when the car is under heavy acceleration there is a change. If this can be figured out, I will ahead and start on my cover that will blend into the dash pad

 

[Dgc333]

I am going to get a gauge pod that will either fit into opening where the upfitter switches are goes over it and get Autometer gauges. I kind of like the Ford Racing series of gauges from Autometer but may go with a different series. The three gauges will be Boost, Oil Pressure and likely Voltage.

 

[Big Blue]

All three of my gauges work in my ST and I have no reason to believe that they are bogus values as they change along with the RPM levels and when the car is under heavy acceleration there is a change. If this can be figured out, I will ahead and start on my cover that will blend into the dash pad

I have no reference for why the gauges work in an RS or ST. All I know is that no one has been able to find loops accessible through the CANBUS/OBD2 port on the Ranger for Oil Pressure or Oil Temperature. It has been reported many times that there is only a pressure switch. If you can find that this is wrong and give us the loop number and formula. You will make many many people happy. Even more so than finding how to change the number of blinks for the lane change flashers.

 

[Dgc333]

FWIW, I use TorquePro and the set of Ford specific PIDs had a selection for oil pressure. On my 13 Focus ST, 15 and 17 Ecoboost Mustangs this PID would display oil pressure equivalent to the gauge supplied in these vehicles. The same PID does not work on the Ranger, this tells me that trying to transplant ST gauges to a Ranger is not going to work.

 

[Kevin Franklin]

I am going to get a gauge pod that will either fit into opening where the upfitter switches are goes over it and get Autometer gauges. I kind of like the Ford Racing series of gauges from Autometer but may go with a different series. The three gauges will be Boost, Oil Pressure and likely Voltage.

I like this idea considering we may have hit a brick wall with using the Focus ST cluster

 

[ControlNode]

FWIW, I use TorquePro and the set of Ford specific PIDs had a selection for oil pressure. On my 13 Focus ST, 15 and 17 Ecoboost Mustangs this PID would display oil pressure equivalent to the gauge supplied in these vehicles. The same PID does not work on the Ranger, this tells me that trying to transplant ST gauges to a Ranger is not going to work.

Thanks, I've suspected this maybe the case if the Ranger development team didn't plan any module in the Ranger to receive the oil temp/pressure messages they may not have programmed the PCM to broadcast them.

 

[Kevin Franklin]

Thanks, I've suspected this maybe the case if the Ranger development team didn't plan any module in the Ranger to receive the oil temp/pressure messages they may not have programmed the PCM to broadcast them.

Thank you all the time you put into this idea. Looks like I have an ST gauge cluster that I need to list on eBay ........

 

[ControlNode]

Thank you all the time you put into this idea. Looks like I have an ST gauge cluster that I need to list on eBay ........

If you have the parts to test I would test just to rule it out 100% before selling.
I'm sure you can make them working, but if plug and play doesn't it becomes a how much to you want to invest time and effort wise to make it happen. I think it would just need real sensors and a small computer (Arduino or Pi) to monitor them and convert that into HS-CAN message that the ICM would monitor that can also relay PCM (Boost) messages from the truck's HS-CAN to an add-on computer to gauge pod HS-CAN. Also, if that were able to be produced the Mustang, ST and RS owners looking to get "real" gauges may be interested in such a thing.

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