spirilis

iTrader: (2)

After purchasing a Palm m505 recently I decided to buy the Auterra OBD-II Dyno-Scan product (w/ serial hotsync cable compatible with the m500 & Tungsten series)... does anyone have any experience with it?
How's the sensor graphing & "dynamometer" features? (supposedly it uses sensor data to compute dynamometer readings??)

I'm hoping this will prove valuable in diagnosis & tuning

(FYI, website- http://www.auterraweb.com)

j2k15spd

Sounds like it could be a good product, let us know what you think of it when it comes in. Good luck.

SteVTEC

It rocks.

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....light=Palm+OBD

The dyno and acceleration features are really just toys unless you have lots of perfectly flat/straight/smooth road around (I don't ) but I didn't buy it for that stuff anyways. The scanning and logging and monitoring capabilities are awesome, although I wish it could graph more than two parameters at once in graph mode. But you can still just dump it to Excel and then graph everything if you want.

Nismo87SE

I have that product and I've played with the dynamometer some too. My results seem to be inflated since I don't know the frontal area on my ranger so I had to make an educated guess. Also I didn't put in the correct atmspheric conditions, but all runs are very repeatable. You could do about 2-3 runs and your results won't/shouldn't deviate more than 1-2%. Basically as long as you use the same inputs and adjust for the weather conditions the runs are very repeatable. While the numbers might not be the same as the dynojet, it will allow you to log and do your own pulls.

spirilis

iTrader: (2)

Cool, so it'll at least be enough to tell if anything's made a difference if I test it on the same roads/conditions... that's mainly what I want it for (noticing any differences in sensor readings or dyno readings) as well as check everything out before my Maryland emissions inspection (due by 10/29)

spirilis

iTrader: (2)

Welp, got the Auterra Dyno-Scan today. Neat tool. Somewhat disappointed in how a few sensor readings I hoped for weren't there (knock sensor, fuel pressure mainly) ... don't know if the Nissan ECU can't expose those through OBD-II or if the Auterra software just doesn't know how to pull them...
The dynamometer, fuel economy and acceleration meters require some specific data about the car, though... vehicle weight, gear ratio (which it can compute itself given the tire size, and a little road test where it compares RPM to vehicle speed), drag coefficient (??? anyone know this for a 2k max SE?), frontal area (???), temp, elevation, humidity, atmospheric pressure... haven't tried any of those features since I don't have enough data to feed it (mainly drag coeff., frontal area, and a realistic measure of vehicle weight, not to mention a nice flat area to run)

The recording/playback feature is cool, but like I've read in other reviews, I can only see the ability to record up to 5 different sensors, and that's through the "List" view (you can go in any of the sensor reading modes and run "Rec" to record the current set of viewed sensors, of which "List" mode allows you to pick the most). However, when you go to playback the sensor data, you can do it in any view--graph one sensor, graph 2 sensors, use the dual meter mode, etc, and pick which of the recorded sensors you want to graph, then do Play. Pretty cool, although you have to remember to go to the main preferences and disable Auto-Off Timer so the Palm doesn't shut off while recording...

I'm pondering doing a MAF sensor reading comparison between the K&N and Nissan OEM filters I have (both with around 2-3k miles on them) to see if the K&N really does make a big diff

The general info screen gives you quick OK or failure info on the general monitors of the ECU, e.g. shows Closed Loop or Open Loop, and why (OLoop Fail -- means it's in Open Loop due to a failed O2 sensor, OLoop Drive -- means it's in Open Loop due to driveability conditions--when I floored the throttle in neutral for a split second, it went into OLoop Drive very shortly... normally while idling at operating temp I get CLoop O2), shows a quick OK/failure status for Misfire Monitor, Fuel System, EGR system, Evap System, etc. (probably the only data the Maryland emissions inspectors will use when they hook up to it)

Also, I noticed mine said "OBD2 Calif" ... I believe my car was originally purchased in NY, and was sold to me as the 2nd owner down here in MD... would that mean my Maxima is Cali-spec? (the user's manual does list "OBD2 Fed" as an option for that field...)

To conclude, I believe this'll do everything I want, only parts that disappoint me are the limited # of sensor recordings, lack of Knock Sensor and Fuel Pressure readings (great for telling if my fuel filter's clogged :-P). Supposedly it has a Windows app to export saved data as a CSV file (viewable in a spreadsheet app), so any limits in the graphing & analysis abilities can be handled by putting it into a spreadsheet or custom application...

SteVTEC

I'm pretty sure it will read knock retard, but the ECU you're hooked up to has to specifically be putting that out. In the sensor list, there are some things listed in my Maxima that are not listed in our Toyota Highlander, and vice versa. I was worried about not being able to track more than 5 monitors at once, but 5 seems to be plenty for me at least. If you have it running while it throws a code, I think it will at least get a freeze frame capture of every sensor there is, though.

spirilis

iTrader: (2)

oh yeah, and FYI- my MAF sensor reads around 2.1-2.2 gm/s (grams/second?) at idle, around 625RPM.

spirilis

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, I can pull Ignition Timing Advance, but that varies by RPM and an effective measure of pinging would involve an analysis between RPM and timing advance... it'd be nice to have a "Knock Sensor" reading that reads on or off depending on whether the KS has sent a signal...

If I read the User's manual correctly, the ECU itself actually stores freeze-frame data, so the unit doesn't necessarily have to be hooked up to see the freeze-frame data... which is VERY nice (never had a code, though, except for a couple I caused inadvertently myself by running the engine w/ IAT and Baro sensors disconnected)

IceY2K1

iTrader: (3)

ALL 2K1+ and some 2K Maximas are Cali-spec emissions.

Knock count, fuel pressure, injector pulse width, etc...are not FEDerally specified, ie required, for OEMs to provide through OBD. Although in our case, the Consult-II will allow viewing additional parameters such as injector duty %. Each year the Feds require more and more OBD variables, but not all OEMs stick to the minimum.

Some vehicle ECUs will provide extra variables.

spirilis

iTrader: (2)

Gotcha.

Decided to take it out for a nice half-hour spin. I noticed one thing... there are a LOT of data points where the RPMs don't change (cruising along), but the Ignition Timing Advance goes from +38 deg to -7 for a short period of time... would that be pinging? It's hard to tell how "often" since the graph doesn't label the X-axis, but it's very frequent (some of the dips make sense because the RPMs drop a tad, but some dips occur while RPMs are steady or even slightly increasing...)
FYI, I filled up last night with 93-octane Exxon gas, which is what I use most of the time.

spirilis

iTrader: (2)

Also looks like most of those -7deg dips I see coincide with a constant low-voltage (lean) reading on Bank 1, Sensor 1 O2 sensor (the only O2 sensor I recorded during that run)...
I've always had this small hunch that my car just didn't have the kind of power it should... maybe I should consider changing the fuel filter?

SteVTEC

On the 4th Gen, here is what the timing map looks like.

Idle: 7-15 degrees
Coasting: 0 degrees
Mild to Moderate throttle: 20 degrees (moderate) - 45 degrees (mild)
HARD (WOT): 15-25 degrees (increases with RPM)

When you get knocking I think it will pull timing back just enough to make the ping go away. Maybe 5 degrees. During moderate acceleration through 3400 rpm (peak torque on a 4th gen) I got some pinging with my knock sensor bypassed at maybe 22-24 degrees of advance. With the knock sensor in operation it was only at maybe 18 degrees. It would hover in the low-20's, dip to 18 for a moment, and then go back to the low-20 range. So that was knock retard in action at moderate throttle.

There is a separate map for open-loop operation at very heavy throttle (WOT or nearly WOT) that bottoms out in the low-teen range at low RPM and then ramps up to about 24-25 degrees near redline.

This is for a 4th Gen though. I bet the timing is a little more aggressive on the DE-K because that extra 12 lb-ft of torque had to come from somewhere. But you can at least use the patterns I noticed on my 4th gen to figure out what's going on with the 5th gen DE-K motor.

spirilis

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, I also noticed that many of those "-7" readings also relate with a lower MAF reading... probably me jerking/lugging the engine while shifting gears or something (I'm somewhat of a newbie at stick)
I should just back up a bit, 'cause I'm getting all gung-ho over this stuff. Damn it's neat

IceY2K1

iTrader: (3)

Plot it vs. TPS and/or LOAD to show if you're 'fluttering' the gas pedal...I get those too, so I don't believe anything is wrong. My *GUESS* is that during closed-loop, the ECU is trying to lean it out for emissions/fuel economy and it starts to sense detonation, so it QUICKLY reacts and pulls timing. Just a guess though.

spirilis

iTrader: (2)

Hm, don't know how often this thing samples (with 5 sensors being recorded), but I finally found a run I did this morning coming off a ramp (revved it up)... highest data point says 4500RPM, 0% throttle, 39.19g/s MAF... right before it says 3788RPM, 87.78g/s, 87.5% throttle... it must not sample more than once a second! (I'm pretty sure I had it on its fastest samplerate too...)

IceY2K1

iTrader: (3)

Yeah, sample rate could slow with the more parameters you log.

I know the Alex Pepper software can adjust the sample rate, but I haven't messed with it. However, it also logs ALL possible variables at all times.

spirilis

iTrader: (2)

I think this'll work for me. I'm considering sending a feature request to Auterra to see if it can log ALL values as well... this would be very nice for doing general analysis on a car

IceY2K1

iTrader: (3)

I think they would if they could, but the Palm processor and memory probably can't support it.

SteVTEC

Mine sampled slow as crap with fast-sampling on. It said if you were having speed problems that you should try turning fast sampling OFF. So I did - TONS quicker.

I can log with all 5 and it's pretty quick.

spirilis

iTrader: (2)

I can guarantee you that's *not* an issue... the Palm is a pretty decent computing device, almost overkill for such an application...

SteVTEC

hmm...never tried overclocking

That might just mess up the serial/usb communications though.

spirilis

iTrader: (2)

Thanks, I'll have to try that... let's see what kind of horrid hell my car's sensors go through this evening on I-695 stop'n'go

SteVTEC

There's nothing like getting a FULL sweep of the rev range in 3rd gear on a Friday afternoon rush.

IceY2K1

iTrader: (3)

If you want something INTERESTING to look at, try a rev bounce.

Some weird **** happens!

spirilis

iTrader: (2)

"SWEET!!!!!!!! INTAKE AIR TEMPERATURE AT 160F!@#!#@#@!"

Speaking of which, this morning my IAT read consistently from 64-77F the entire half-hour I logged (not my full commute, just 1/3rd of it )
Last night after coming home from a 2 hour drive (and finding my Auterra arrived ), I think the IAT was somewhere around 150F consistently... does heat soak really heat up the intake THAT MUCH?

spirilis

iTrader: (2)

what's a "rev bounce"?

IceY2K1

iTrader: (3)

Yes, mine starts at 85ish in the morning and gets to 140+ in no time.

That's why I bought a CAI(haven't installed) and I'm considering sending it off to get SwainTech coated.

spirilis

iTrader: (2)

Bringing this post out from the dead

Just yesterday at a DC-area meet we got a decent number of 2nd-gear (should have used 3rd gear, it would have been MUCH more accurate, but we didn't have enough road) runs with the Auterra Dyno-Scan power/torque feature. Overall it reported a lot of cars low (first run told me my 2K did 139HP ), but I'd like to do some runs in the future with my car for tuning/diagnosis purposes.

Anyway, cutting to the chase...

Does anyone have the frontal area and drag coefficient specs for 4th and 5th gen vehicles?
I remember reading somewhere (google search) that the '99 Maxima's drag coefficient is 0.32...
All the runs we did yesterday used the assumed values of 0.35 and frontal area of 20.0 sq ft. I'd like to plug in some real values for my own future tests.

Also, any information about base weight (without passengers) would be useful too, as the vehicle mass option is a very likely candidate for inaccuracy too.

thanks!

dougmaxA33

Im sorry mate, but i will have to disagree with you. The dyno features are useful, yes, but when trying to read the readiness monitors, and the condition of the evap system comes up as non obd2 compliant.

ChrisMan287

iTrader: (34)

Thanks for the bump

mec2011

hi my name is ibrahim,and i have some question about auterra dyno-scan. can you guys tell me how to get power and torque with automatic transmission vehicle? because i have some problem when i want get power torque the engine always downshift(automatically changed the gear when i do wide opeb throttle). any suggestion?