[EBscyclemover]

Hi- After years of being a loyal GM owner..I Just bought my first Ford. Transit 350 Eco High and Extended length..
Wondering if anyone has installed a boost gauge out there yet? Am i the only one missing the Oil psi gauge as well? I'm one of those guys that wants to know whats going on under the hood at all times on my $40k ride. Please and thank you in advance.

 

[hammerdown]

I don't have a oil pressure gauge. A boost gauge would be nice though. Diesel owner here.

 

[star gazer]

I got an Ultragauge that has all those features, and many more. You can set it up to display what ever you want. Although I have not figured out how to calibrate it for boost yet.

Dean

 

[hammerdown]

Interestingly, I didn't see engine oil pressure on the list of gauges. Good deal for 60 bucks though.

 

[star gazer]

I did not see that either but would have thought it was there. I mainly wanted boost, temps, and mpg on my first page. And yes good deal for the money.

 

[EBscyclemover]

it states on the ultra gauge site that it can read boost but not oil psi. Nice looking tool for the $.

 

[star gazer]

Here is where I mounted mine. Cable is easy to hide and plug in.

 

[EBscyclemover]

i decided to go with an OBD2 plug in off Amazon for a whopping $14 bucks. Its the ELM327 mini. Downloaded the Torque 2 software off google play. bluetooth right to the phone and reads all aspects of the engine in real time (including boost) as well as a trip calc's and a bunch of other stuff. Doesnt show oil psi (or maybe i just havent figured it out yet). It can also scan CEL codes (and tell you what they translate to) as well as reset check engine lights. Nice little tool and i dont have to splice into anything on my new van.

 

[EBscyclemover]

I borrowed a friends before ordering mine. I used it to scan my father in laws Acura yesterday and diagnose a misfire on a few cylinders. Replaced necessary parts then reset the CEL. Worked great.

 

[EddieZ]

i decided to go with an OBD2 plug in off Amazon for a whopping $14 bucks. Its the ELM327 mini. Downloaded the Torque 2 software off google play. bluetooth right to the phone and reads all aspects of the engine in real time (including boost) as well as a trip calc's and a bunch of other stuff. Doesnt show oil psi (or maybe i just havent figured it out yet). It can also scan CEL codes (and tell you what they translate to) as well as reset check engine lights. Nice little tool and i dont have to splice into anything on my new van.

Would you mind giving the Amazon seller, or link to the listing? There are so many selling the "same" unit at various prices, AND Amazon pricing is not very stable, AND, reviews indicate that units from some sellers (apparently from different Chinese clone shops, or with different circuit boards) do not function as the others do.

I presume you paid the $5 for the full-featured Torque Pro app? I don't see one labeled Torque 2.

So, for $20, you have a serviceable scan gauge. Nice. I do see advantages of dedicated modules and output screens, but, for your use, and maybe my occasional use, this looks pretty cool.

 

[EBscyclemover]

Would you mind giving the Amazon seller, or link to the listing? There are so many selling the "same" unit at various prices, AND Amazon pricing is not very stable, AND, reviews indicate that units from some sellers (apparently from different Chinese clone shops, or with different circuit boards) do not function as the others do.

I presume you paid the $5 for the full-featured Torque Pro app? I don't see one labeled Torque 2.

So, for $20, you have a serviceable scan gauge. Nice. I do see advantages of dedicated modules and output screens, but, for your use, and maybe my occasional use, this looks pretty cool.

I think the sellers name was "foseal". And yes I did the torque pro app.

 

[Budsky]

Several mentioned not being able to read oil pressure- the reason could be, if the Transit is like many previous Fords, there is no oil pressure sender.
There is an oil pressure switch.
For instance my 96 F350 has an oil pressure "gauge" on the dash- but it always reads in the middle and measures nothing.
If oil pressure is lost it goes to zero- in other words it is on or off and Ford fakes it up to read in the middle when the switch says you have oil pressure.

Some have replaced the switch with an actual pressure sender then modified the "gauge" to really be a gauge.

BTW I have the Torque app and a bluetooth OBD plug in- need to get it programmed up for my Transit, have been using in on a Toyota FJ Cruiser.

 

[Landscapetransit]

how much boost is it making?

 

[EddieZ]

i decided to go with an OBD2 plug in off Amazon for a whopping $14 bucks. Its the ELM327 mini. Downloaded the Torque 2 software off google play. bluetooth right to the phone and reads all aspects of the engine in real time (including boost) as well as a trip calc's and a bunch of other stuff. Doesnt show oil psi (or maybe i just havent figured it out yet). It can also scan CEL codes (and tell you what they translate to) as well as reset check engine lights. Nice little tool and i dont have to splice into anything on my new van.

OK, I finally got a $12 Foseal ODBII Bluetooth dongle. I'm not getting anything on the Boost PC gauge. EB, or other ODB user, what selection or customization have you used to get boost pressure?


Do you leave the dongle plugged in all the time? It has a red LED that will likely be on all the time, when not running. I left it that way for a while, and, when I went back out to experiment further, had a hard time getting it communicating again, with my phone.

 

[RandomJoe]

On my scangauge boost / manifold pressure is one of the default options. It defaults to manifold pressure (so PSIA), there's a config option to switch between MAP or boost which essentially just remaps so it reads 0PSI boost when it's reading atmospheric pressure (where I am about 14.5 PSI), then +/- from there.

The scangauge shuts itself off after a few seconds, it stays plugged in 24x7.

Haven't tried one of the bluetooth dongles yet.

 

[RandomJoe]

how much boost is it making?

The Ecoboost engine's factory programming limits boost to about 12 PSI. I got that number from the F150 forums and that's the highest I've seen on my Scangauge (though I rarely go full throttle so haven't really tested it).

At idle I see around -7.5 PSI, cruising steady in town it's around -2PSI, easy acceleration will hover around 0 and my "moderately fast" acceleration is around 4-6 PSI.

Rather curiously (to me, anyway) I'll see higher boost numbers at lower engine RPM in many situations. For example, when cruising if I begin accelerating the boost will actually go higher then come back down once the transmission downshifts and engine RPM rises. Not sure if that's just how turbochargers work or if that's the computer regulating boost pressure via the blowoff valve. (This is my first turbocharged engine.)

And, of course, instantaneous MPG (read on the Scangauge) drops dramatically as the boost numbers rise!

 

[joefromga]

That's how turbos work. They are amazing. When you need power they compress more and let up through the blow off valve as your speed increases and accelerator eases up. They only create boost under load. Notice no boost in neutral no matter how you Rev. This is way you shouldn't lug a cars transmission. Meaning, riding around in a lower gear than optimum. It may have the power but you're putting a lot of stress on the rods bearings and pistons due to leverage. Keeping it in that sweet spot about 2100-3400 rpm is best for your engine and your happy thoughts.

The bluetooth scanners are awesome and work perfectly with the Torque app. Torque warns you about cheap knockoffs because they don't always work.

I spent 20$ on mine because I wanted the best one. I like it. Amazon has them.

 

[joefromga]

 

[skagitstan]

I have a silly question:
Unless you are doing a retune, what does the boost gauge tell you that realistically would affect your driving?
Engine needs boost, it decides how hard to drive the turbos. Other than pressing the gas pedal harder, what involvement does the driver have?

Stan

 

[EddieZ]

I have a silly question:
Unless you are doing a retune, what does the boost gauge tell you that realistically would affect your driving?
Engine needs boost, it decides how hard to drive the turbos. Other than pressing the gas pedal harder, what involvement does the driver have?

Stan

I just wanna see how it all works. I'm much more interested in instantaneous MPG, for testing tire pressure, external attachments, windows and vents, etc.

BTW, does Transit SYNC 3 or MyFordTouch show instantaneous MPG? I just have plain SYNC. I noticed a nephew's Escape with SYNC 3 does show it.