rhwinger
06-23-2009, 07:31 PM
A Clean ScanGauge Installation
I’m really enjoying the ScanGuage in my HCH II since installing it about 5 months ago. I recently lent the device out to an interested coworker for a few days, and I felt naked driving without it! I’m not sure how much my FE has improved since installing the device, but it sure is nice to see a more accurate, real-time presentation of what is going on with the engine. Before using the ScanGuage, I used to just repeatedly back off the gas pedal pressure ever so slightly to try to keep the iMPG display as high as possible during any given driving situation, without invoking IMA regen or assist. Without the ScanGuage, driving to max FE was like sitting blindfolded on a knife edge, just trying to find and maintain that perfect 3 way balance. A delicate operation indeed. Also, while driving, every once in awhile the iMPG indicator would mysteriously pop into this oscillating up-and-down presentation, commonly called “The Samba” by us HCH II types. When this behavior is observed, you can readily see that the vehicle iMPG is being displayed as a numerical value on the ScanGuage – not some mysterious waffling bar graph display lost in some kind of “ether world” or something. Also, if you find your self in a situation where you want a zero fuel/zero assist/zero regen glide, you just reduce gas pedal pressure until you see 0 LOD/0 IGN and no white/green assist bars. No mystery – about what is going on. If you have any doubts about purchasing a ScanGuage, consider this my unqualified endorsement.
At first, I just used a cell phone sticky pad to hold the ScanGuage in position on the dash, what with all those high “G” momentum conserving turns and all. I chose to put the display off to the left side because I wanted to be able scan the display quickly while driving, but I didn’t want it so directly in my line of sight that I would be easily distracted from seeing the road ahead. After a few adjustments, I felt pretty comfortable with the display location on the dash. This also reduced the length of exposed cable.
The ScanGuage comes with a cable that is long enough to accommodate just about any car, but I personally don’t like a bunch of excess cable cluttering up my car. It’s just me, but that’s why I paid the exorbitant price for the built in NAV. At first the excess cable just ended up being bundled up and tucked into one of the little cubby holes on the lower left side of the HCH II dash. As a result, my wife would occasionally get her feet tangled up in the drooping cord if the cord bundle fell out of the cubby.
After this happened a few times, I decided it was time to clean up the cable mess. So with some close observation, I found that if I worked my finger under the soft rubber trim between the dash and the door, I could neatly route the ScanGuage cable from the top of the dash to the lower interior trim panel close to the fuse block. It’s kind of a long run between the left side, lower interior trim panel close to the fuse block and the port where the ScanGuage gets plugged in. I purchased and installed a few adhesive cable management clips from Radio Shack to support the cable under the dash. I found the little plastic tray in that area a perfect place to install the clips.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are a couple thousand words worth, for your viewing pleasure:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/medium/1stside.jpg
Side view showing driver door open, cable routed behind/inside the light gray vertical trim piece
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/2ndclose.jpg
Close up of cable tucked into trim
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/3rdbundle.jpg
Excess cable routed and hidden behind plastic trim panel below fuse block
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/4thclips.jpg
Cable management clips keep the cable out of your feet
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/5throad.jpg
Here’s what it looks like driving down the road.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/final.jpg
…and a nice 0 LOD/ 0 IGN, high mpg 24 MPH coast
I used a P Touch label maker to help me remember LOD and IGN targets for SAHM cruise.
Thanks,
Bob
I’m really enjoying the ScanGuage in my HCH II since installing it about 5 months ago. I recently lent the device out to an interested coworker for a few days, and I felt naked driving without it! I’m not sure how much my FE has improved since installing the device, but it sure is nice to see a more accurate, real-time presentation of what is going on with the engine. Before using the ScanGuage, I used to just repeatedly back off the gas pedal pressure ever so slightly to try to keep the iMPG display as high as possible during any given driving situation, without invoking IMA regen or assist. Without the ScanGuage, driving to max FE was like sitting blindfolded on a knife edge, just trying to find and maintain that perfect 3 way balance. A delicate operation indeed. Also, while driving, every once in awhile the iMPG indicator would mysteriously pop into this oscillating up-and-down presentation, commonly called “The Samba” by us HCH II types. When this behavior is observed, you can readily see that the vehicle iMPG is being displayed as a numerical value on the ScanGuage – not some mysterious waffling bar graph display lost in some kind of “ether world” or something. Also, if you find your self in a situation where you want a zero fuel/zero assist/zero regen glide, you just reduce gas pedal pressure until you see 0 LOD/0 IGN and no white/green assist bars. No mystery – about what is going on. If you have any doubts about purchasing a ScanGuage, consider this my unqualified endorsement.
At first, I just used a cell phone sticky pad to hold the ScanGuage in position on the dash, what with all those high “G” momentum conserving turns and all. I chose to put the display off to the left side because I wanted to be able scan the display quickly while driving, but I didn’t want it so directly in my line of sight that I would be easily distracted from seeing the road ahead. After a few adjustments, I felt pretty comfortable with the display location on the dash. This also reduced the length of exposed cable.
The ScanGuage comes with a cable that is long enough to accommodate just about any car, but I personally don’t like a bunch of excess cable cluttering up my car. It’s just me, but that’s why I paid the exorbitant price for the built in NAV. At first the excess cable just ended up being bundled up and tucked into one of the little cubby holes on the lower left side of the HCH II dash. As a result, my wife would occasionally get her feet tangled up in the drooping cord if the cord bundle fell out of the cubby.
After this happened a few times, I decided it was time to clean up the cable mess. So with some close observation, I found that if I worked my finger under the soft rubber trim between the dash and the door, I could neatly route the ScanGuage cable from the top of the dash to the lower interior trim panel close to the fuse block. It’s kind of a long run between the left side, lower interior trim panel close to the fuse block and the port where the ScanGuage gets plugged in. I purchased and installed a few adhesive cable management clips from Radio Shack to support the cable under the dash. I found the little plastic tray in that area a perfect place to install the clips.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are a couple thousand words worth, for your viewing pleasure:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/medium/1stside.jpg
Side view showing driver door open, cable routed behind/inside the light gray vertical trim piece
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/2ndclose.jpg
Close up of cable tucked into trim
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/3rdbundle.jpg
Excess cable routed and hidden behind plastic trim panel below fuse block
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/4thclips.jpg
Cable management clips keep the cable out of your feet
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/5throad.jpg
Here’s what it looks like driving down the road.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/final.jpg
…and a nice 0 LOD/ 0 IGN, high mpg 24 MPH coast
I used a P Touch label maker to help me remember LOD and IGN targets for SAHM cruise.
Thanks,
Bob