Ultra Gauge...an Eye Opener!

MeRob

Member
After installing my U.Gauge in my Sprinter 24 ft 10,000 lb RV, I retraced my usual route to a favourite RV Park. The idea was to see what, if any, changes the U.G would make in my driving style. This route had high winds, mountain hills and flatlands. During this trip, my U.G. only monitored % Engine Load and RPM.
I was astonished just how quickly and how often the %Engine Load would jump to 100%...agh! ..,and not just heading up hills or heading into headwinds... If not for the U.G. I would have driven like I did the last time... I would never have had any idea that I needed to either ease off the 'power'...or drop down a gear....and maybe avoid future engine lights? I also noticed that my fuel mileage improved.
 

glasseye

Well-known member
Welcome to the "in" crowd. As in "in" the know. I display and monitor regularly LOD, rail pressure, intake temp, boost pressure and a few other variables. Very informative.

The Ultragauge is a superb tool. Even the display is a marvel.
 

hein

Van Guru
We use an old scangauge to monitor %LOD, coolant temp, boost pressure, voltage. Essential information, imo.
 

lukedog

Why Dogs Fly
I got my scanguage soon after I got my van. Never finished the install / setup. Not quite as plug and play as I had hoped. Still looking for a clean way to install
 

sailquik

Well-known member
lukedog,
What seems to be the issue with your Scan Gauge II.
It's absolutely plug and play.
A few minutes of set up and done.
Then you will understand what your engine management systems are doing for you....and what they aren't doing that you can intervene and
do better/more efficiently.
Roger
 

MeRob

Member
Hi lukedog... There is lots of reading included with UG. ... but don't get distracted by all the extras...
Since the only things that you really have control over are your throttle and transmission... then why not use them wisely. FIRST try setting your UG to monitor %Engine Load and RPM. Then try driving and keeping the %Engine Load under 100% ( 80 % ideally) You'll soon realize that you will have to either gear down or back off the throttle to do so. Your engine and your wallet... will thank you for doing so. The only thing you're missing by doing this is paying for fuel you can't use and probable future costly emission problems. Then...you can add what extras you're interested in... glad to help if you get stuck....Rob
 

lukedog

Why Dogs Fly
Hi lukedog... There is lots of reading included with UG. ... but don't get distracted by all the extras...
Since the only things that you really have control over are your throttle and transmission... then why not use them wisely. FIRST try setting your UG to monitor %Engine Load and RPM. Then try driving and keeping the %Engine Load under 100% ( 80 % ideally) You'll soon realize that you will have to either gear down or back off the throttle to do so. Your engine and your wallet... will thank you for doing so. The only thing you're missing by doing this is paying for fuel you can't use and probable future costly emission problems. Then...you can add what extras you're interested in... glad to help if you get stuck....Rob
14" hole in my roof right now to install the Air Cond. Vans not going anywhere until that is done. Kind of put the UG way on the back burner. Hope to get back to it when mechanically safe again. Thanks.

Al
 

israndy

2007 LTV Serenity
Did ja miss Christmas?

I continue to not understand the issue with avoiding 100% or even above 75% I have seen posted. I do have a winding road to my cabin so I can see that if I downshift before the engine gets hit by a sudden upslope it can be useful and I have done that, but there are many hills on the way up that are gradual and will easily max my load, but the tranny will not shift. I look at my MPG on the Ultragauge and it says I am at an instantaneous 13 mpg, and I am at a constant speed, but the %lod is very high. So I remember the advice here and I downshift, the MPG drops to 8 mpg and so I upshift, but the car is happy to stay where it is. I continue at the same pace and eventually the hill flattens out and the gear shifts back up. It seems to me during that several minutes I was getting 6 MPG less than I should. Will it come back and bite me? Throw a rod or whatever diesels do? Or is the contention that I am actually getting MORE MPG by downshifting, despite the evidence to the contrary?

-Randy
 

MeRob

Member
Hi Randy...
With your sprinter, you very well may be right...especially mileage wise. However in my case, my experience driving a HEAVY Sprinter RV, has proven different. Without intervention, my transmission will continually lug rather than downshift... and not just on hills... This tendency didn't make sense, considering all of the all of the High-Tech Emission Gadgets my Engine Warning Light has to contend with. So after dealing with 2 Engine Warning Light Issues and 2 holiday visits to a MB Dealer, and after 2 NOx sensors being replaced... I opted to instal an U.G. and change my 'old' driving habits accordingly. So far so good! But I agree, this is just a choice...only time and my wallet will see if I was right. I don't worry about fuel mileage...it is what it is. I chose the MB diesel for reliability. Hmmm Rob
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
Remember that the "70%" suggestion is for *average* road conditions....
There will always be *some* road conditions that dictate "non-average" behavior on your part
(such as letting it go to 100%)
That's when you and the Sprinter's ECU have a little discussion ("who's in charge here?" might be a starter question) and work out which goal you're trying to maximize at the expense of the others.
"Miles per gallon" versus "load on expensive engine parts" versus "where that load is distributed" versus "are we EVER going to get there?" versus "geeze.. i just don't want to have to think about that right now... just get on with it"

The Scan/UltraGauges let you see the consequences of various actions.

We all know that the Sprinter lags in downshifting when maybe it should (after all, you can see the shape of the hill ahead, it can't)
Likewise, when it has dpwnshifted (by itself or by you going tap-tap), it then stays down there until it "knows" that the hill is over.

--dick
 

NOMRAD

New member
I am a new sprinter owner . 2008 dodge sprinter 3500 ,fleetwood icon motorhome .
Where can i buy the ultra guage .it seems like a must do . Is it needed mainly because the trans does not downshift on grades?
Thanks
 

MeRob

Member
Welcome NOMRAD. The UltraGauge is one of many OBD Scanning Devices available on the market. I choose the ScanGauge. I don't think it's a MUST have...but it is certainly something that allows me to understand how my Engine is managing as I drive. In my case, while driving, I'm only interested in %ENGINE LOAD and RPM. Now, in my heavy RV, I'm less likely to unknowingly overload or lug my engine during a trip. And I can display all kinds of additional information if I choose to do so. I think it makes driving 'fun' again. Especially with all those those Mercedes Idiot Icons.

I should add, that once you have it, you'll be able to see exactly what the 'downshifting' issue is all about.

Check Out UltraGauge.com for more specific information.

And you'll find a lot of helpful information on this Forum. Enjoy your Sprinter! Rob
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
Nomrad, also check out scanguage.com for the other popular model here in SprinterLand...
(UltraGauge is less expensive, if i recall), there's also the DashDAQ.

I prefer the scanguage for two reasons: the buttons are in front, so i can call up a different display without having to access the back of the device.
Very handy for just reaching forward and going "tap".

The second is that it's possible (in the modern scanguage II, rather than the old model i have) to create new command strings to fetch data that the "generic" scanners may not access (this ability does NOT include the ability to reach deep into the Sprinter's diagnostic system... it can only access what limited data MB feeds to the "OBD" system).

The 4 displays (the ScanGauge's screen limit) i run are: %LOD, MPH (it's *accurate*, unlike the speedometer), MPG and (changes depending upon my concern of the day): VLT (voltage) or MAP (manifold absolute pressure: what the turbo is *really* doing).

All you *really* have to tell the ScanGauge as set-up parameters are that you have a 2.7 liter engine (in a T1N) and that it's Diesel fuel (and i forget if A or B really makes a difference). Further set-up such as telling it you have a 26 liter tank helps if you feel like depending upon it for accurate MPG data and "miles remaining in tank" readouts. Back in the old days i'd always forget to tell it i'd done a fill-up, so i eventually stopped trying to be *accurate*. I'm now willing to be "relative" (so i watch for the change in the MPG, not necessarily believing the absolute number being shown (it's within 5% of accurate).

--dick
 

hayduke

2005/2006 leisure travel
i did get a scanguage,based on sailquick's advice,but really you dont need to know the load,just keep the rpm above 2600 or so
 

MeRob

Member
First of all, if you are not driving a heavy 10,000 lb plus Sprinter M.H. around, you might not be all that interested in an OBD Gauge. But after returning from a 4000 km trip to the Alaska in my 10,000 lb Sprinter RV...via a highway that doesn't know what a flat road looks like... In my case, my Ultra Gauge is the best investment that I have made for my RV.

I only display Engine Load and RPM. The RPM is what your engine is doing at any given time.. whereas the Engine Load is what is being 'asked' (by your throttle) of your engine at any given time. It doesn't make sense asking for more than 100%
This information sure helps you get the best out of your Sprinter when you're slugging it up any hills, let alone a long hill. Rob
 

icarus

Well-known member
Load, boost pressure, coolant temp, battery voltage are just some odd the parameters I display on my ultra.

Icarus
 

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