I have an iCarsoft LR V2.0. I was trying to use it to check my coolant temperature on my '98 XK8 this afternoon. I used the Diagnostic function for the 1998 XK and ran a manual scan on the temperature gauge via the Instrument Pack. The readings were silly - far too hot on my car and far too cool on my friend's '06 XK8. Has anyone had a similar experience? Does anyone know why this happened? I'd appreciate any help or advice.

 

Engine coolant temperature is a standard PID that you get from the ECM (PID 0005). It is also shown as being available from the instrument pack, which is presumably what you are trying to read. Any reason you aren't reading it direct from the ECM? There are several other temperatures you can get, including the instrument pack temperature itself, so maybe that is what you are seeing.

 

Thanks for the reply. There is probably no good reason I didn't try to read it from the ECM. We were trying to do this after a fairly long day. I lost confidence in my OBDII scanner after getting the apparently 'wonky' temperature readings. My friend's OBDII scanner didn't want to work unless the engine was running and we wanted to check temperatures with the ignition on, but not the engine on. When I got home ;last night I went 'back to basics' and re-read the iCarsoft User Manual. I'm going to try using the OBDII/EOBD function on the scanner to get the temperature from the ECM when we try again today.

 

You need the ignition on to connect, but the engine doesn't need to be running.

On my 2001 XKR there is a bug with the engine temp, so some scanners will read it, others just see corrupt data.

Let us know how you get on.

 

So, yesterday I tried reading the temperature via the ECM - same result, unrealistically high temperature in both ignition on/engine off and ignition and engine on conditions. We then used my friend’s Centech 60794 scanner to check the car (which has shown no signs of overheating during recent, lengthy trips) and obtained realistic coolant temp. readings.

Then, I tried the same procedure with the LR V2.0 on my friend’s 2006 XK8 - and it read accurately. (We used my friend’s Centech 60794 scanner to validate the reading.)

I've contacted iCarsoft Tech Support, let's see what they have to say.

Jim

 

I don't know if you have the facility on your scanner to see the data that is being sent and received when the temperature is being queried, but I discovered on my 2001 that one of the bytes returned is random garbage, which confuses some scanners. Here is an old thread where someone else with a 1998 car was reporting the same as you on Torque and my post explaining how to fix it.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...0/#post2613250

 

"iCarsoft tech support" ? No such animal when I purchased my i930 about eight years ago. Let us know if iCarsoft has finally realized they need to establish actual tech support for their customers if they intend to keep them....

 

Do it the easy way ..you need a HUD model P10 .not the GPS version for about £25 on e bay ...plug into OBD socket and thats it ...read real temp and real MPH by setting to two up display ...mount by mirror

P10 Premium Smart Vehicle Digital HUD Head Up Display OBD2 Car Speed Projector | eBay

 

I think - but I'm not sure - that my scanner doesn't show the data being sent and received. Thanks for the link to the old thread, a lot of information but it's really interesting. I'll have to go through it again to make sure I've absorbed all of it (got your fix pretty quickly). I'll provide an update as I respond to some of the other posts below.

 

Jon, here's the reply I received from iCarsoft Tech Support "Hi,Jim Thanks for your email! Based on the serial number, it appears that your scanner is from an older generation and is no longer receiving updates. Unfortunately, this means it cannot be updated further. Please try to download the highest version for this scanner.If this issue still not solved,maybe you need to change another new scanner Kindest regards, Bruce Lea"

Needless to say I was not impressed. No response to the specific questions I asked. I only purchased that scanner 3 years ago. You may have gathered I'm not the most technically savvy guy on the Forum but even I know to check for updates before you start a job. So I've fired back a pretty blunt reply.

I'm going to call their New York office tomorrow and try to find a Customer Complaints person to talk to. But I'm not holding my breath.........

 

Thanks for the tip, I hadn't seen this device before. As you'll see from my response to Jon, I'm not finished with iCarsoft yet. I bought that scanner 3 years ago and paid plenty for it. I'm not about to let a company that sold me a device for which updates were discontinued that soon after it was sold off the hook easily. I've used Apple products for many, many years and even they support their devices for more than 3 years after purchase.

 

Hi Jim,

My experience with updates for several brands of scan tools, including iCarsoft, is that the updates rarely improve functionality for older model vehicles. Sometimes the updates repair glitches, but the most common reason for updates is to add functionality for newer vehicles.

For my iCarsoft BMW version, iCarsoft told me that if I updated it, I would lose the ability to scan older models (e.g. E36, E39, E46) because of the limited memory in the unit. Since I use that scanner specifically for quick scans of older BMWs, I decided not to update it.

I'll be curious to hear if you make any headway with iCarsoft.

Cheers,

Don

 

^^^^^^^^ this is why I didn’t get the icarsoft LR v2 and bought the v1 instead.

It works fine if I treat it like one would a child having a temper tantrum.

Z

 

Thanks Don, I'll update the thread when I know more.

Jim

 

Its totally crazy trying to use an i car soft to read the temperature ...you want a 24/7 readout so you know if its overheating in traffic . Stop messing about and get a £25 P10 HUD and get an instant solution. Then fix the rad fans to run half speed 24/7 and use a 84 deg C thermostat

 

😂

 

Fans on 24/7 and 84 deg thermostat below zero? In Norway (and other cold contries) this will be a totally stupid idea.
Why do you think that the engine never should reach operating temperature?
Maybe things like this is the reason you never should listen to old people :-)

 

huh ?

( 1st, Don’t be throwing all the old folks under the bus. We may know something that keeps you alive. Whether we share that with you is debatable )

The 84 C thermostat will keep the engine from going below 84 C except the first few minutes of operation while it gets up to that temp.

That sounds pretty good to me.

the fans really won’t impact the low temp since no coolant is being circulated until the engine gets to 84 C. They can blow all day and night until the cows come home. Since there’s no coolant being circulated thru the radiator, there’s no impact on making the engine “too cold”.

Z

PS: perhaps it needs to be emphasized: thermostats set the engines low temp, not the high temp. The high temperature is regulated by the radiator and fan’s capacity to shed heat.


since countries like Norway are mentioned, it bears pointing out that when operated in wintertime, or in colder year round conditions, and without the stock 84 C thermostat in place, the engine runs the real risk of never getting up to the optimal temp of a minimum of 84 C . With the attendant effects of moisture in the oil and poor engine efficiency.