Scan Tool

[DieselD24]

I decided to go with the UG. I just ordered it so, I probably won't get it until next week sometime. Can't go wrong for a 1/3 of the price that SG sells.I'll let ya'll know how it goes. Can't wait to get it and throw it on. First investment on the truck!!

[JOHNFAK]

I decided to go with the UG. I just ordered it so, I probably won't get it until next week sometime. Can't go wrong for a 1/3 of the price that SG sells. I'll let ya'll know how it goes. Can't wait to get it and throw it on. First investment on the truck!!

[DieselD24]

Sure will!

[JOHNFAK]

Welcome to the site, you can get a cheap scanner at walmart or any auto parts store. Im sure one from snap-on or the like would be expensive. Serveral member have a scan-gauge and I have an ultra-gauge and they read codes and do alot of other features. http://ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/index.htm

white - what are the best featurs - how good it the MPG calculator and does it take into account different tire sizes ?? Best features ??

[98whitelightnin]

white - what are the best featurs - how good it the MPG calculator and does it take into account different tire sizes ?? Best features ??

[JOHNFAK]

It has 29 different gauges on our trucks. The mileage calculator is about as good as the stock one in the overhead console but you have to set it up for your tire size. You will have to set up the tire size with mile markers in order for it to calculate mileage and mpg correctly. Everytime I fill up I put in my actual driven mileage and it goes to exactly what my calculator does. You are able to set up 3 pages of the gauges you want and each page has 6 gauges. My first page I have, rmp, mph, fuel used, average mpg, destination to empty and actuall mileage. The next page I have intake air temp, tps, engine load and other various gauges I dont use. The third page is also various gauges I dont use. Once you figure out how to set it up and use it its pretty handy but a knucklehead like me took a while to work it.

[98whitelightnin]

I dont think it does data capturing but iut does have alarm points you can set. It doesnt seem cheap at all, I was really suprised at the quality and I got in when it was $39.

[DieselD24]

You lucked out, I got mine for $76+. But, still it beats SG's $160, and i'm sure they both are of the same quality, just matter of preference, I guess.

[DieselD24]

I just got the UG lastnight and installed it. I didn't like how the swivel mold bar mounts on the windshield. There's no pivoting action to allow for clearances on the dash. It came with 2 pieces of velcro so, I'm gonna have to work with that instead.

Other than that it seems to be a nice piece of equipment. It found 30 available gauges that are on the truck, so it's all a matter of inputting them onto a zone on the page. Don't know which ones I wanna put on the first page, but it'll be somewhere along the lines of fuel economy, fuel used, and such.

I will be working on that today and see how it goes. I'll keep ya'll posted...

--- Update to the previous post...

98whitelightnin,

Where did you install your UG and, did you use the Mold bar?

[Mopar1973Man]

Suggest for either the UG or SG make sure its not in the windshield the summer heat will kill the display... Orignally mind was velcro to the top of the dash and on hot days the display just turns black. Even SG suggest ot cover with a sheet of white paper or towel to reduce the heat. So I move it under the dash where its at now but velcro wouldn't hold on a hot summer day... I'd always find it laying on the floor somewhere.. So the aluminum tray was built and I got lucky... Right now the weather is cold and there is no problem but consider you placement when it comes summer. Oh as for the suction cup... Short story... When I was running with the fire dept I was driving a 1994 Chevy 6.5L Diesel nice truck really but the Chief helped use out by getting Garmin GPS for all the fast attacks. That stupid suction cup mount would also always find itsself on the floor on a hot summers day. The truck is parked in a cool shed for day no problem it hanging on the windshield when you get and respond but by the time yo get about 3-5 miles down the road on a hot summers day the glass would warm up and POP! on the floor it went... I've try licking and sticking, light coat of oil, etc. Nothing worked... Oh yeah I found out in some states suction cup mounts are illegal to use! (Be aware)

[Rogan]

Do both the SG2 and UG "clear" codes, as well? I see that they read them..

[DieselD24]

Yea, see, that's what my worries are also. I can't think of how many times I've tried to hold things on the windshield with that stupid suction cup and it falls right off, no matter what you do. Both suction cup and velcro only work for a short period, so I know I'm gonna have to come up with a better way of securing it soon. I am in the process of coming up with a solution to this... time to hit up the nearest hardware store.

Hopefully I come up with something.

--- Update to the previous post...

In the features listed on the ultragauge website it says it does read them as well as clear them. On my install, I was surfing through the menu, and it even has an injector cut-out test feature on it. I thought it was pretty neat, but I'll have to look into that some more.

I don't know if the SG can clear them. Someone who has it will answer that for you, I'm sure.

--- Update to the previous post...

Do both the SG2 and UG "clear" codes, as well? I see that they read them..

http://ultra-gauge.com/ultragauge/TEN/more.htm

--- Update to the previous post...

Well, I take what I had said about the mold bar not moving, bending, or pivoting back. Turns out it does bend and stay to that shape, it doesn't help that it sat for 8 hours in the cold, roughly at 30-40 degree temperature. I messed around with it for a bit before doing something else, But I was able to get a few gauges on my first page.

I got ECT, which started at 46 and quickly increased as soon as I fired up the engine, TPS, RPM, and MPH. The other 2, I didn't set, simply because they are fuel related and they both need inputs such as tire size and fuel used, in order for these to be calibrated.

I will definately keep working on this, so far so good. And yes, it does scan and clear codes.

[98whitelightnin]

I put mine above the rear view mirror on the passenger side. Its out of the way of everything and blockes just a little bit of the mirror. Its in an S shape to get it in there like I want it and its out of the way of sunlight, plus I have a tint brow on my window so you cant see it from the outside. To clear codes, you have to have the engine off and go to turn off check engine light and it will clear codes. PM me your cell number and I can take a pic with my phone how I mounted mine and send to you.

[DieselD24]

Just at a little over a month, it decided to take a crap. I don't know if it was the cold winter or what but, it doesn't function right. It doesn't even want to function under safe mode operation.I didn't send back the product registration card upon arrival so, I don't know if they will work with me on a repair or replacement. I'd really hate to say UG is a bad product just because of what happened with mine. I know they have a warning that states not to leave in extremely cold or hot weather so I'm guessing the cold is what did it in. Cold nights of fluctuating temperatures and as low as -11 degrees, probably doesn't help any either.Might stick to UG or get a Scangauge, who knows. I'ts kinda whatever at this point....

[98whitelightnin]

It hhasnt been that cold here but it has been in the teens and mines been working fine, except one time it went off and I unplugged it and it came back on. Sorry it hasnt worked out for you.

[DieselD24]

Ehhh... it happens. It's too bad, because I really liked it. What a disappointing experience...

[JJK98CTD]

I have a Snap on Modus. It's great and do alot of things. But for other stuff you need the DRB which was more then the modus. Good thing I got mine used. with a whole boat load of keys for other automobiles.

[dracozny]

yea drbIII would be a wet dream to quite a few here. and to the question if it was exclusive to Chrysler I believe it is not.

you can rent one for about $150/day though, saw it offered from some site a year or two ago

--- Update to the previous post...

I have a Snap on Modus. It's great and do alot of things. But for other stuff you need the DRB which was more then the modus. Good thing I got mine used. with a whole boat load of keys for other automobiles.

wow its about 2 grand more.

[DieselD24]

I decided to go with the UG simply because of all the stuff it does. It reads live data, checks and clears codes as well as many other things, which was pretty neat I thought. All the other scanners plug in and do the same but, is way different than both the UG and SG. Can you imagine having a scanner like that plugged in like that and using as an SG or UG? It wouldn't look or seem right.Everyone has their preferences, just a matter of what you plan on doing with the scanner, or how it will be used, I guess would be a better way of saying it.

[scummins]

I would like to have a scan tool on hand so that i can read and clear codes on my own. I dont know if i would benifit from having a scangaugeII or not. Looking at autozone i can get an OBDII scanner for around 40 bucks is there any reason i would want to invest in a scangaugeII. It seems just like a cool gadget, which is usually right up my alley but i am tight on cash...and my check engine light just came on so who knows what kind of cash i am going to have to drop.