Torque App

[alohamonte]

Has anyone tested the Torque app out on 2nd gens?

I just tried the free, Torque Lite app and had some of the meters worked.

What worked - coolant temperature, air intake temperature, timing advance, MAF intake, RPM, Speed/mph, engine load, average MPG, and throttle position.

What didnt work - voltage, O2 sensor volts, Fuel Pressue, Fuel Trims, intake manifold pressure, and fuel level.

Seems to be a fun gadget.

 

[Flash]

I've got it, it works great. It's only $5.

 

[Convict1997]

What is the torque app?

 

[J_C]

Just because the app has options for certain sensors, that doesn't necessarily mean a '97 era vehicle has all those sensors.

What is the torque app?

It's an app on Google Play, runs on Android (2.x or higher?) phones/tablets/etc. to get ODB2 info including trouble codes from ELM327 dongles (sold separately). There's a limited feature free version and a $5 pro version.

The ELM327 dongles used to be more expensive but in recent years Chinese clones hit the market and now you can pick them up for under $10 on ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=ELM327&_sacat=0

Due to the front and center location of our ODB2 port, you might want to opt for a shorter version if you want to use it while driving.

iPhone users NEED the wifi version not bluetooth.

 

[alohamonte]

I bought the Torque Pro for $5 and now the volt meter works and it displays vacuum now. That's all I gained between free and $5.

The oil temperature does not work. The transmission temperature does not work. I would estimate that half of the features of the app work.

Basically the app has more features than my truck has sensors.

There are a couple of plug ins for the app, that cost a few dollars that I may look at. Theres one that acts as a knock sensor that might be interesting.

EDIT: I run it bluetooth to my android device.

 

[J_C]

I should mention something about those low cost ELM327 OBD2 dongles. I just received one that I couldn't get to work on my '98 X, nor would it work on a similar age GM vehicle, but it does work on a 2014 X.

The difference is the 2014 uses CAN while both older vehicles used a variant of J1805 OBD2 protocol that is NO LONGER SUPPORTED by many of those cheap $5 to $18 generic ELM327 dongles due to them omitting critical PCB components to save a few cents. They still state they support "all" OBD2 and J1850 but they don't. There are a few of the older, larger design that people have hacked in the last couple years by cutting a trace and soldering a wire but even those are uncertain at this point.

You can tear them open and see where the parts go, maybe even hack it to work given some patience, the ELM327 datasheet, a soldering iron and a few very tiny surface mount components, but IMO it's not worth the bother to save a few dollars.

They do still work on the 2014 due to Ford switching from J1850 to CAN. The cheapest I see now that has a large % of people claiming it works for J1850 is a product branded BAFX on Amazon.

 

[SoHK_alumni]

I've used Torque a lot, very very handy and I love the real time access and easy to configure displays to whatever data the PCM is able to offer up. Yea, Torque has many more options than the 2nd Gen's can support.

For a lot of things, I think the ForScan app is superior (except it does not run on Android). Along with the "usual" suspects of PCM and body codes, Forscan can pull codes on nearly every black box in a Ford, ABS, SRS etc. Super sweet app that is free for PC's and iPhones.

I'll concur with the ELM adapters, the "real" ones are far better and more flexible than the cheap knockoffs. A lot more money but hay, if a $15.00 ELM doesn't work and the $75.00 one does, which is the better buy?

 

[SoNic67]

On Torque, you have to "add custom PID" and select Ford. You will have avail more information (like transmission temperature).

I use also the free ForScan app - if you have Windows or iPhone I would strongly suggest it.
It beats any app out there, but it works only on Ford and some Mazda:
http://forscan.org/download.html

 

[rb142]

The BAFX device works on anything I have tried it on so far, and is always mentioned as the one most compatible and with fewest hardware problems. It's not much more expensive than the cheapest adapters.

An Android version of ForScan is coming at some point.

 

[J_C]

^ Depends on how you look at expense. The kind I have that doesn't work on the '98, cost only $5, vs $24 for the BAFX but as important to me is the BAFX sticks out too far into the leg area if you want to use it while driving.

I suppose I could remount the OBD2 connector somewhere else but then it's more work too.

Anyway, here's pics of the one I just got. It seems to be the newest version of its kind, and the most difficult to modify to add J1850.

 

[Camarofan]

I found a couple of readers that say they read J1850, and two specify they're good for '96+, one mentions Ford '96+. This pay check i may have to get one, does Torque read codes as well?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-ELM327...1404275881&pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ELM327-v1-5...996?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a4af92f54

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ELM327-USB-...1456766600&pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&vxp=mtr

 

[SoNic67]

A list:
https://torque-bhp.com/wiki/Bluetooth_Adapters

IMO, if they say ELM327, and they are cheap, they are all the same, clones. I have two V1.5 scanners (cheap clones) that are working - they look like this:

I paid a little more for shipping from inside USA (look at the listing details). I see recently some labeled V2.1, but they are actually v1.5 hardware (just some "PC software" that comes with them is v2.1.

 

[J_C]

They all have the "potential" to do J1850. The circuit boards facilitate it but at some point they decided to save pennies by not populating the PCB with the components. On the one I pictured, there are two transistors, a (diode?-wrong shape?), and 4 or more resistors missing which you can see by the empty spots.

Reviews that claim J1850 need to be very recent to assume the seller's stock still has the capability, but you may still get lucky either way, or not.

 

[96eb96]

Just FYI -= 97 and 98 Exs have a small issue where most OBD data can't be read in OBD mode. You need to obtain the data from the ford extended requests - like you would for BARO or EGR. It is not the dongle that is the issue. I bought a product many years ago that listed those vehicles as an exception.

 

[J_C]

^ Whether or not that is true, owners of '98 X report the $24 BAFX reader works enough to satisfy them (when they bought it, if those are now crippled too...), and mine doesn't work on a (~'97?) Buick which supersedes the 97/98 Ford factor.

 

[Camarofan]

I found one working on Amazon that 'should' work on a 99-F250(Powerstroke), as it is OBDII and the product works on every OBDII vehicle. I may be wrong, but many readers say they don't support diesels. I may just get a USB reader, i found one that data logs, reads and clears codes, and has real-time performance monitoring. It's from OBDLink, it says it reads J1850, and i have no problem having my computer on my seat.

 

[J_C]

I found a couple of readers that say they read J1850, and two specify they're good for '96+, one mentions Ford '96+.

That's the problem. Practically all claim they can do it including mentioning J1850 support, but most (that aren't old stock) can't.

If I were more motivated I'd get a petition started to try to entice Amazon and eBay to police these better because a lot of people are getting cheated. At least mine works on a 2014 so it wasn't a total loss.

 

[Camarofan]

Old stock?
And they should have from the beginning, I guess if it doesn't work on my Ex, it should work on my dads 05 Stratus. But, it's nice knowing i don't have to run 3 or 4 gauges just to know the basics, or to hook a steamer to the intake, since some of the readers actually have intake pressure read outs.

 

[J_C]

I do think the OBDLink will work. It's the generic Chinese clones that have a high problem rate.

 

[SoNic67]

Old stock?
And they should have from the beginning, I guess if it doesn't work on my Ex, it should work on my dads 05 Stratus. But, it's nice knowing i don't have to run 3 or 4 gauges just to know the basics, or to hook a steamer to the intake, since some of the readers actually have intake pressure read outs.

Don't be scared by reviews, I think some are sponsored by companies that want to sell their overpriced hardware.
Initially I got scared too and bought the first generation Kiwi device for $99. After that I bought one after another 3 of the Chinese "clones" and they all worked just fine, so I sold my Kiwi on Craigslist (lost some $25 there). Eventually (couple of years) PLX dropped Kiwi's price to match the market demand.

If you get a defective clone from eBay, they will most likely refund the money and never request to ship back the defective one.