Wireless diagnostics and data logging

[ChrisD]

I've just bought these items to try some wireless OBDII diagnostic investigations and to log data to my iPhone.

This is a 20pin diagnostic port to 16pin female OBDII adapter and 'ELM327'-type WiFi OBDII interface both from Amazon for less than £20 total.

I had some problem with the 20-16 pin adapter, You can see here:

The 20pin connector is higher than the sealing strip around the brake booster. I wanted to use this while driving so had to be very careful closing the bonnet so that I didn't create an OBDII power bulge in the panel.
Connection to my phone was simple/easy and enabled me to start to log data:

I used the IOS app 'CarScanner' for no particular reason, other than no initial cost.
It has a number of useful features, like data recording:

Logged data can include the OBDII engine parameters and iPhone info, like accel sensors and GPS. I'm still looking at all it can do but it looks interesting.
I also tried the acceleration test feature. I won't post my times as they were unimpressive, probably due to one or more of:
1. My skills
2. Mechanical sympathy - not wanting to wreck my car doing stupid stuff
3. Possible age related performance degradation - the car, that is!

Just a bit of fun really, but pleased to also see that the engine appears to be functioning normally with no dreaded DTCs stored.

I have a couple of questions for anyone else who has looked into this:
1. Is there a lower profile 20pin to 16pin adapter available? I haven't been able to find one.
2. What other apps has anyone else tried? The CarScanner is good (and the right price) but I'd be up for trying something else.

 

[NZ00Z3]

I've done a lot of data logging of Z3's and E46's (same engines). Use a app call OBD Fusion. There is a lot of support for this app in the E46 world. Use the 16 pin OBD port and not had to use the 20 pin port under the bonnet.

Read more about setting OBD Fusion up here: https://www.e46fanatics.com/threads/obd-fusion.1240733/#post-18380161

Read more about data log analysis here: https://www.e46fanatics.com/threads/how-to-read-obd2-engine-diagnostic-logs.1303572/

Happy to answer questions.

 

[t-tony]

I was under the impression that if you wanted to access the motor diagnostics where the car had a 16 pin OBD port under the dash , that, is where you would plug a reader in?

Tony.

 

[ChrisD]

I was under the impression that if you wanted to access the motor diagnostics where the car had a 16 pin OBD port under the dash , that, is where you would plug a reader in?

Tony.

There’s no 16 pin OBD port on a UK spec ‘97 MY Z3. Not sure when they started to fit it.

 

[NZ00Z3]

There’s no 16 pin OBD port on a UK spec ‘97 MY Z3. Not sure when they started to fit it.

Surprised by this. Thought they all had them fitted from the earliest Z3's. It should be located under a cover on the knee/foot panel under and in line with the steering column.

 

[t-tony]

That's where it was located on my 2000 Z3. I
But if you don't have one you can't use it. By the way what is the measurement of the adaptor where it fouls the underside of the bonnet? I will check mine tomorrow. On the Z3 I have here at home the 20 pin connector is at the other side of the engine.

Tony.

 

[ChrisD]

Surprised by this. Thought they all had them fitted from the earliest Z3's. It should be located under a cover on the knee/foot panel under and in line with the steering column.

You made me question my sanity and go take a look. 100% not fitted.

 

[Jack Ratt]

Prefacelift Z3 didn't have inboard OBD11 port as they aren't OBD11 they are ADS

 

[ChrisD]

That's where it was located on my 2000 Z3. I
But if you don't have one you can't use it. By the way what is the measurement of the adaptor where it fouls the underside of the bonnet? I will check mine tomorrow. On the Z3 I have here at home the 20 pin connector is at the other side of the engine.

Tony.

There's about 10cm from the top of the vehicle diagnostic port (where fitted on NS) to the under bonnet acoustic shield. You can see below that I've poorly modified the adaptor strain relief to stop it ripping a hole in the shield and hitting the underside of the bonnet. I'm not happy with it but at least it won't fall out when driving.

 

[ChrisD]

Prefacelift Z3 didn't have inboard OBD11 port as they aren't OBD11 they are ADS

The engine ECU is OBDII compliant.

 

[ChrisD]

I've done a lot of data logging of Z3's and E46's (same engines). Use a app call OBD Fusion. There is a lot of support for this app in the E46 world. Use the 16 pin OBD port and not had to use the 20 pin port under the bonnet.

Read more about setting OBD Fusion up here: https://www.e46fanatics.com/threads/obd-fusion.1240733/#post-18380161

Read more about data log analysis here: https://www.e46fanatics.com/threads/how-to-read-obd2-engine-diagnostic-logs.1303572/

Happy to answer questions.

Thanks. A couple of questions on OBD Fusion:
1. Can you reduce the number of parameters logged to speed up the rate? e.g. only log rpm at <100ms rate?
2. Does it log IOS GPS data? I'm finding this info just as useful as the engine PID data.

 

[GZed]

I've just bought these items to try some wireless OBDII diagnostic investigations and to log data to my iPhone.
View attachment 307567
This is a 20pin diagnostic port to 16pin female OBDII adapter and 'ELM327'-type WiFi OBDII interface both from Amazon for less than £20 total.

I had some problem with the 20-16 pin adapter, You can see here:
View attachment 307569
The 20pin connector is higher than the sealing strip around the brake booster. I wanted to use this while driving so had to be very careful closing the bonnet so that I didn't create an OBDII power bulge in the panel.
Connection to my phone was simple/easy and enabled me to start to log data:
View attachment 307573
I used the IOS app 'CarScanner' for no particular reason, other than no initial cost.
It has a number of useful features, like data recording:
View attachment 307575
Logged data can include the OBDII engine parameters and iPhone info, like accel sensors and GPS. I'm still looking at all it can do but it looks interesting.
I also tried the acceleration test feature. I won't post my times as they were unimpressive, probably due to one or more of:
1. My skills
2. Mechanical sympathy - not wanting to wreck my car doing stupid stuff
3. Possible age related performance degradation - the car, that is!

Just a bit of fun really, but pleased to also see that the engine appears to be functioning normally with no dreaded DTCs stored.

I have a couple of questions for anyone else who has looked into this:
1. Is there a lower profile 20pin to 16pin adapter available? I haven't been able to find one.
2. What other apps has anyone else tried? The CarScanner is good (and the right price) but I'd be up for trying something else.

This looks really useful - and if it makes your Zed do 4600 mph I’m definitely up for some of that!!

 

[Pingu]

Here's a datalogging thread that I did a few year's ago...

TestO Datalogger - what do you think?

I was pointed towards a datalogger by @Murray Wall The software is called TestO and some info about it (including download links) is HERE I'm not a C++ programmer, but I have dabbled in Visual Basic and I was able to produce some graphs that make it very easy to see what is going on with your...

www.zroadster.org

It looks like your ELM327 and the phone software have improved a lot in the meantime.

 

[Pingu]

This looks really useful - and if it makes your Zed do 4600 mph I’m definitely up for some of that!!

I'm more interested in the 150mpg

 

[GZed]

I'm more interested in the 150mpg

I really do mean it looks useful, especially for a prefacelift car like my 1997 2.8 which my Creator 310 doesn’t work on. Just joking about the speed thing as the colour code in the key is the wrong way round. No offence meant Chris

 

[NZ00Z3]

Thanks. A couple of questions on OBD Fusion:
1. Can you reduce the number of parameters logged to speed up the rate? e.g. only log rpm at <100ms rate?
2. Does it log IOS GPS data? I'm finding this info just as useful as the engine PID data.

1) The more PID's logged the slower refresh rate is. There are 20 or so PID's in the OBD Fusion PDF because that is what we use for diagnostics. If you know what you're after, you can narrow down the PID list. OBD fusion does not do <100ms logging, it's around 1 second at best. To do 100ms logging use TestO and keep the number of PID's logged low.

2) Yes you can log IOS GPS data like speed and location.

 

[ChrisD]

For anyone curious about how the IOS data can be used, here are a couple of examples:
Acceleration tests:

A road log with GPS data overlaid:

Neat eh?

 

[Pingu]

For anyone curious about how the IOS data can be used, here are a couple of examples:
Acceleration tests:
View attachment 307681
A road log with GPS data overlaid:
View attachment 307683
Neat eh?

Very much so.

The one thing that TestO lacks that I would really like is GPS data.

I've tried to marry multiple source datastreams, but it doesn't take long for them to fall out of sync.

Video + GPS + OBD = chaos, but I have tried. This is Video + OBD data...

 

[Pingu]

Check out page 2 of my TestO link to see how I used datalogging to measure and improve acceleration tests

 

[Duncodin]

Surprised by this. Thought they all had them fitted from the earliest Z3's. It should be located under a cover on the knee/foot panel under and in line with the steering column.

Mine in a 99. One of the last prefacelift I think. And it doesn't have one under the steering column either.