Q: PASoft temp gauge programming

[BimmerBreaker]

My previous post got deleted when I went to edit it for a spelling mistake...

But definitely if you do want to change the buffer range the top of TDC should be 110 (this is the maximum of the normal operating range for the engine). Beginning of red zone could be 115 to begin to alert you of a problem, and top of red zone probably 120 is best.

[workingonit]

Originally Posted by andrewwynn

...It's moronic to have a gauge that looks like a thermometer but isn't.

Hear is a perfect analog:

So BMW might decide that it would be best if the speedometer would show 70 mph when there actual speed was anything between 50 and 90 mph.

Then would show 120mph if you hit 75 mph.

This is how the non thermostat gauge works. It's really stupid.

The needle should not show normal temp unless the engine is warm enough to operate in closed loop.

Somebody should make a set of instrument panel overlays that show the speedometer ranges as andrewwynn suggested. And for the temp gauge, too, with ranges from "too cold" to "just right" to "too late". I'd buy a set, and continue to get my data via Torque Pro thru the OBD port, as I always do, as displayed on an Android tablet.

One can never tell if the analog dash gauges (on early BMW's like mine; I have no idea when they switched to digital, if they did or not) are working properly anyway. My Tachometer (RPM gauge) on the dash quit working awhile back in the X5, so I simply tapped my finger on the plastic cover, and it resumed operation, and continues working properly months later.

I've had many vehicles with idiot lights only, or with gauges that stopped working, mostly pre-OBD2 (1996), and I either added aftermarket gauges to replace them ($$), got them fixed by a specialist shop ($$$), or did a workaround (no $ required). On a couple of old GM trucks, and my '66 Chevelle (while it was still in street/strip, not full dragracing mode), I used a dash-mounted list of calculated "speeds @ RPM's" that showed what my speed was at various tach readings.

[andrewwynn]

The speedo is not ratio it's just off by three unless you live in Japan. Apparently lying on a gauge related to human safety is not as good idea in Japan.

I'm not sure if it's off 4.8kpg or 5 for the the non nonsense part of the world (that uses SI units). I'm pretty sure it's 3 mph not 5kph in the USA. The literature goes though translation i wouldn't be surprised at all if it's actually 5kph off which would be 3.311 mph.

[haigha]

Great info, thanks!

One thing I came across which I don't know if it has been verified. According to this post:

https://xoutpost.com/1195086-post174.html

MOTOR_UEBERTEMP must be set inside the range of what is reprogrammed in the cluster. For the default changed values, it needs to be 114 or less. Otherwise, zboost says the chime alerting you to the overheating won't happen. This is only for clusters that have that feature.

I read the rest of the thread and didn't find anything conclusive.

Has anyone verified this? I did find a 7D (125) value about two lines up from both gauge settings string in my dump. I don't know if this is the one that needs to be changed for the alert though. Changing this blindly doesn't seem like a good idea,

[80stech]

Changing the gauge string doesn't change anything with the red temp light coming on earlier as far as I remember, (or maybe even in a negative way from what you are saying) which is really what would be worth changing, not the gauge.

[haigha]

Yes, it seems like an earlier warning light / chime would be useful, even at 120 C.

From the post, zboost found a way to do it. I just don't know if anyone tested to confirm that if the value is above the highest value programmed for the gauge that the light / chime don't get activated. I wouldn't write the check for it that way, but who knows?

[andrewwynn]

I had either a sensor error or an air bubble that caused an overheat on my n55. It gave me warning at 120 and pull over notice at 125.

The oil temp was normal so i suspected erroneous reading and sure enough when i cycled power it came back to normal.

Power will drop to almost nothing on the N55 if it overheats. I don't recall that happening with m54

it would take some extraordinary condition to get over 115 i think I'd be ok with that being the overheat number.

[X5chemist]

Originally Posted by andrewwynn

The speedo is not ratio it's just off by three unless you live in Japan....I'm pretty sure it's 3 mph not 5kph in the USA. .

Well, poop. : The next set of tires will be 3 MPH taller!

[haigha]

Good info, Andrew. I haven't experienced a warning with my N62. Since I can't verify the location of MOTOR_UEBERTEMP in the eeprom and I don't have NCS Expert/Dummy, I only changed the lower four values for now.

I think I'll notice if the needle starts creeping up. I did notice that it had gone from straight up to about a quarter after making the adjustment this morning with PASoft. It took five minutes more or longer of it idling for it to center again.



If anyone has PASoft and has changed MOTOR_UEBERTEMP using the other tools, if you have a chance please check the line three above (could be two above depending on the offset of the gauge range string). It's in the upper right of the image included and my value is 7D (125). It appears before both gauge strings, as I wrote in a previous post, so could be the right thing to change.

Thanks for everyone's input!

[andrewwynn]

The five minutes longer to spring to noon is exactly what you want.

I'm not too concerned about the high side i think bmw got those number ok ish. It would be nice to get a little warning but it's so little makes not much difference.

I've driven both n52 and n55 with failed and failing water pumps and quite familiar with how they transition from hot to overheated and how they go to limp mode. They are well programmed for self preservation.

I would hope they had it together on the m54/n62