Garmin EcoRoute HD (with nuvi 3760T)
This is something I am quite pleased with and thought I would share with you. A while back I bought a Garmin Sat Nav (nuvi 3760T) which was listed as a Which? (consumer association) Best Buy. One of the reasons I bought it was because it is slimline and I intended to wedge it across the cupholder unit near the gearstick (to help avoid thieves smashing my window after seeing a sat nav mount on the dashboard or window). I measured it all out before hand and it does just about wedge into the cupholder unit, despite having an additional speaker / power unit that clips onto the back. I have now mounted it just below the stereo and in front of the gear stick; when the sat nav unit is removed, the mounting disc is not too obvious.
However the point of this thread is that some of the Garmin Sat Nav models are also compatible with an accessory called 'EcoRoute HD'. This is a bluetooth module that plugs into the OBDII port and gives instant read-outs on the live information it can get from your car plus any DTC codes. The Sat Nav also records your journeys and can be asked to calculate the most fuel efficient routes etc etc. It cost me £80 from the Handtec website.
On a first generation Insight the EcoRoute HD unit is able to read: Engine Load, Coolant Temperature, Intake Manifold Pressure, Timing Advance, Intake Air Temperature, Throttle Position, Battery Voltage (12V), Speed and RPM. Unfortunately oil pressure or oil temperature does not seem to be available.
Please see attached photos - one with my engine idling and one at auto-stop. The display is able to show 5 gauges at once and as I am hoping to use it to better stay in lean burn, so I have engine load as the primary gauge. Perhaps I should swop one of the gauges for throttle position? For information - my timing advance is currently 12 degrees, possibly because I am using 99 RON petrol (Tesco Momentum); the intake manifold pressure normally drops to zero during auto-stop and I have seen it at -26 during driving; apparently engine load relates to the amount of torque available being used at that time at specific RPM - i.e. 24% of our engine torque at 1,000rpm idle is being used for electrical demand (?); note the differences between battery voltage as well.
Apart from engine monitoring, lean burn windows and DTC codes - how else could this unit be useful?
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2005 Insight, UK Spec Silver 5 speed with Alpine stereo, subwoofer & speakers with iPod link, IMA C&C, Shark Fin Aerial, Garmin EcoRoute HD, Skinz sound deadened rear shelf, 'InsightCentral' number plates, 19" rear wiper, Osram nightbreaker plus bulbs
Previous owner of 1999 Japanese Silver 5sp, 2001 UK Citrus 5sp & 2000 Japanese Red CVT
Honda Insight - An extraordinary car for ordinary people
Last edited by The Citrus Smoothie; 03-12-2011 at 07:29 AM.
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