OBD Bluetooth Adapter

47MBC · Nov 6, 2019

I remember reading on this forum about a member who has purchased an OBD Bluetooth adapter and was trying to figure out when a DPF regeneration takes place by reading the exhaust temperatures.
I was unable to find that post again, so I'm starting a new topic. Sorry if I'm hijacking someone's topic.

I was always of an opinion that if I would be able to tell when the regeneration occurs so In can continue driving till it's done, than I could live with the car, because otherwise I love it. The only matter was the damn oil dilution/DPF issues and so called "driving style". If I could let the regeneration take place without interruption, then the "driving stile" wouldn't matter anymore.

I went on Amazon and purchased an ODBLink adapter over Bluetooth and sacrificed an old phone to be permanently installed in the car with the associated app. Then I have created two more dashboards, first with DPF regeneration related info and second with AdBlu info, as you'll see below.
First page contains the following SAE PID's (sensors):
1. DPF regeneration trigger (0-100%, starting regen when reaching 100%)
2. DPF regeneration status (0 when Off, 1 when ON)
3. Exhaust temperature close to engine (sensor 1)
4. Exhaust temperature SCRF filter input - I assume (sensor 3)
5. Exhaust temperature SCRF filter output - again an assumption (sensor 4)
6. DPF bank delta pressure, assuming it will increase with a dirty filter. As it turned out it is more responsive to the throttle input than filter dirtiness.

See below a screenshot just before a DPF regeneration was triggered:

The trigger count was raising steadily to 100% at every drive, at a rate of about 0.2-0.3% per km. As soon as it reached 100% the status changed to 1 and a regeneration was started, I could tell by the exhaust temperatures, see below during the regen process done at about 100 km/h on a stretch of motorway:

The process lasted about 25 minutes and it didn't stop even when I stopped due to traffic once for about 1 minute. During the last minutes of the regen process the trigger count started dropping quickly, when it reached 20% the regen ended, see one more photo at the end:

I have added one more page on the dashboard with info regarding DEF usage, mostly I can see exactly how much DEF I have in the tank, also it gives me information regarding the last interval between regeneration, so I can predict when next one might occur. This way I don't need to run with the app ON all the time.

I hope you'll find this information useful if you'll want to predict when the engine does it's filter regeneration, I know I want to reduce the aborted ones to a minimum. I really like the car and I want to keep it healthy as long as possible.
Of course the new toy can be useful for other things too, for example it can tell me what error codes I have when the yellow check engine light comes on again, even to reset it if not essential, or I can decide to pay a visit to the dealer if really important.

aquascape · Nov 6, 2019

I would like to be able to see this information on my car to also allow a regen to complete. What adapter did you buy and what app did you use?

Guest · Nov 6, 2019

Hi 47MBC, I posted about active Regen occurring here is a link to my original post

https://www.discosportforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=10689

No problem from me regards thread hijack as imho all info is valuable, I'm also interested in the app your using, and are you an iOS or Android user. The app I've got doesn't give you a threshold regarding a DPF trigger

I believe you only need exhaust temperature sensor no 3 to see what temp your getting, my normal driving out of town gives between approx 200deg C rising to over 620deg C and lasting around 16 minutes when an active regen is happening, I haven't been able to get much of a result re the delta pressure.

Moh · Nov 7, 2019

Hi, Thank you for the brilliant post. Would it be possible to let me know where can I read more about how to achieve what you have carried out. Any chance of sending us a link to what exactly you purchased. I am in the same situation as you, I love the car but hate this DPF problems.
The amber light came yesterday and I had to leave everything and go on the M180 on a rainy day.
I assume the amber warning light works on Differential pressure so why JLR did not make that permanently visible to the driver and when it reaches say 80%, the driver can trigger a regeneration manually when convenient. It cannot be that difficult to do with the magic things this car does.
Thanks in advance.
Mo

Ian_S · Nov 7, 2019

Am also curious on the app as I've been unable to find one that can extract those PID's the data for which seems to be well hidden thus far.

aquascape · Nov 7, 2019

I presume the app is OBD link on iOS and runs with ScanTool OBDlink MX+ Bluetooth OBD-II Diagnostic Tool for iPhone/iPad/iOS/Android and Windows?

Can anyone confirm this?

Guest · Nov 7, 2019

I think you should give serious thought to marketing this as a package with the app, sensors etc and a guide how to set it up.

Like you, I love the car but a change in job will mean it will only be used for short runs so this would be invaluable.

Guest · Nov 7, 2019

Looks like OBDFusion or Torque Pro (both available for droid or greenfruit). Haven't tried using either of my adapters on the DS but would be interesting to look at the regen status sometime.

47MBC · Nov 7, 2019

Screenshot_2019-11-07 Amazon com ScanTool OBDLink LX Bluetooth Professional Grade OBD-II Automotive Scan Tool for Windows a[...].pngHi gents, indeed the adapter is ScanTool OBDLink LX Bluetooth from Amazon, about 50 USD, it ships from US. it comes with the link to it's own app, also called OBDLink. I am using Android, not sure how it works on iOS.
The app allows for new custom dashboards view, and I have created these two for my needs. When choosing SAE PID's with the adapter linked and engine running, if they are not available for DS they will show in red letters.
You will be able to download and play with the app without an adapter.
Also JLR are using custom error codes, the tool will show them as custom without being explained. I couldn't find online the code explanation either.
Hope this helps.

aquascape · Nov 7, 2019

I believe you need the MX+ (not MX or LX) version of this adapter if an iOS Apple user

47MBC · Nov 7, 2019

Hi aquascape, you are right. Only the MX+ version works for iPhone, at about 80 USD. The perks of using iThings

I didn't pay attention before, my bad.

Guest · Nov 7, 2019

Interesting...OBDlink appears to be a clone of OBDfusion (check the screenshots of each).

I doubt there is any need to pay the significant markup for the branded adapter (though obviously if using greenfruit you need to make sure any adapter is compatible with that).

I see little difference with my genuine ELM chip adapter and my much cheaper chinese clone with EOBDFacile/OBDFusion/Torque Pro. Software differences have been more significant in the past...EOBD Facile had a better database of LR specific PIDs (no idea if this extends to DS as I've had no errors to decode) and the other two better for customised views of data and live view.

whitdav1 · Jan 18, 2023

EOBDFacile/OBDFusion/Torque Pro

Can you advise which of these products best suits JLR vehicles

Thanks

47MBC · Nov 7, 2019

There are tons of OBD adapters available online, I'm sure many might work with DS. I've checked the compatibility chart with Land Rover for this one before buying, and I was maybe 80% certain it will work. It is always a lottery though. I was lucky, I guess, that it gave me the access to the exact data I was looking for.
I couldn't figure out yet how to trigger a regeneration myself, regardless of the trigger counter.

aquascape · Nov 8, 2019

Can this or any adapters read oil dilution % as this would also be useful to know?

Ian_S · Nov 8, 2019

A couple of things...

Even when you can see if there is an active regeneration in progress and as a result you keep driving until it has finished, you won't stop oil dilution. This is because oil dilution is not caused by just failed active regens, but by *all* active regens. Oil dilution occurs while the ECU is adding extra fuel to the exhaust mix, so ALL diesel DS''s will get oil dilution as they all rely on active regens to clean the DPF. Failed regens make it worse because the car spends more time injecting fuel as it has to restart the regen process again... and again.... and again....

You can't trigger a regeneration while driving. This is done purely by the ECU. The workshop forced regeneration is different and I'm not sure even if we could find the code, it would be wise to use it often. We don't know if there are any other side effects of a forced regen, like perhaps needing to change the oil afterwards.

SarahStreet · Nov 8, 2019

aquascape said:
Can this or any adapters read oil dilution % as this would also be useful to know?

No, not to my knowledge. Even Pathfinder/SDD can only *estimate* a percentage based on distance/completed/failed regeneration's...if for example they estimate a 7% dilution rate, sending a sample away for independent testing will almost certainly result in a different FIO actual reading.

There really is no point in getting frustrated with it - it is what it is. Change the oil every 10,000 miles or 1 year, whichever comes sooner if you plan on keeping the car.

Guest · Nov 8, 2019

aquascape said:
Can this or any adapters read oil dilution % as this would also be useful to know?

None of the aftermarket software I use shows a PID for oil dilution. It seems very unlikely there is a sensor available and responses from much more knowledgable people say there isn't
It may be possible to use the same calculation JLR use to arrive at the approximation they see but this would depend very much on the software you use. Whether this calculated value is of any real use is also open to debate.

47MBC · Nov 8, 2019

No oil dilution PID with this software I'm afraid.
I have settled to change oil every year anyway, since I'm not driving more than 10k per year.
I am aware that the oil dilution happens anyway with every regeneration, but still it will be less if there are no more aborted ones.
Plus the DPF blocked issue will be less likely if regeneration happens on time and it's not interrupted.
How difficult would have been for JLR to add a notification on the dashboard when regeneration is active?
Obviously the PID was there all along.
It is disconcerting to see how fast the "Normalized trigger for DPF regen" value is raising when doing only city driving.
As I said the last regen has stopped at 20% two days ago, after which I did only city driving probably no more than 30-40 miles and today is at 44%.

Guest · Nov 8, 2019

For anyone thinking of purchasing an OBDII adapter:

I have just tried a couple of cheap Chinese ELM327 clone devices...one has no name and cost £7 and the other was labelled 'Actimex' and cost £9. Layout on both includes an on/off button and illumination for power/OBD data/bluetooth.
I also used my more usual device which has a genuine ELM chip and cost significantly more back when the clones weren't a choice!

For all three I used Torque Pro / OBDFusion on Android
All were capable of accessing the data covered by the two threads on 'Regen' information collection.

I also used the same adapters with an assortment of other software on droid/windoze/linux and there was no obvious difference in the capability of them.

As well as his Torque Pro software Ian Hawkins markets suitable 'branded' clone adapters and these are actually about a quid cheaper (for droid devices anyway) than I paid for the 'Actimex' one so for adapter (which will work with other software as well) and softare less than £15 total

Other clones can be had for even less money and might be OK...on the other hand for the sake of a couple of extra quid the Torque combo is probably a good choice*

A brand of adapter I have seen mentioned positively several times by greenfruit fans is 'Carista'. They are a few quid more and can be used with most software (they also have their own software but I've no idea on cost).

*no, I don't know Ian or have any financial incentive...I've just used his software for years

aquascape · Nov 10, 2019

I purchased one of these Mx+ Adapters off amazon and using the obd link app can communicate with my car but I cannot see any of the dpf values. They show initially on the app but disappear once connected to the car so presumably my car Ecu does not transmit this data. Not sure if it's because my car is 2016 model or because I am using iOS.

47MBC · Nov 11, 2019

Sorry to hear about your issue. I am using LX version with Android without issues. If a PID is not available when I'm selecting it on dashboard it will show in red letters when connected to car, and values will be 0.
Check the PID's in my first post, they surely should work, unless JLR has different settings on different markets (I'm based in Eastern Europe).

I have noticed an interesting thing during a long trip on motorway.
Cruising at high speeds, in excess of 140 km/h, my exhaust temperatures are quite high.
Sensor 1 close to engine is almost 600 degrees, sensor 3 and 4 are above 400 degrees.
In this case the DPF regen status PID changes to 1. For sure this is not a forced regeneration, since sensors 3 and 4 do not reach 600 degrees and the trigger value was ar 60%. This trigger value kept raising but at a much slower rate compared to city driving, so I can only guess this is considered as a passive regeneration.
If I dropped my speed below 100 km/h and sensor 1 temp dropped below 500 degrees the status changed to 0, becoming 1 as soon as I sped up.
Anyway, when trigger counter reached 100% a forced regen was triggered and I kept my speed above 140. This time the regen temperatures were higher, close to 700, and regeneration was stopped at about 10% trigger value. I remember one JLR mechanic telling me that I should keep my speed below 110 km/h for a regeneration, obviously this is false, in fact it was a better one at higher engine load.
And one more observation, at high loads the NOx sensor was reading 200-300 ppm, whereas in city driving is almost 0 or 1 ppm.
Obviously at high temperatures above 400 degrees the SRCF is not very good at NOx reduction, but in city driving with temperatures close to 200 is effective.

47MBC · Nov 11, 2019

I've added a photo with the last readings:

Mamil · Nov 16, 2019

47MBC said:
I have noticed an interesting thing during a long trip on motorway.
Cruising at high speeds, in excess of 140 km/h, my exhaust temperatures are quite high.
Sensor 1 close to engine is almost 600 degrees, sensor 3 and 4 are above 400 degrees.
In this case the DPF regen status PID changes to 1. For sure this is not a forced regeneration, since sensors 3 and 4 do not reach 600 degrees and the trigger value was ar 60%. This trigger value kept raising but at a much slower rate compared to city driving, so I can only guess this is considered as a passive regeneration.
If I dropped my speed below 100 km/h and sensor 1 temp dropped below 500 degrees the status changed to 0, becoming 1 as soon as I sped up.
Anyway, when trigger counter reached 100% a forced regen was triggered and I kept my speed above 140. This time the regen temperatures were higher, close to 700, and regeneration was stopped at about 10% trigger value.

What you observed makes sense based on JLR's own description of the process of passive regeneration in the workshop manual below. Note particularly the last sentence about passive regeneration being much more effective at temperatures above 580 deg, which they say are normally only achieved during an active regen. Your readings back this up, and show the car needs to be driven at 140 km/h to get passive regen operating effectively. This is the crux of the oil dilution problem with the Ingenium. Because of the exhaust system design the SCRF is too far away from the engine to reach the temperature required for effective passive regeneration during normal driving conditions, so more active regens are required, resulting in oil dilution.

Passive Regeneration
Passive regeneration requires no special engine management intervention and occurs during normal engine operation. The
passive regeneration involves a slow conversion of the particulate matter deposited in the DPF into carbon dioxide. This
process occurs when the DPF temperature exceeds 250°C (482°F) and is a continuous process when the vehicle is being
driven at higher engine loads and speeds.
During passive regeneration, only a portion of the particulate matter is converted into carbon dioxide. This is because the
chemical reaction, which utilises nitrogen dioxide, is slower than the rate of engine production of particulate matter and is
effective from 250°C (482°F).
Above 580°C the conversion efficiency of the particulates into carbon dioxide rapidly increases. These temperatures are
generally only be achieved using the active regeneration process.

Mamil · Nov 16, 2019

So I'd like to get an ODB reader and App to monitor my regenerations. From what I've read here it looks like I have a few options:-

1. The ODBLink LX and it's associated App for Android, which 47MBC uses and which would cost me $138 here in Australia
2. Proscan Automotive scanner and App that Popsky uses but which only seems to be available from the UK and would cost me $65
3. TorquePro ELM327 scanner and App which Tseug suggests and which would cost me $40 for the scanner and $5 for the App
3. Go the cheapest route with a clone ELM327 scanner from China and free App which would cost me about $8

I'm tempted to go for the middle ground and buy the TorquePro, but any comments? Tseug, did you actually test it on a DS to verify it works?

Guest · Nov 16, 2019

Mamil said:
So I'd like to get an ODB reader and App to monitor my regenerations. From what I've read here it looks like I have a few options:-

1. The ODBLink LX and it's associated App for Android, which 47MBC uses and which would cost me $138 here in Australia
2. Proscan Automotive scanner and App that Popsky uses but which only seems to be available from the UK and would cost me $65
3. TorquePro ELM327 scanner and App which Tseug suggests and which would cost me $40 for the scanner and $5 for the App
3. Go the cheapest route with a clone ELM327 scanner from China and free App which would cost me about $8

I'm tempted to go for the middle ground and buy the TorquePro, but any comments? Tseug, did you actually test it on a DS to verify it works?

My reply (https://www.discosportforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=10805&start=10#p110639) referred to testing with my DS.

The software that the OP used says it only works with their adapters but in EVERY screenshot I can find of it in use it appears to be a copy of OBD Fusion.

If you decide to use TorquePro (there is a free 'light' version but I have never used it so don't know if it covers the calculated PIDs required in this situation) you don't need to buy the Torque branded adapter so could save a few more monetary units.

Mamil · Nov 16, 2019

tseug said:
Mamil said:

So I'd like to get an ODB reader and App to monitor my regenerations. From what I've read here it looks like I have a few options:-

1. The ODBLink LX and it's associated App for Android, which 47MBC uses and which would cost me $138 here in Australia
2. Proscan Automotive scanner and App that Popsky uses but which only seems to be available from the UK and would cost me $65
3. TorquePro ELM327 scanner and App which Tseug suggests and which would cost me $40 for the scanner and $5 for the App
3. Go the cheapest route with a clone ELM327 scanner from China and free App which would cost me about $8

I'm tempted to go for the middle ground and buy the TorquePro, but any comments? Tseug, did you actually test it on a DS to verify it works?

Click to expand...

My reply (https://www.discosportforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=10805&start=10#p110639) referred to testing with my DS.

The software that the OP used says it only works with their adapters but in EVERY screenshot I can find of it in use it appears to be a copy of OBD Fusion.

If you decide to use TorquePro (there is a free 'light' version but I have never used it so don't know if it covers the calculated PIDs required in this situation) you don't need to buy the Torque branded adapter so could say a few more monetary units.

OK thanks, I wasn't sure if that was on a DS or another vehicle, but thanks for the clarification. I'm happy to fork out a couple of extra bucks for the Torque brand and the paid App to be certain it'll work.

OBD Bluetooth Adapter

Attachments

Attachments

Attachments

Attachments

Our Vendors

Top Contributors this Month

Recommended Communities