Scanguage II settings and accuracy...

Kingcodez · Jul 2, 2011

I don't know if I'm having trouble or what.
What settings do you all use?
I set my tank to 14 gallons ( know this doesn't change anything but DTE), and my speed +3%. Diesel A as well.

Anything else?
I am having trouble using the fill up feature. I've been through five tanks or so and keep screwing it up.

I fill up the car, until the pump shuts off, and hit the fill up menu, and it'll say I only filled like 4 gallons (more like 12.5) so if I adjust it to say 12.5 that's a 300% adjustment which screws EVERYTHING else up and then I have to reset the whole thing because I can't undo that fill up.

Does messing with fill ups lead to a more accurate reading? Or is accuracy based more on speed?

I think the speedo is +3 MPH, so I set the scanguage to be what the real speed is (tested with several radar signs around here as well). I think the car has bigger tires on it than stock also.

Its just that I've been consistently getting an average/tank readout of +45 MPG, with most of my 70 mile trips clocking in at 55+.
Yet I run dangerously low on fuel after 600ish miles.

I think half of this is because I like to floor it, and the other half is my injectors dumping fuel before boost comes on (Using Cruise, or just being in 5th or even 4th and going slow).

Cogen Man · Jul 3, 2011

Kingcodez said:
I don't know if I'm having trouble or what.
What settings do you all use?
I set my tank to 14 gallons ( know this doesn't change anything but DTE), and my speed +3%. Diesel A as well.

Anything else?
I am having trouble using the fill up feature. I've been through five tanks or so and keep screwing it up.

I fill up the car, until the pump shuts off, and hit the fill up menu, and it'll say I only filled like 4 gallons (more like 12.5) so if I adjust it to say 12.5 that's a 300% adjustment which screws EVERYTHING else up and then I have to reset the whole thing because I can't undo that fill up.

Does messing with fill ups lead to a more accurate reading? Or is accuracy based more on speed?

I think the speedo is +3 MPH, so I set the scanguage to be what the real speed is (tested with several radar signs around here as well). I think the car has bigger tires on it than stock also.

Its just that I've been consistently getting an average/tank readout of +45 MPG, with most of my 70 mile trips clocking in at 55+.
Yet I run dangerously low on fuel after 600ish miles.

I think half of this is because I like to floor it, and the other half is my injectors dumping fuel before boost comes on (Using Cruise, or just being in 5th or even 4th and going slow).

14.5 gallons or whatever your tank capacity is and Diesel A is correct. Did you set the engine size, to 2.0 litre's or whatever it is? You say when you fill up and go to the fill screen it says you only put in 4 gallons. YOU have to input the amount yourself. Then push the button for DONE. This gets you to the next screen where you input the cost of the fuel in dollars and cents. Then push done again.

FlyTDI Guy · Jul 3, 2011

You may be having the same problem I'm having. Mine was dead on until I hooked my MAF back up. Then it read significantly lower than it should for AVG and MPG. I did a couple fillups and it never get any closer. Re-Reading the instructions, you need to do 2 fillups and, most importantly, NOT adjust the fuel used on the first one. I have been adjusting it every time and it hasn't been accurate since. Next fillup, I'm skipping over that and following the instructions to the word. It's a bit counter-intuitive as, of course, I was adjusting the fuel used as one would expect to. To complicate matters, I unhooked my MAF again (jumpered actually) so my MPG's are all confused for the moment. Maybe I'm completely off-base but, if you haven't already, try it.

Kingcodez · Jul 3, 2011

Cogen Man said:
14.5 gallons or whatever your tank capacity is and Diesel A is correct. Did you set the engine size, to 2.0 litre's or whatever it is? You say when you fill up and go to the fill screen it says you only put in 4 gallons. YOU have to input the amount yourself. Then push the button for DONE. This gets you to the next screen where you input the cost of the fuel in dollars and cents. Then push done again.

Yeah My engine size is set fine. When I put in 12 gal sometimes it tells me that I put in 4 gallons. So if I adjust 300% for 12 gallons, it'll throw off all the numbers (ALL OF THEM) by that 300% adjustment. So I can't just enter the amount of fuel that I put in.

I'll try going another tank without adjusting. Its just when I do go to adjust it typically says that I put in less fuel than I really did...

Joe_Meehan · Jul 4, 2011

I believe the problem is you need to re-read the instructions and follow them exactly. Don't try to out guess them or fix something. Don't try to adjust it to the number you would expect. Continue that for at least three fill ups.

Kingcodez · Jul 4, 2011

I did, I read them a lot actually. It tells me to adjust to the amount that I put in, using the same pump on the same side at the same station etc. Following the instructions doesn't seem to be working, which is why I'm asking for other people's advice/experience.

VWBeamer · Jul 4, 2011

I had my speed to 3%, but then changed it back. I had changed it so that it would read the same as my speedometer, but the speedo is wrong.

It should be set so it reads as close to odometer as possible. For me that was simply no adjustment at all.

Also, it just not that accurate in the first place, even the instant MPG that on new cars are not that accurate. If I fill up and it's within a half of gallon being right, I'm happy.

Joe_Meehan · Jul 4, 2011

Kingcodez said:
I did, I read them a lot actually. It tells me to adjust to the amount that I put in, using the same pump on the same side at the same station etc. Following the instructions doesn't seem to be working, which is why I'm asking for other people's advice/experience.

How many fill ups have you done since then?

FlyTDI Guy · Jul 4, 2011

Did you read my post and what's your response?

Kingcodez · Jul 4, 2011

Joe_Meehan said:
How many fill ups have you done since then?

I've had the thing for the last 5 tanks, almost two months. The gas station is in front of my house and has like 20 pumps so I have no problem hitting the same one. The problem like I said is fuel inputted is not what is displayed by the scan gauge. I've tried filling the tank to the brim, then adjusting (nope, obviously) letting the tank fill and auto shut the pump off (12 gallons, said I put in 4.6, adjusted, nope) and a menagerie of different combinations that mostly ended in messed up numbers and a resulting device reset. I'm going to try skipping the adjustment for the next fill up, and mess with it on the fill after.

FlyTDI, why would you unhook the MAF? Doesn't the ecu need that to calc f/a ratios.

FlyTDI Guy · Jul 4, 2011

I think you're missing the point. Again, try the NO ADJUSTMENT for one fillup then adjust your actual gallons used for the second fillup. When I first got mine, I followed those instructions and it was dead-on accurate from that point on. If I filled up using 12.9 gallons, it said 12.9 to a "T".

I am messing w/my MAF for performance reasons. It is not unhooked (well actually it is) but modded for higher output. It appears that MAF data figures heavily into SGII's MPG calculations because running the two configurations (MAF normal/MAF modded) changed my MPG numbers drastically. Actual mileage remained about the same but SGII had me way down at 32mpg average. Actual was more like 45. It also said the same thing as yours as in I put in 11 gals and it would say like 4 used or something. This has perpetuated over multiple fillup's also. It really sounds like we're having the same problem.

Again, I've been entering the gallons used each time. I'm thinking, you (we) need to break the cycle and NOT enter the gals. for a fillup before SGII can properly calculate the usage. More importantly, it says to do so right in the instructions. I had forgotten that part. I can sort of understand why this is necessary. You're stacking offset upon offset by continuously entering data. You need to let SGII figure it out once (wrong) as a baseline and then correct once for the actual data after the 2nd fillup. SGII will then calc the offset correctly and hopefully it will be accurate. I'm filling up tomorrow, I'll skip the gal entry and report the results.

Kingcodez · Jul 5, 2011

Ok sounds good, I'll try the same. I have to fill in a few days again, I have 1/4 left and maby only 320 on the odo. Mostly because I got new coilovers and have been doing a lot of 0-60 and only put in 12 gal last time.

Do you know if the scanguage can understand the fuel usage from upgraded nozzles? Like do they fool the ECU (with a flash) or does it all mesh fine?

Its just on a 1/4 mile run, I go WOT and get like 6-8 MPG sustained, which I'm assuming uses up like 1/4 of a gallon (assuming that I return to normal driving after the 1/4 mile like when getting on a highway). So then the scanguage counts the fuel as if I were getting 8MPG only for the 10 seconds or whatever that I was WOT'ing for.

I just notice that the SG has a certain time interval for refreshing the screen info, so I dunno if it considers actual fuel usage, or TPS or something when calculating current/average MPG.

cleaver · Jul 6, 2011

I haven't read the instruction in a few years but somewhere in there it does say if you change your driving habits you may have to recalibrate the SG.

Also, I would reset your SG to defaults and then setup up the SG according to your car specs. Once that is done, on your first trip to the pumps, do not set the correct amount of fuel. Just hit "done" and set the price/gallon. On your second trip, put the exact amount of gallons into the SG. On your third and future fillups, put in close to the total gallons. (If you actually pumped 10 gallons and the SG says you should have pumped 11 gallons, I would input 10.9 gallons into the SG.) I find your SG will calibrate a lot faster, especially if you are filling to the rim.

If you are filling to the rim, I would also change your fuel tank size to 16.5 gallons.

I fillup every week (at least) and I am usually within .4 liters (.1 gallons).

Kingcodez · Jul 7, 2011

How does the SG know you are filling to the rim though? I assumed that it used a level sensor inside the tank to know how much you put in, filling to the rim is the equivalent of me duct taping a 15 gallon gas can to the tank mouth. It can't see how much is in if it is already 'full'.

Sadly my tank isn't 16+ I have something more like 13.8 max on my Beetle.

Joe_Meehan · Jul 7, 2011

Kingcodez said:
How does the SG know you are filling to the rim though? I assumed that it used a level sensor inside the tank to know how much you put in, filling to the rim is the equivalent of me duct taping a 15 gallon gas can to the tank mouth. It can't see how much is in if it is already 'full'.

Sadly my tank isn't 16+ I have something more like 13.8 max on my Beetle.

The SG does not directly measure the fuel. It has no way of knowing how much you put in, so it directs you to input the amount of fuel you buy each time. If you don't tell it, it does not know and can not give you a valid calculation.

cleaver · Jul 8, 2011

Kingcodez said:
How does the SG know you are filling to the rim though? I assumed that it used a level sensor inside the tank to know how much you put in, filling to the rim is the equivalent of me duct taping a 15 gallon gas can to the tank mouth. It can't see how much is in if it is already 'full'.

Sadly my tank isn't 16+ I have something more like 13.8 max on my Beetle.

SG does not know but filling to the rim every time will make sure that you are putting the exact (or close to exact) amount in. This will make the SG more accurately calibrated. Filling until the pump turns off automatically, does not give you an accurate fillup. Sometimes there will be more foam, other times not. You need to get the fuel to the rim (no foam) to be accurate every time.

cleaver · Jul 8, 2011

I thought the beetle had the same size tank as the Jetta (MKIV). It is a 14 gallon tank, but when vented (or just filled to the rim) most people can get about 17 gallons in it (I get about 16.4 gallons).

K5ING · Jul 9, 2011

The OP said that he's trying all sort of combinations of things. That's part of his problem. He's chasing his tail.

First, reset your tank size to 16 or 17 gallons. Second, fill the tank to the brim so you see fuel (not foam). Third, set your speed adjustment so the MILES are accurate, not the speed. Use a speedometer check zone (usually 10 miles in length) if you can find one. If not, use a GPS to check and calibrate the Scangauge over a fairly long distance so the miles driven are accurate. If you're on stock tires, the odometer should be pretty close. However, you said that you may be on oversized tires, so you may have to adjust it.

Use about a half a tank or more before filling up again and calibrating using the 'fillup' selection. Be sure to top off the tank again. Do this 3 times or so, and you should be good to go.

If you want a good starting point for your settings, mine (stock '01 Golf...should be similar to your Beetle) is:

Speed 4
Tank size 16
Fillup -15.1% (usually is accurate to about .1 or .2 gallons at fillup)

Try those settings, drive for a tank, and see where you're at.

FlyTDI Guy · Jul 23, 2011

Not trying to hijack this thread but... I have run the tank w/o adjusting the fillup, gallons used. I'm now on my 1rst tank after adjusting the fillup number and am about 1/2 way done. I'll know in about a week if the accuracy has been restored or... not.

cleaver · Jul 24, 2011

Your second fillup (after the first "no adjustment" fillup) could be way off too. I have had to do 3-4 fillups before my SG was accurate. I have also had to do only 2 fillups to be almost perfect...
If after your 4 fillup, you are not within .5 gallons, either you

or your scanguage is defective...I would call tech support and see if they would send you a new one...

I had to call them once (not about calibration) and they didn't even quibble in sending me out a new one. My issue was that "day" and "previous day" settings were not resetting on a daily basis. It takes close to 11-12 hours for the reset to happen which really sucks when you drive a 8pm at night and get up at 6am to drive again...oh well, I have just learned to not bother with the trip gauges, worthless to me.

FlyTDI Guy · Jul 24, 2011

On first install, I followed the instructions and it was accurate from the 3rd tank on... amazingly so. Within 1/10 of a gallon every time and stayed that way for months. Then I went and messed w/my MAF wiring and that sent it into a tailspin. Multiple adjustments later, it was still way off. I'm trying the 'start from scratch' theory here and we'll see if it works or not. I'm hoping so. I haven't gotten to the 'something must be wrong w/my SGII' stage yet. I'm thinking not but time will tell.

cleaver · Jul 24, 2011

For me, even if I go to a different gas station (most of the time) my SG will get messed and I will have to reset to defaults and start over.

K5ING · Jul 24, 2011

Are you topping off the tank each time so you see fuel (not foam) at the top of the filler neck? If so, it shouldn't matter what station you go to.

VWBeamer · Jul 24, 2011

A. If you do your fillips and it's within .3-.5 of a gallon, call it a day and be happy.

2. It's all about the fill ups, you got get the same fill every time if you want it to be more accurate, that means using the same pump, parked the same, same load in the car, etc, All of that can throw the fillup off. The car being a inch higher on the fill side would let it hold .3 of gallon more at least. If it's a inch lower next time, then that .6 of gallon right there. So you got get the same pump, parked the same to be accurate.

D. It's a guide, not a scientific instrument, even the factory MPG readouts are notoriously inaccurate.

cleaver · Jul 25, 2011

VWBeamer said:
A. If you do your fillips and it's within .3-.5 of a gallon, call it a day and be happy.

2. It's all about the fill ups, you got get the same fill every time if you want it to be more accurate, that means using the same pump, parked the same, same load in the car, etc, All of that can throw the fillup off. The car being a inch higher on the fill side would let it hold .3 of gallon more at least. If it's a inch lower next time, then that .6 of gallon right there. So you got get the same pump, parked the same to be accurate.

D. It's a guide, not a scientific instrument, even the factory MPG readouts are notoriously inaccurate.

I agree, I fill to the rim and it(SG) still gets out of wack...I question the accuracy of the pumps, but I also question the levelness of the cement pad at the pump...

Kingcodez · Aug 31, 2011

FlyTDI Guy said:
You're stacking offset upon offset by continuously entering data. You need to let SGII figure it out once (wrong) as a baseline and then correct once for the actual data after the 2nd fillup. SGII will then calc the offset correctly and hopefully it will be accurate. I'm filling up tomorrow, I'll skip the gal entry and report the results.

So does the SGII "Stack" the offsets? I think this may be my problem. I might not be always filling at the same pump, and filling to the brim requires 3 minutes of pumping then waiting then pumping again. If the SGII stacks the offsets, then I can see why the numbers were messed up. I had assumed that the device was much simpler, and each fill was only there to help you better calibrate the device, using the current fill data.

Also, how does the SG know how much I put in? Does it interface with the car's fuel sensor? Would it be better to fill to the brim, drive 300 feet to my house to let the stuff settle/slosh, then top it off with a fuel can? I'm talking just for an initial-packed 100% full reading.

Can you guys post your fueling offsets along with your model years?
Before I had a +15%, and it 'seemed' accurate, but K5ING has a -15%. My readings were off before, because I filled the tank and then entered the fill data. It said I filled like 3 gallons, so I adjusted it like 50-100+% until it said the 13.x that I filled, thereby fudging the numbers.

Since I started this thread two months ago, I didn't mess with it after the initial reset, and I think I adjusted it to +5%. I haven't been able to fully fill the tank, and have been just putting $10 in every few days. It is hard to tell my exact mileage, but I've been seeing 40-45 in the 55mph city with a ton of stoplights and idling. On the interstate I've seen 45 at 65, and I got 55 the other day doing 75... Not sure if that is accurate lol but it makes me feel good

.

EDIT:
Also I have another question, without going out and removing my tail light, how do I know that I am vented? The last owner pulled the EGR system so I assumed he vented the car as well. I don't see any 'vent buttons' or any white plastic in the filler neck. I can fill it till the foam shuts the pump off, then it takes 3 minutes or so to squirt in some more and wait for the bubbles to dissipate. I generally am able to fill it right to the cap which might not be the best idea in hindsight. It does appear that the filler neck from the opening, extends many six inches down, and is the same diameter of the gas tank's opening. Is the top part of the tank like this, or is it some giant opening that I could stick my arm down into? Anyone have a pic of a removed gas tank for reference?

Thanks for the replies, I'm a nooblet sometimes.

cleaver · Aug 31, 2011

Don't worry about our offsets, it changes each time you calibrate (or it can change). Originally I was at 23%, now I am at 12% offset. Everything the same.

If you do not fill to the top each and every time, you will get frustrated trying to calibrate. You can't rush and you can't cheat...the SG will get (un)calibrated very easily. When filling, some pumps are easier than others. Usually I can just barely squeeze the handle and get a solid stream of Diesel (no bubbles) but there are some pumps that just will not flow without the bubbles.

The SG is dumb, it only knows what you tell it when it comes to fueling. The error compounds itself each and every fillup if you are not accurate.

Venting - If you can fill it until it stops and then add another 8-9 Liters at a continuous 3/4 speed then you are vented. (you can add another liter or 2 after that, but only at slow speed).

If you can only trickle fill after the pump stops, then you are not vented.

FlyTDI Guy · Aug 31, 2011

Well, for the record... I went through the initial calibration process by not adjusting the first tank and... even after the second tank, I was off by about .5 gals on my fillup. Now that I'm a few more down the road (adjusting each time), I'm pretty close to accurate. It didn't happen immediately by the 3rd tank but it has been closer each time I fill. As far as offsets go, I was referring to how SG adjusts it's mileage numbers to match your actual usage. If SG thinks you used 12 gallons and you actually put in 12.5, it uses an offset to it's calcs to get back on track so... like for every 1 gal you use (according to SG's internal calcs) your real input says you should have used 1.2 gals, it will offset it's own number by .2 gals to match your real input. Without having a 'raw' basis to start from like one fillup w/o your input, then you don't have a true base number to start with but an already offset one. This is all theory, BTW and may or may not be the actual case. From a computer logic standpoint though, it makes perfect sense and would be the way to correct calculation errors based on actual usage data. It compares the two and offsets its own calcs to match your input. So anyways, mine is pretty accurate again (only off by .2 gals last fillup) so I'm satisfied. One thing I did notice and is worth checking is the mileage tally since last fillup. As the miles rack up, I noticed my tripmeter mileage was off a bit from what SG said. I need to dial my mph again w/my GPS. That could contribute to fillup and mileage errors also.

K5ING · Sep 1, 2011

Kingcodez said:
So does the SGII "Stack" the offsets? I think this may be my problem. I might not be always filling at the same pump, and filling to the brim requires 3 minutes of pumping then waiting then pumping again. If the SGII stacks the offsets, then I can see why the numbers were messed up. I had assumed that the device was much simpler, and each fill was only there to help you better calibrate the device, using the current fill data.

Also, how does the SG know how much I put in? Does it interface with the car's fuel sensor? Would it be better to fill to the brim, drive 300 feet to my house to let the stuff settle/slosh, then top it off with a fuel can? I'm talking just for an initial-packed 100% full reading.

Can you guys post your fueling offsets along with your model years?
Before I had a +15%, and it 'seemed' accurate, but K5ING has a -15%. My readings were off before, because I filled the tank and then entered the fill data. It said I filled like 3 gallons, so I adjusted it like 50-100+% until it said the 13.x that I filled, thereby fudging the numbers.

Since I started this thread two months ago, I didn't mess with it after the initial reset, and I think I adjusted it to +5%. I haven't been able to fully fill the tank, and have been just putting $10 in every few days. It is hard to tell my exact mileage, but I've been seeing 40-45 in the 55mph city with a ton of stoplights and idling. On the interstate I've seen 45 at 65, and I got 55 the other day doing 75... Not sure if that is accurate lol but it makes me feel good .

EDIT:
Also I have another question, without going out and removing my tail light, how do I know that I am vented? The last owner pulled the EGR system so I assumed he vented the car as well. I don't see any 'vent buttons' or any white plastic in the filler neck. I can fill it till the foam shuts the pump off, then it takes 3 minutes or so to squirt in some more and wait for the bubbles to dissipate. I generally am able to fill it right to the cap which might not be the best idea in hindsight. It does appear that the filler neck from the opening, extends many six inches down, and is the same diameter of the gas tank's opening. Is the top part of the tank like this, or is it some giant opening that I could stick my arm down into? Anyone have a pic of a removed gas tank for reference?

Thanks for the replies, I'm a nooblet sometimes.

I'll go out and double check to see if my offset is +15 or -15 (I'm pretty sure it's minus). But you can't just put in $10 every so often and expect your SG to be accurate. You have to fill it up to the brim each time. I mean to where you see actual fuel, not foam, at the top of the filler neck. It will take several "fill, wait, fill, wait....." cycles to do this. Diesel fuel foams like beer, and you need to wait for the "head" to settle before topping it off again. It's the only way to be accurate and will get you extra miles on the tank besides. Don't top off with a fuel can, because you will never know how much you put in.

You then tell your SG how much you put in, along with the price of the fuel. I also reset my trip odometer at the same time so I can keep track of the miles. It may take about 3 fillups to get it dialed in. When I fill mine up, it's rarely off by more than .1 or .2 gallons.

As for venting, there should be a black plastic tab inside of the filler neck. I used to use a small screwdriver to hold this in while I filled up until I got my ventectomy. I don't think using it will let you put any more in, but it will sure speed up the fueling process.

Lex4TDI4Life · Sep 1, 2011

What are folks using for their TPS cutoff. The default is 24.

Scanguage II settings and accuracy...

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