The PT Cruiser Blog: The 26th mod, ScanGauge II

The trip "computer" on PT Cruisers are utter pants, it's just an odometer displaying nothing more than the mileage covered since you last reset it.

Wanting to know a lot more about what was going on under the bonnet, I invested in a ScanGauge II.

Some photos taken from the manufacturers web site:

The ScanGauge II is described as:

"The integrated Trip Computer provides real-time feedback while simultaneously tracking three sets of trip data. The Digital Gauges give you real-time data for your vehicle and the built-in Scan Tool allows you to read trouble codes and diagnose potentially expensive problems before they get out of hand."

It quite literally does waaaayyy to much to list in the blog here, so check out the full feature list: http://www.scangauge.com/features/

So, onto the installation of a ScanGauge II in your PT Cruiser!

First up, you need to locate the OBD port on your car. If like my PT Cruiser, yours will be the white socket only visible when crouching on your knees, look under here:

Here it is again, viewed looking up from the foot well (nightmare photo to take!):

The problem I have with the socket being located here is that when the cable for the ScanGauge plugs into the OBD socket, it sticks out below the dash. You might not think that's such a great problem, but I nearly caught my foot on it while installing it, god only knows what could have happened if I caught my foot on it whilst driving:

Bad, eh?

So before I went any further with the installation, I decided something had to be done about the location of the OBD port and the only option was to move the OBD port on the car.

OMFG!??

Fear not, it's a 10 second job.

The OBD is (quite handily!) mounted on a bracket under the dash. Wires then run from the back of the socket up to the computer which is tucked safely away behind the dash. Removing the fuse box cover reveals the wires behind the OBD socket:

The OBD socket is clipped into the metal bracket and held in place with two plastic lugs. To remove the socket from the bracket, simply press the two lugs in and the OBD socket will pop out the back/top of the bracket. Once out, simply relocate the OBD socket to behind the fuse box access panel like so (don't forget, click on any photo here to enlarge it):

With the socket now resting in it's new home, you can plug the ScanGauge lead in and feed the wire out the right hand side of the dash and into/behind the door seal rubber. Once done, and the wire exiting a bit higher up, close the fuse box cover which should leave you with no wires in sight at the bottom of the dash and nothing in harms way:

Continue to feed the wire up the A pillar, behind the door rubber, up over the top of the A pillar trim, so the wire is now exiting the head lining at the top of the A pillar like so:

Now mount the ScanGauge unit itself.

It comes supplied with some Velcro strips so as you can see here, I've stuck it to the head lining with the bottom of the display sitting on the top of the mirror:

Once mounted, connect the RJ45 plug to the back of the ScanGauge and tuck the excess wire up behind the head lining. I warn you now, the supplied cable is about 6' long, only just long enough to mount the display above the mirror, you'll have about 3" of cable spare: