When you connect to your OBDLink® adapter for the first time, a dialog appears asking if you want to edit the settings for your vehicle, as shown below. Follow the steps in this article to get the most precise fuel economy, power, and torque estimates possible.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Connect your adapter
Before you begin, be sure to:
- Start your vehicle and connect your phone/tablet to your OBDLink adapter.
- Make sure your phone/tablet is not streaming to any other Bluetooth/BLE devices.
- Confirm that your phone/tablet is Connected to the OBDLink adapter.
- If this is the first time you've connected to this vehicle, tap YES in the message box to open the vehicle editor.
Otherwise, tap Settings > Vehicle Editor.
The OBDLink app will automatically attempt to read your vehicle’s VIN and pre-populate your vehicle’s information on screen. Confirm the values in the VEHICLE BUILD section for model year, manufacturer, model, etc.
Note: In some cases, the app may not be able to read or decode the VIN. In this situation, you can manually specify your vehicle year, make, and model by tapping SELECT and choosing from the drop-down list.
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Fuel economy
You can fine-tune settings in the Vehicle Editor to improve the accuracy of fuel economy calculations.
For example, if your vehicle uses E85 fuel (sometimes called flex fuel), tap the FUEL setting to select E85.
Check your User’s Manual for the exact engine size for your vehicle, then tap the ENGINE SIZE setting to enter an accurate value, such as 3.0.
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The OBDLink app uses the PIDs supported by your vehicle to automatically select the most accurate FUEL CALCULATION METHOD.
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Each fuel calculation method uses certain vehicle values during the calculation. You can fine-tune the values to improve the calculation accuracy.
Mass air flow rate
Select one of the following Fuel Type options: Gasoline/petrol, E85, E100, or diesel
Intake manifold absolute pressure
Select one of the following Fuel Type options: Gasoline/petrol, E85, E100, or diesel
Enter an Engine Size value: Refer to your owner's manual for this information.
Volumetric Efficiency (VE): Tap the information icon to the right of this field to learn about typical values for VE for different engine types. A number at the low end of this range is typically used for calculations. It may be possible to find additional information for your vehicle online.
Direct Fuel Rate
No Vehicle Editor settings are used.
Power and torque calculations
The power and torque calculations use the fuel economy settings (FUEL and ENGINE SIZE) described above, and also the BRAKE SPECIFIC FUEL CONSUMPTION setting.
Tap the information icon found to the right of many of the Vehicle settings to learn about standard ranges for different engine types. A number in the middle of the range is typically used for calculations. It may be possible to find additional information about your vehicle online.
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Next steps
- The OBDLink app displays several dashboards and diagnostic parameters by default, including engine RPM and speed. Learn how to edit the dashboards and add new gauges by following the steps in the Add and Edit Dashboard Gauges article.
Learn more
- You can explore other OBDLink features and functionality using our support article knowledge base.
- For descriptions of terms used in this article, see the Glossary of Acronyms and Terms.
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