Hi All,
Just an update on where I am, it helps to write it down, and just maybe someone will put 2&2 together and point to the issue or in a direction not thought of yet.
I set up Torque Pro dashboard on an old phone to monitor Revs, Speed, Fuel & Temp from OBD, I thought that it would be a good backup in case all failed while on tour.
I could not get Speed or Fuel!. I set up Speed from GPS as an alternative and I'd have to calculate Fuel if needed.
I found that the OBD data also fails when the Dials Fail! There are some error codes flashed up and connection to ECU mentioned.
I have checked the wiring harness diagrams and looks like the OBD is on the same CAN-BUS connection as the dials.
I checked the CAN-BUS at the VDO connector, it measured 66 ohms but I didn't manage to wiggle much while measuring, I need to buy some better probes for my multi meter to free up some hands. So this is the next thing on my to-do list.
The Speed is interesting, I found that the speed reading on the LCD does NOT fail when the dials fail, my assumption is that the LCD uses the VSS signal it gets rather than using the ECU speed, the dial may fail because it sits on the SAT-BUS with the other dials so fails when they fail.
I also confirmed that the LCD Revs fails with the dials, so does the Water Temp. There is no LCD display of the Fuel level but the DTE fails when the fuel dial does.
Although I think the CAN-BUS is the issue, I will also start disconnecting dials systematically to check it's not one of those causing the issue. My thought being that a problem on the SAT-BUS could Cause the issue on the CAN-BUS, and it won't cost anything.
3rd action I have planned is to provide a second earth point, it's another connection that is shared between OBD and VDO, even though I've cleaned and checked it multiple times, it won't cost much.
Thanks for listening
