We’re willing to bet good money that all diesel truck owners (or car owners, for that matter) worth their salt as hard-core enthusiasts always have a fair amount of honest concern about the performance of their vehicle’s drivetrain (engine, transmission, and such).
Let’s face it. For many of us—especially truck owners—our rigs are often used for making a living. Or, in some cases, our good ol’ diesels are simply a mode of transportation in one breath, and then called on for drag racing, sled pulling, dynoing, or displaying at a show, in another.
Having the ability to know exactly what’s going on with a diesel truck’s mechanical systems is definitely one of the keys to preserving that truck’s longevity. Although problems aren’t usually investigated until they actually occur, knowing what’s going on with your rig and being in front of potential crises is a good way to ensure it remains in proper running condition at all times.
| 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500hd
No, there isn’t any crystal ball that can provide such diagnostics, and getting to the bottom of these matters has long been the job for the diesel mechanics we trust. However, for the ’07 to ’13 GMT900 platform (Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 2500HD and 3500HD), Palmer Performance Engineering has developed a neat little tool we think might be the next best thing to having a set of tell-all tarot cards for a Duramax-powered rig.
Palmer’s new DashLogic (PN DL1045U; $249.95) is a small,easy-to-use, customizable device that plugs into a truck’s onboard diagnostics II (OBD-II) port and monitors all (and when we say all, we mean all) of the parameters in the OBD-II system, and presents the data through a truck’s Driver Information Center (the message area in the instrument panel, between the speedometer and tachometer).
| This is the very simple DashLogic system, highlighted by the plug-in, OBD-II
module and a micro-USB cable. A laptop loaded with Microsoft Windows is required for
customizing DashLogic but not included in the kit.
Want to know your truck’s coolant temperature? The turbocharger’s boost output, or something off the beaten path like its calculated fuel-flow rate…or the speed of only one wheel? This small device makes it possible to see these values and more—and it does so while you’re driving.
As Eddie Rios of Addiction Motorsports in Canoga Park, California, told us when he saw what DashLogic can do, “It’s a pretty cool tool!” That’s a pro’s take, and we definitely agree. However, DashLogic is not only for use by technicians. Duramax ownerenthusiasts can also use the tool to monitor their ’07 to ’13’s critical drivetrain data.
To demonstrate this, we asked our friend, Artis Houston, to give DashLogic a try on his stock ’09 Chevy Silverado 2500HD. The following photos and captions detail highlights of our test.
PIDs For The Pickin’
Since 1996, all light-duty cars and trucks (weighing less than 8,500 pounds) are required to support OBD-II diagnostics. The same rule has been in effect for medium-duty vehicles (8,500 to 14,000 pounds)—trucks, for the most part—since 2005. The vehicles must use a standardized data-link connector and a subset of the SAE J1979- or SAE J1939-defined (as applicable for medium-/heavy-duty vehicles) parameter identifiers (PIDs), primarily for state-mandated emissions inspections.
DashLogic features a library of 108 standard (for example, the SAE standard for rpm is PID #12) and ’07 to ’13 GMT900-specific PIDS that can be selected from pull-down menus in each Page screen and used for creating custom info displays and alarms. The screen captures represent a small sample of the 108 PIDs that are available.
