drifting off topic is cool, i know ive done it a good amount of times the past couple years i been here. ill probably end up pulling the thermostat. for the above instructions i need an OBD2 code reader right? sadly i have an iphone so the torque app is a no go. i thought about buying a cheap ass 7" android tablet with a dash mount that would strictly stay in the car for monitoring purposes but i need the funds for it first. i wonder if anyone wants to trade one for a 4th gen ipod touch??....lol
Just buy a new or used ordinary android cell phone. I just bought a Samsung Discover new for $100 strictly to run the Torque App. I didn't even put in the SIM card,... I can't make phone calls with it but I don't care,... NO Contract. The Tablets are too big and clunky to fit nicely in a car and cost too much money with limited speed and power.
All you need is the phone to have bluetooth and WiFi and it does everything a tablet can do only more and cheaper. Try to get a newer phone with the latest software,... mine is ice cream sandwich,... the newest is Jelly Bean,... the Torque App is designed to work with Android phones.
Then you get the Bluetooth scanner (ELM 327,... it's less than $20) that plugs into your OBDII port. (that's what we have,.. it's under the steering column) and it broadcasts to your phone via Bluetooth.
Bluetooth doesn't work with the Iphone,... HOWEVER,... there is a OBDII reader that uses WiFi instead of Bluetooth and apparently works with the Iphone. I'm not sure how well it works because of software issues, speed and compatibility.
AND,... My bluetooth reader came with a little DVD with software on it to put on a windows computer so you can sit your computer in your car to get the readings.
I'm sure you can find a used Android phone for $50 or $60,... even mine is on sale (here in Canada) for $79 new. Remember,... you don't even have to plug in your SIM card,... just use it like a tablet.
I must admit,... I have only plugged in my reader a couple of times for just a few minutes just to make sure everything works,... I've been busy with bearings, lower control arms, calipers and my "Fan Switch Bypass" Mod,... so I've been putting it off.
I've gotta sell my UltraGauge now,... it doesn't work properly for our cars. (apparently it's the ONLY gas powered car on the market built since 1996 that the UG won't read properly.)
DON'T get an ordinary code reader,... it only reads CEL codes. The torque app is the one that shows all the info that the ECU has to show,... including water temperature. (it really is cool). It also reads and resets codes.
Check out this link,... "Why iPhone/iPad apps can not work with ELM327 Bluetooth OBD-II diagnostic tool?" (I haven't read it yet,... I just Googled it)
http://www.cyue-tech.com/index.php?a=show&m=Article&id=43
One thing my UltraGauge does read is water temperature,... when our car reaches 68* C the temp meter stops moving. The UG showed the temp climbing all the way to 97* C before the fans came on while idling in the driveway. I have no idea how friggen hot the car has to get before the stock needle moves again. I could have unplugged my fans to find out but I didn't want to risk that.