[rcneil]

Just purchased a 2024 EX. One of the last new ones on Earth I think...

I've had other V6 Hondas and am well aware of the VCM issues. I was wondering if people have had experience actually tracking when the 3 cylinders shut off. Some say they hear a sound, a shutter, a vibration, etc. I think I have my own suspicions about when it actually engages, but would love to have a tool that actually says "You are using 6 cylinders now" or "You are using 3 cylinders now".

On another forum, I thought I saw a guy posting screenshots of TorquePro where it had a metric for cylinders in use. Is that confirmed? Are there other tools people use that will give you realtime data while you're driving?

Thanks!

 

[OddyseyRaceTeam]

They did away with the 'ECO' light?

 

[WiiMaster]

All VCM-3 Hondas do not have an ECO light anymore.

The cylinders active reading is not there by default, it is a custom data PID you need to setup. But it should work. The specific details for the PID are on the Ridgeline forum. I tested it on my VCM-2 Accord and it seemed to work, and the PID seems to also work on the VCM-3 Pilots and even the VCM-4 Pilots, so it should work for you.

 

[TSQ]

@rcneil Welcome to the forum!

Send a mode 22 request for PID 2615, the 51st data byte returned is the number of active cylinders.

For example, in Torque (pro):
Mode and PID = 222615
Equation = AY

 

[FD7683]

Doesn't matter, general consensus (not sure about VCM-3) is to disable the VCM to prevent issues.

 

[WiiMaster]

Doesn't matter

Maybe not to you.

 

[rcneil]

@rcneil Welcome to the forum!

Send a mode 22 request for PID 2615, the 51st data byte returned is the number of active cylinders.

For example, in Torque (pro):
Mode and PID = 222615
Equation = AY

View attachment 185688

Thanks @TSQ! Here's me trying to figure out what that means...

Haha, I'm gonna give TorquePro a shot and... do... the... mode request...

 

[majiexpress_7101]

@rcneil Welcome to the forum!

Send a mode 22 request for PID 2615, the 51st data byte returned is the number of active cylinders.

For example, in Torque (pro):
Mode and PID = 222615
Equation = AY

View attachment 185688

@TSQ
Hi TSQ, this is neat, do you by chance know if this will work on my CarScanner Pro with 3rd generation 06 EXL?

I am looking for info like ATF temp and oil pressure, etc... below is my Carscanner setup

 

[TSQ]

I'm gonna give TorquePro a shot and... do... the... mode request...

On the main Torque (Pro) screen hit the gear menu icon in the lower left, then click "Settings", and finally "Manage extra PIDs/Sensors"

Select "Add custom PID" from the menu (three vertical dots in upper right).

ODB2 Mode and PID: 222615
Long Name: Cylinders Active
Short Name: Cylinders
Minimum value: 0
Maximum value: 6
Scale factor: 1x
Unit type:
Equation: AY
OBD Header:
Diagnostic start command:
Diagnostic stop command:
Minimum refresh delay: 0
Overrides PID: Does not override any PID

Then it should up in your list of available sensors when you add a display.

Let me know if you get stuck.

@TSQ
Hi TSQ, this is neat, do you by chance know if this will work on my CarScanner Pro with 3rd generation 06 EXL?

I am looking for info like ATF temp and oil pressure, etc... below is my Carscanner setup

I'm not familiar with that software, but it should work with any software that supports custom PIDs. Assuming the vehicle computers support it.

I don't think the vehicle measures oil pressure? Just a switch?

Torque setup for Honda built transaxles (not the ZF 9 speed):

Mode: 222201
Long Name: ATF Temp
Short Name: ATF
Minimum value: -40
Maximum Value: 215
scale factor: x1
Unit type: C
Equation: AA-40

Mode: 222201
Long Name: Current Gear
Short Name: Gear
Minimum value: 0
Maximum Value: 16
scale factor: x1
Unit type:
Equation: AC
or if you want to show N, P, and R
Equation: LOOKUP(AC:AC:0='N':14='P':15='R')

^note: that is the number zero='N' (not the letter O)

@rcneil: These should work for you as well.

 

[rcneil]

@TSQ thanks again! That's super helpful! Is there any particular OBDII reader you recommend to communicate with Torque PRO that you've had luck with on 2018+ odys?

Again, very appreciated!

 

[TSQ]

Is there any particular OBDII reader you recommend to communicate with Torque PRO that you've had luck with on 2018+ odys?

Any ELM327 compatible device should work. I know some people on here use the Veepeak devices which are available on Amazon for cheap.

I have an OBDLink: Products - Diagnostic USB to OBD2 Scan Tools If you are just using it to read data in Torque then the LX is fine. Not cheap, but faster speeds, better compatibility, firmware updates, etc...

 

[majiexpress_7101]

On the main Torque (Pro) screen hit the gear menu icon in the lower left, then click "Settings", and finally "Manage extra PIDs/Sensors"

Select "Add custom PID" from the menu (three vertical dots in upper right).

ODB2 Mode and PID: 222615
Long Name: Cylinders Active
Short Name: Cylinders
Minimum value: 0
Maximum value: 6
Scale factor: 1x
Unit type:
Equation: AY
OBD Header:
Diagnostic start command:
Diagnostic stop command:
Minimum refresh delay: 0
Overrides PID: Does not override any PID

Then it should up in your list of available sensors when you add a display.

Let me know if you get stuck.


I'm not familiar with that software, but it should work with any software that supports custom PIDs. Assuming the vehicle computers support it.

I don't think the vehicle measures oil pressure? Just a switch?

Torque setup for Honda built transaxles (not the ZF 9 speed):

Mode: 222201
Long Name: ATF Temp
Short Name: ATF
Minimum value: -40
Maximum Value: 215
scale factor: x1
Unit type: C
Equation: AA-40

Mode: 222201
Long Name: Current Gear
Short Name: Gear
Minimum value: 0
Maximum Value: 16
scale factor: x1
Unit type:
Equation: AC
or if you want to show N, P, and R
Equation: LOOKUP(AC:AC:0='N':14='P':15='R')

^note: that is the number zero='N' (not the letter O)

@rcneil: These should work for you as well.

TSQ， thanks a lot!
After checking the Carscanner Developer website, it indeed has custom coding, but Honda is not in the brands supported, weird!

 

[rcneil]

Wanted to follow up on this. @WiiMaster and @TSQ’s advice was insanely helpful.

I ended up using the Veepeak OBDCheck as the adapter and Car Scanner Pro as the reader.

What surprised me is how frequently the VCM took the engine down to 3 cyclinders, and then back up, and then back down, and up, and down. I drive a lot of back roads and hills and a 15 minute drive probably saw it change over 50 times. It would engage as low as 31mph. I didn’t hear/feel it as much as I thought I did.

Suppose now the decision is whether I get a muzzler. I haven’t read any definitive gripes about 5th gen Odys having the same issues as others.

Below is the setup I used thanks to @TSQ

and also his suggestion for Gear:

only difference is Car Scanner doesn’t use the LOOKUP() function for labeling Park, Reverse, Neutral. Instead, there’s an option when entering the PID to designate value to text:

I guess my only follow up question is how the heck did you figure out what PIDs did what?

Many thanks for the help. Had no idea how far things have come for tracking your car. Pretty cool to have the app running in CarPlay so you can see it all from your dash.