[vcmtuner]

I looked at your website - and this was exactly how I had envisioned the Muzzler with a variable adjuster - thanks so much for bringing this out. Question - the add on for the Muzzler you are selling, will you be offering it with a cover? I may just buy the whole thing and sell the muzzler I have to a friend.

The product now ships with a 3/4" rubber plug cover. There's a picture on the forums here and the website. The plug is overkill, is rated for automotive use and does the job.

 

[sontakke]

Since OP is an engineer experienced with wireless devices, how about measuring the outside temperature via wireless sensor installed away from the engine and then using its input to automatically come up with resistance value using digital logic?

I mean why should changing the resistance be manual process at all if we are going for VCM_Defeat V2.0 version?

 

[dvpatel]

Or, if the said "feed back circuit was developed, where there is a simple ON/OFF switch and when the system is ON, it keeps varying the resistance with a built in a failsafe to cut the system OFF at say 200 degrees sensor temp to protect/identify real problems with varying the resistance. The OFF is needed for the idle relearn and just to keep VCM being used occasionally to keep everything in working order.

Now that would be a cool system and worth every penny.

 

[vcmtuner]

Or, if the said "feed back circuit was developed, where there is a simple ON/OFF switch and when the system is ON, it keeps varying the resistance with a built in a failsafe to cut the system OFF at say 200 degrees sensor temp to protect/identify real problems with varying the resistance. The OFF is needed for the idle relearn and just to keep VCM being used occasionally to keep everything in working order.

Now that would be a cool system and worth every penny.

I'm working on an analog way right now that could be added to the existing tuner circuit dial product
that could effectively increase resistance in the right manner between the seasonal temp changes
under the hood. Then use a relay to turn it on/off from the dash and a thermal switch cutout if the temp
exceeds a certain value under the hood.


This is a challenge but might be doable before going digital.


Brock

 

[dvpatel]

When you develop that, if you need test dummies, I volunteer my 2007. Remember, I volunteered to be the test bed very first for this concept.

 

[Loid]

Got the vcmtuner yesterday in the mail, it shipped Wednesday, 2/1 just as Brock said and I got an email that morning with the tracking number. I installed it this morning after the van sat all night, install was quick and easy and some nice detailed instructions were included with the unit.
I drove the van about 25-30 miles today with the tuner set at the 40 position which is how I got it. No ECO light and no check engine lights came on. The van drives so much smoother without VCM, it really is night and day. For reference the high was about 47* today. I hadn't paid attention before but my temp gauge now sits about 1/3 of the way up. That seems slightly lower than what I've seen but no check engine light so far. If/when I start to get the ECO light I will pop the hood and turn the dial to 50. I really like the easy adjustability of the unit.
Also wanted to add that I got another email from the seller saying that if I had any problems or questions to feel free to contact him. A great experience overall. I will report back again down the road but no far I can definitely recommend the vcmtuner and the seller is a stand up guy.
Let me know if anyone has any questions.

 

[vcmtuner]

Just an FYI - installation video now on youtube.

 

[vcmtuner]

BTW, I have a new plug cover that is much easier to remove and re-install now as the plastic is flexible. I'm much happier with the total outcome now. The first plug cover was quite durable but took some pinching to get over the female connector to cover the dial. I don't see any need to modify the product from how it's now shipping at this time.

The batch I started shipping this week was cosmetically superior to my first batch as the sealant is now quite hidden behind the back of the tuner dial and is also sealed to the waterproof connectors between the pins on the tuner dial and the back of the female connector as insurance. I appreciate those here on the forum who went out on a limb to buy a my new product. The feedback has been a big help and I've made some videos to help clarify how the kit should be installed. If anyone has an issue with the product i'll do everything I can to make sure you are satisfied if for some reason the product does meet your expectations.

Brock

 

[F100]

We just bought a new 2017 Pilot EX on Saturday. I was looking to get a Second VCMuzzler as I got one for our 2012 Odyssey after plugs fouled and Honda did a ring job a year ago in December with 30,000 something miles. So I'm a believer in killing the VCM because it did allow the ring on our 2012 EX to rotate and bypass oil. I had changed the oil just before the plug fouling and noticed that hardly any was on the dip stick with about 7000 miles on the change. Luckily I was running AMSOil Signature Series 0W20 which probably protected other stuff when the oil got that low. Since the ring job and installing the VCM, I can let the Maintenance Minder go to about 10% and it doesn't burn any oil. At close to $10 per quart for AMSOil SS, saving oil can pay for the VCM defeat quickly.

So now with just over 200 miles on a new 2017 Pilot EX, I was wanting to one for that and just PM'ed for the VCMuzzler 2. It's $92.22 Shipped from Canada. So this VCMtuner is competitive if it's as well made. Being able to fine tune the resistance with the Torque app will be nice to keep it just below the 168 degree activation temp. I've only used the blue resister on the Muzzler but it seems to hold up fine in NC Summer traffic with occasional activation on hot days in traffic.

I just learned about the VCMtuner today as I was about to order the Muzzler. I'd be a happy test case for both since I will have the VCMuzzler on the 2012 Odyssey and the VCMtuner on the 2012 Pilot. I'll probably join the Pilot forums now and can post in both places. I don't feel like spending and extra $50 on top of the $90 for VCMtuner's resister to plug into VCMuzzler's harness. But vcmtuner can PM me if he can work out a discount for a value add of both the a whole VCMtuner plus a second resistor only. $150 for both at this point might be a little high but a discount on both might move more inventory.

 

[vcmtuner]

We just bought a new 2017 Pilot EX on Saturday. I was looking to get a Second VCMuzzler as I got one for our 2012 Odyssey after plugs fouled and Honda did a ring job a year ago in December with 30,000 something miles. So I'm a believer in killing the VCM because it did allow the ring on our 2012 EX to rotate and bypass oil. I had changed the oil just before the plug fouling and noticed that hardly any was on the dip stick with about 7000 miles on the change. Luckily I was running AMSOil Signature Series 0W20 which probably protected other stuff when the oil got that low. Since the ring job and installing the VCM, I can let the Maintenance Minder go to about 10% and it doesn't burn any oil. At close to $10 per quart for AMSOil SS, saving oil can pay for the VCM defeat quickly.

So now with just over 200 miles on a new 2017 Pilot EX, I was wanting to one for that and just PM'ed for the VCMuzzler 2. It's $92.22 Shipped from Canada. So this VCMtuner is competitive if it's as well made. Being able to fine tune the resistance with the Torque app will be nice to keep it just below the 168 degree activation temp. I've only used the blue resister on the Muzzler but it seems to hold up fine in NC Summer traffic with occasional activation on hot days in traffic.

I just learned about the VCMtuner today as I was about to order the Muzzler. I'd be a happy test case for both since I will have the VCMuzzler on the 2012 Odyssey and the VCMtuner on the 2012 Pilot. I'll probably join the Pilot forums now and can post in both places. I don't feel like spending and extra $50 on top of the $90 for VCMtuner's resister to plug into VCMuzzler's harness. But vcmtuner can PM me if he can work out a discount for a value add of both the a whole VCMtuner plus a second resistor only. $150 for both at this point might be a little high but a discount on both might move more inventory.

F100, glad we worked something out that would fit your needs. Let me know what you think of the new plug covers. I included a bonus one for your extra tuner plug to convert your muzzler to a vcmtuner using the older harness. The plug covers go on quite nicely and come off easy enough compared to the initial batch of plug covers that were durable, snug but required some effort to put on and off. I spent a lot of time overthinking on improving this part over the last few days. Basically we have a soft rubber cover that is now wrapped in 3M friction tape, so you can place it over the tuner by pressing the back together, letting off a bit and then turning it until snug. That part now takes some labor to put together but I love it on my ody and it's just one more custom part of the vcmtuner kit that you could not buy in a store anywhere like this. I've attached an updated picture of the complete kit including the new plug cover. The harness has been improved to locate the 90 degree connector somewhat closer to the sensor port to minimize cable stress on the factory wiring. Feedback is welcome. For those of you that already purchased a tuner setup last week, I can send you a source locally to assemble the custom plug cover. PM me for details.

I normallly plug my tuner plug into the port parallel to the sensor connector, and plug the factory wiring harness into the 90 degree offset port. You can switch this around if necessary to make installation easier on your platform.

 

[F100]

Looking forward to trying this out on my new 2017 Pilot. I'll try to give this board an unbiased review of the product compared to the Muzzler I have on my 2012 Ody.

I was about to order a second VCMuzzler but came across this. I like the Muzzler but as a owner/buyer, it's nice to see an improved product as well. Both folks have worked hard at improving something that benefits a lot of folks like my self who had to have a ring job on our 2012 Ody because of VCM. If the adjustable resistor holds up as well as a simple resistor, it will be a welcome improvement. Being able to adjust the resistance live while looking at the Coolant temp in Torque will be nice. Can basically fine tune your engine.

With the new Pilot's and all not having an eco light anymore, it's almost essential to have something like the torque app telling you the temp. I just hope cutoff for VCM activation is the same. Honda has become better at masking the VCM activation but I can still feel it there at times. Would be nice to have some light or sensor though to tell or show you when it's cycling on and off. Similar to the way the Eco light did.

I have been playing with the ECO button on the 17 Pilot. It not only adjusts your throttle response, but it does slow down your Cabin AC fan. Probably cycles the compressor less often as well. And it may shift sooner but I haven't been able to drive enough with that to test it yet. I usually just leave it off. If I wanted and Eco car, I would have bought a civic or something like that.

 

[vcmtuner]

vcmtuner install picture 2017

Posting pictures of a successful install on a 2017 ridgeline, before and after. Should look very close to what the new 2016/2017 odyssey and pilots will look like. Look for the plug cover in the attachments.

 

[F100]

I don't have time right now for a full review but I'll post some quick pictures of installing the VCMtuner on my new 2017 Pilot. I got the VCM tuner in the mail on Saturday just a few days after sending payment. Quick shipping coast to coast. I installed the VCMtuner on Sunday (yesterday) but didn't drive my new Pilot until today for work. It does work fine but it may be that because everything is new, that I will need to increase the resistance just a bit from the initial setting. With temps in the mid 40's, the perceived temp stayed around 165. But after I got near work and idled in traffic some more, the temp came up to about 172.4 and I could hear the VCM kick in again when slowing down or letting off the accelerator. I'll increase the dial this afternoon and see how it responds.

Because of the direction that the Temperature sending unit was installed in my Pilot, I had to turn the VCM tuner a little bit different to get it to connect. It would have been nice if it was 180 degrees so that the side connector was pointing the other way. But sensors may be turned different directions anyway and there was still room to work with.

I will say that Honda used a pretty small gauge wire in the harness. So be careful with the harness plug wires. I'm okay with mine if they don't move but I don't want to have muck with it very much.

 

[vcmtuner]

View attachment 100994 View attachment 101002 View attachment 101010

I don't have time right now for a full review but I'll post some quick pictures of installing the VCMtuner on my new 2017 Pilot. I got the VCM tuner in the mail on Saturday just a few days after sending payment. Quick shipping coast to coast. I installed the VCMtuner on Sunday (yesterday) but didn't drive my new Pilot until today for work. It does work fine but it may be that because everything is new, that I will need to increase the resistance just a bit from the initial setting. With temps in the mid 40's, the perceived temp stayed around 165. But after I got near work and idled in traffic some more, the temp came up to about 172.4 and I could hear the VCM kick in again when slowing down or letting off the accelerator. I'll increase the dial this afternoon and see how it responds.

Because of the direction that the Temperature sending unit was installed in my Pilot, I had to turn the VCM tuner a little bit different to get it to connect. It would have been nice if it was 180 degrees so that the side connector was pointing the other way. But sensors may be turned different directions anyway and there was still room to work with.

I will say that Honda used a pretty small gauge wire in the harness. So be careful with the harness plug wires. I'm okay with mine if they don't move but I don't want to have muck with it very much.

F100, I shot you an e-mail earlier today about the harness. Since it's made with 18 gauge copper, you can twist those connectors some 180 degrees and there should be enough play to do so. Just use your best judgement and if it feels like there's too much stress on the harness, don't force it. The two connectors on the harness parallel to each other will have a bit more play than the 90 degree angle connector due to the length of the wire inside the plastic jacketing. The 90 degree angled connector has a sharper bend to keep the plastic jacketing over the copper wires, so that port should be left alone if possible. Basically instead of twisting the 90 degree port, twist the top and bottom connectors to orient the 90 degree port to your desired direction.

The tuners come preset at 82-83 ohms. This is exactly the scenario where vcmtuner shines instead of a fixed resistor value. Some vehicles have CTS sensors with some +/- 5F degrees in variance. For every 10 ohms of increased resistance, the reported temperature to the ECU is shunted somewhere between 2-3F from my tests on freeway driving. So a setting of 100 ohms (approximately position 50 on the dial) should work to disable VCM and keep your freeway operating temperature around 166 max if you peaked at 172F. It looks like the included velcro straps come in handy for the install from the posted pictures. Please come post some feedback once you get this dialed in.

Brock

 

[davedrivesody]

BTW, I tested adjusting the tuner tonight while running and I did not generate a CEL light tuning between 0 and 130 ohms while idling in the shop.
I watched the temperature swing from 158F (120 ohms or so) degrees to about 180F (0 ohms) w/ the torque app viewing the ECT gauge. This was after driving the vehicle for about 8 minutes.
Checked the codes w/ torque app afterwards and none were found. So I would suspect the circuit being interrupted/disconnected is generating the CEL as we discussed earlier in the thread.

That's what my prof's would have called "empirical research". Interesting, but falls short on validity.

Have you actually metered the control to confirm that the circuit is maintained when changing the control setting?

Dave

 

[John Clark]

That's what my prof's would have called "empirical research". Interesting, but falls short on validity.

Have you actually metered the control to confirm that the circuit is maintained when changing the control setting?

Dave

You would actually have to scope it to see what is happening with the pot. A regular voltmeter or ohmmeter would be too slow to detect any dropout in the circuit, if present. It would be way to fast for a meter.

 

[marvinstockman]

Great advance on the Muzzler, but we shouldn't take a credit away from the Muzzler.

Question, can you make an adjustable resistor that adapts to the Muzzler?

 

[pappy]

Is the rheostat plastic temp resistant for extremes in temps? Could the dial contacts loosen during vibrations? How robust is the dial if one fiddled with it too many times?

 

[F100]

Yes, he said he has just the adjustable resistor plug earlier in the thread. It uses the same plug as the VCMuzzler. I ordered a second resistor plug from VCMtuner to test on my '12 Odyssey with a VCMuzzler on it. Here is what is looked like when shipped to me. The extra module is plugged in the harness side connector. Things look good. A little residue from the glue used on the plastic. But if it holds, it shouldn't cause a problem.

I haven't tested on our ODY yet as I only got it 3 days ago and the wife doesn't want me messing with it. But I have used the VCMtuner on my '17 Pilot now for two days and no big issues. I installed it several hours after it was driven. Cooled down enough to touch but sill warm. No Check engine light.

In watching Torque on my Pilot with a $10 VeePeak OBD module from Amazon, I can say that between 40 and 50 is fine this time of year. If my OBD module and app are correct, I'm getting a little more swing in temp if I idol. About 5 degrees in driving around. Now that may be because at less than 400 miles, all the coolant and coolant system are clean and fresh as a whistle. So the cooling efficiency is as good as it will ever get. So it swings a little more than when it has more miles and several years on it. My 2004 Ford Ranger used to do the same thing when new; wider swing in the coolant gauge.

This morning I was sitting between 163 and 167 most of the time when driving on a longer highway stretch to drop kids off at school. VCM would stay off. I may bump resistance up yet still from the 45 mark. But I'm trying to monitor as much I can to see how close to 167 I can stay to keep VCM from kicking in a 168. With the radio off, I can hear VCM clink in. It's hard to hear clink off now compared to the '12 ODY. Air temps this morning were in the 30's.

I have a quick video I shot that I will try to post soon. Noting you all know but pretty simple to give a visual from someone independent of both VCMtuner and VCMuzzler. I've spent close to $100 with each. I just want the best product that will work well and last. Time will tell with the VCMtuner but so far, it's certainly a nice improvement. US shipping is a plus. And if the pending patent gets approved, that will be nice. Passing CARB certification would be nice as well but I don't really care about CARB. That's why I also own a 1966 Ford F100 that spews emissions. I just want CARB to stopping messing with Gas Cans that used to work just fine.

 

[vcmtuner]

Great advance on the Muzzler, but we shouldn't take a credit away from the Muzzler.

Question, can you make an adjustable resistor that adapts to the Muzzler?

Hi Marvin, I sell a plug adapter that works w/ the muzzler. F100 ordered one for his muzzler last week.