I bought a VCMtuner, it works fine, it's ok. But I have a technical question about fuel economy.
Will the fuel consumption be higher or lower?
After all, the engine computer reads it as a lower temperature and does it inject more gas into the cylinder? Is it not then the state of suction, i.e. additional fuel injection, as in a cold engine? How do you judge it?

 

Asked and answered numerous times in numerous threads. Read the vcmuzzler faq thread at the top of the 2005-2010 forum.

Fuel consumption is higher (and only slightly, if any) because all cylinders fire all the time, not because of the temp of the engine, which isn't actually affected. The O2 sensors provide feedback to the computer for fuel control. Extra fuel is only used at initial cold start. After that the O2 sensors are controlling.

No need to attempt to reinvent the wheel by over thinking this. I've been running a Muzzler of some sort for nearly 100k miles. I've got 225k on my van and it runs as good as the day I bought it brand new.

 

I agree about not over thinking it. I now have had the VCMTUNER II installed for 20 months and over 23K miles and it works great.

As I pointed out above in post #48 my highway fuel economy has actually improved slightly, I think because of the way I drive. Around town it might be slightly less (not really noticeable on computer), but unlike road trips, we didn't routinely calculate local fuel economy based on the mileage traveled / fuel used between fill ups. You can judge on your own if you had routinely calculated your fuel economy previously for an extended period of time before installing the VCMTUNER II, and now can compare it to what you are getting now.

In any case it isn't much of an impact so just install it and enjoy having the smoothness of 6 cylinders firing all the time and know you may be avoiding problems down the road.

 

Hello. I just bought a VCM Tuner II. I have little issue with it. The car run fine with VCMTuner II for 2 days. Now it had hard time to start up during cold start. The temp gauge always show the engine temperature is warm up as normal condition (2/5 from cold to hot). Does anyone having that issue and is there a fix for it? Thank you

 

My guess is your hard starting problem is not VCMTUNER II related.

When you say "always" is that even after the engine has fully cooled? When starting it from cold, the temperature gauge should start at cold, and then as the engine warms up the needle will rise until it gets just below the thermometer symbol and stay there.

If you have an OBDII scan tool you might want to check what the coolant temperate is as reported by the ECM. When it is fully warmed up and hasn't sat stopped and idling the temperature should register under 167F and likely around 162F. If you leave it parked idling for a few minutes the VCMTUNER II will enter service mode and pass the actual ECT1 thermistor resistance onto the ECM and the temperature on the OBDII scan tool should jump above 194F even though you won't see any movement in the temperature gauge.

When I did this after installing mine the temperature was 162F when fully warmed up and jumped to 198F when it sat idling for a few minutes. It immediately dropped back down to 162F when I started driving again. There was absolutely no movement in the needle with the swings from 162F to 198F and back.

 

It's possible there is something wrong with your VCMTunerII. If the engine is stone cold it should read cold. It shouldn't read anything if the engine is cold.

 

I guess if there was something wrong with your VCMTUNER II it could be presenting the resistance associated with approximately 162F to the ECM even when the engine is cold below this temperature.

I'd check all the wiring.

It might also be good to check the coolant temperature with an OBDII scan tool to see what the ECM is seeing. Besides if it shows around 162F when the engine is cold, there could also be an issue if it is fully warmed up and sits parked idling for a few minutes if the temperature doesn't jump up to around 194.

I'd probably also reach out to Brock Eastman sending him an email at: info@vcmtuner.com I have traded some E-mails with him in the past and found him to be responsive.

 

I didn't see a lot about VCMTuner II so I thought I'd start a new thread.

I only recently learned about the issues with VCM reading threads on OdyClub, and even though my '07 Touring with 130K miles doesn't have symptoms (high oil consumption, fouled plugs, etc.) I decided to disable it as a preventative measure. Since my wife primarily drives the Odyssey, I was attracted to a solution that didn't need to be manually readjusted periodically based on season (she probably wouldn't notice if the ECO light started coming back on).

I saw a thread about S-VCM which looked like a good solution because it didn't need to be manually adjusted, and displayed the correct temperature on the gauge if the actual temperature was too high. I asked about people's experience with S-VCM, which was positive, but John Clark also turned me on to the VCMTuner II which is similar S-VCM, but with added features. There is an accelerometer which will automatically override suppression when the vehicle is at idle, is at operating temperature, and sits for more than 2 minutes for diagnostic procedures. You can activate an Audible engine coolant alarm when the actual temperature exceeds 212F. If you want, you could also install a toggle switch in the cabin to manually enable / disable VCM. There is also a connection for a future optional add-on engine coolant level alarm.

In the end I decided to get the VCMTuner II as the S-VCM was out of stock, when shipping charges were considered, the VCMTuner II was less than $20 more expensive and the added functionality was worth it to me. With the cheapest shipping option (First Class USPS mail), I received it in only 4 days (ordered on Thursday, arrived on Monday).

Today I installed it. It was probably slightly more involved than S-VCM (there is a box which mounts over a battery hold down bracket post with a wing nut provided) but was easy and straight forward none the less. Since installing it, I haven't driven it a lot, but enough to know VCM is suppressed (no ECO light) and there were no codes generated.

I'm planning on keeping it in the standard configuration for a few days, but will probably go ahead and activate the engine coolant alarm feature over the weekend. I'll post updates as I get more experience with it.

Hi. I saw this on you tube. But I cant seem to find where to buy it. Could you send me or post a link to where it can be purchased? Thanks Ben

 

I found the VCM TUNER 2 (vcmtuner.com). So... is there a difference between VCM TUNNER 2 and VCM MUZZLER? Is one Better than the other?

 

I bought and installed the VCMTuner II recently. It has been trouble free and I really like how the ody drives without the ECO constantly turning on and off.

This morning, however, I saw the ECO turn on for a few seconds while driving on a side street. I parked the car and check under the hood, everything seemed fine so I continued on my way; the ECO did not turn on for the rest of my trip.

Has anyone else experience this? Any idea why the ECO turn on for a few seconds?

 

No, I haven't seen the ECO light come on since I installed my VCMTUNER II over 2 years ago. I'd keep an eye on it. Also, you might want to send an E-mail to Brock using info@vcmtuner.com address asking him about it. He was pretty responsive when I had questions / comments when I first installed mine.

 

I don't have the VCMTuner II, but from what I've read about it here on this forum the ECO light should never come on. So, it seems like something is amiss.

 

Is it possible maybe it detected something and put it into diagnostic mode where it passes the real temps?

 

For those in California you can now get the VCMTUNER II as it has CARB approval.

 

Has anyone installed this on a 2021? I can't for the life of me find the ECT1 connection. And with the muzzler located between the battery and the left fender, the cable doesn't seem like it could reach anything.

 

Follow the radiator hose to thermostat housing maybe? ECT1 should be visible.

 

Is this it?

 

Yes

 

Yep on housing it will be a small black 2-wire connector to probably white or green thing on sensor.

Also I mounted mine to the frame where the ground cable is. All wires reached. If yours is mounted on battery spot or near by, all cables should reach even better. No?

 

If yours is mounted on battery spot or near by, all cables should reach even better. No?

That's one reason I was having so much trouble finding the ECT1 connector. I was looking for something within reach of the cable. No, it does not reach. I emailed Brock, and he recommended attaching it to the Air Intake housing. I'm going to try that this Sunday. He said all future units will have an 18" cord rather than the 12" cord that mine came with. I guess I ordered right before he made the switch. He offered to swap mine out for one with a longer cord, but I want to try his alternate mounting position first.

 

Yes, the battery is definitely mounted differently than in earlier Odysseys. So I guess he is lengthening the power wire so it can be mounted on the left post, but has enough slack so the wire doesn't have to be routed over the top of the battery.

 

I got my VCM Tuner II installed today. The van has 8,700 miles on it.

I tried mounting like Brock's photo in my previous post, but there is a large plastic tab sticking up behind the battery positive connection that gets in the way. I tried connecting the strap to the rearmost screw at that location, but I didn't really like the way the thing kind of bounced around in mid air on that cable strap. So, I got creative. You might think this was pretty anal, but I'm okay with that.

I found some angle brackets kicking around in my garage. I took one and modified it with a Dremel.

Then I used that to mount it in the location Brock suggested. Fit like a charm, and I love how it's rock solid.

A couple of tie wraps on the cable, and I feel like it's a pretty professional installation, if I do say so myself.

One thing I wasn't too crazy about is the way the original cable is bent at 180 degrees. I feel like that's a lot of stress on those wires.

One down side to all of this is that it's not exactly "out of sight, out of mind." I'll definitely need to remove this if she ever goes in for service.

Took it for a test drive, and true to the instructions, the temp gauge is slightly lower than normal. Typically the gauge needle always sits perfectly horizontal.

 

Took it for a test drive, and true to the instructions, the temp gauge is slightly lower than normal. Typically the gauge needle always sits perfectly horizontal.

View attachment 164715

Looks like a nice installation.

That's interesting about the temperature gauge - it looks like it operates differently than those in GEN 3 Odysseys.

I wonder if you leave it parked with the engine idling for a few minutes so the VCMTUNER II enters service mode if it would move back to the normal horizontal position?

In my '07 the needle remained in the same position with the VCMTUNER II as it had been before I installed it. Also, it doesn't move at all regardless of whether the coolant temperature on my OBDII scan tool is 162F (VCMTUNER II is suppressing the real temperature) or 198F (VCM in service mode and is passing the actual temperature).

 

One last observation. I saw in another thread where Honda usually put a sticker on the engine cover that said "Earth Dream" or "VCM" to identify their VCM engines. Mine has a place for such a sticker, but there is no sticker. I assume they no longer want to advertise this.

 

One last observation. I saw in another thread where Honda usually put a sticker on the engine cover that said "Earth Dream" or "VCM" to identify their VCM engines. Mine has a place for such a sticker, but there is no sticker. I assume they no longer want to advertise this.

View attachment 164716

The Earth Dreams sticker was removed a while back. No reason was provided.

 

I think for a 2021 Id like to mount it in a more discreet location so the dealer doesnt make a point of it standing 10 ft away with the hood open. Yeah i know about the magnussen act thing I just wouldnt want to give them the ammo. I may be trading my 07 for a 22 soon, i will likely solder some extension wires wrap it all up like oem appearance and hide it somewhere on the drivers side behind the airbox or somethin.

FWIW it works fine on my 07 i upgraded from the dumb potentiometer type in daily use theres little difference but I wanted the peace of mind because 15 year old vans overheating is not unheard of, I want to know about it. Aluminum block and head engines, they get real hot once theyre never the same.
I had a 65 cadillac with a 429, all iron. Left the radiator cap on the fender after checking it and went driving on a hot august day. Got it so hot that water you put in the radiator rumbled like a geyser and spit back out as steam for a full hour.
Put a new head gasket on it good to go.

 

Anyone with the VCMTuner II have the green wire hooked up to a switch? I’m wondering if you can turn the VCMTuner on and off while driving and if it would throw a code.

 

No, I never saw the need to toggle VCM on or off. I like it off all the time.

 

On his last video (engine replace), ETCG installed it but mentioned it could be used with a switch. He left it alone. Maybe in a different episode?

 

He removed the connection to ground and he doesn't really plan on adding a switch.

 

So I installed mine last weekend, took it for a 15 mile test drive and noticed the temp guage slightly lower than normal, which is what I expected. But then driving around town for a day, I noticed quite often that the guage was back to normal, perfectly horizontal. So now I'm wondering, how do we know this thing is actually doing what it's supposed to do? What if the circuitry fails? You might never know. I haven't noticed any difference in the feel of the van.

 

Does your van have an ECO light? If the VCMTUNER II is working correctly it won't come on.

Were you moving when you saw the needle horizontal? Maybe if you were stopped for a while it entered service mode and the VCMTUNER II passed actual resistance values from the ECT1 sensor on to the ECM. Once you started moving again it left service mode and the VCMTUNER II reengaged and suppressed the actual temperature.

Also, if you have an OBDII scan tool you could check what the ECM sees as the coolant temperature. Once the engine is fully warmed up, the temperature should be about 162F and definitely below 167F. It would be interesting to know what temperatures you see when the needle is slightly lower vs. horizontal.

Maybe see in the GEN 5 forum what other people's experience has been after installing a VCMTUNER II - As I pointed out, your needle is working differently than what I've seen with my 2007, so I'm kind of guessing here.

 

Yes, works as designed. In case of fail, it will fail open so that OEM functionality is restored. There is no difference in the fell or the drive. Even normally, you notice the issue (at least for those of us ECO is a noticeable change kick-in) or difference if you knew how it was when you had ECO come on vs never now.

Maybe your van is too new/low miles. With our used ones purchased unmuzzled, even wife and kids notice the difference... for us diyers.

 

No ECO light in the '21 unfortunately. That would be real helpful as from what I've read it seems to be a reliable indicator.

Needle went to horizontal while driving. Not sure how often or for how long, just happened to noticed it when I glanced at the cluster while driving.

Don't have a scan tool. I really should look into getting one.

I wonder if I could rig up my other dashcam to just watch the gauge?

 

Don't have a scan tool. I really should look into getting one.

They are pretty inexpensive and are very handy to have around. I bought this Bluetooth tool 6 years ago through NewEgg.com and use it with Torque (Lite) - a free App from the Google Play store:

Are you a human?

www.newegg.com

There's a paid more full featured version of Torque, but find the free Lite version meets my needs.

 

Just installed the VCMTuner II on my new-to-me 2010 Odyssey EX-L and it hasn't had any problems whatsoever. Loving having always-on full power of 6-cylinders — much faster engine response at all times. When I first installed it, the engine was warm and when I tried it out I got an engine light that wouldn't go off. I left it overnight to cool properly and the computer properly reset it self and I've had no warning lights since. Great product.