voltage drop, Gryphon resetting?

[OneTomcat]

Originally Posted by JackandJanet

This sounds to me like a power interruption to the Gryphon. Maybe you have poor connections at the OBDII port or in the cable where it plugs into the Gryphon. Have you checked that these are both secure? Maybe you could kind of unplug and replug both connectors with the power off to "burnish" the contacts and then, before plugging the cable back into the OBDII port, turn the ignition ON so that the unit will reinitialize properly?

I'm assuming here that your alternator and battery are both good. What do you see on the Gryphon when you monitor charging voltage? I see something in the neighborhood of 14.1 volts when driving during the day and not towing my trailer with its two additional batteries (that drag the voltage down).

- Jack

When I checked the OBDII connection it did appear to be tight but I'll try unplugging and replugging it as well as remove it from the pod and make sure I have a good connection there as well.The battery gauge seems to be showing everything is charging but I'll set up my Gryphon to monitor voltage in the morning.

It has happened once or twice before but tonight it happened 5 or 6 times in a 150 km trip. I don't know if it's relevant but I have only noticed this happening at night.

I have a 300 km trip tomorrow so it will give me a chance to see what happens. Thanks Jack, appreciate your input.

[Power Hungry]

You may want to change one of the display parameters to Battery Voltage, just to make sure. It does sound like a connection issue though.

Keep us posted.

[OneTomcat]

Checked all my connections and everything seemed to be fully plugged in. Set up the voltage monitor and it shows 14.4 volts (plus or minus a tenth).

On the first leg of my trip this morning my Gryphon quit twice and, as before, it came back on showing my hex code. On the return trip this evening it never missed a beat. There doesn't seem to be any repeated series of events that causes it to happen (ie; road vibration, acceleration or braking). I'm at a loss to figure it out as there doesn't seem to be anything mechanical wrong(connecetions, etc) and the voltage seems to be stable. Something internal perhaps, like a cold solder joint?

In any event, the unit seems to be operating and is only slightly annoying at night when it goes out and comes back on .....(I know, I know.....quit driving at night ).

I'll keep an eye on it and see how it goes.

[Jackpine]

It almost HAS to be something like a cold solder joint or loose connection in the power input circuit doesn't it? I've never taken my case apart, but would not be afraid to do it for a quick visual inspection of the internal connections.

Then again, it may or may not be something you'd feel comfortable in fixing if you found the problem. I think though, your unit is under warranty with PHP, so my advice would be to ship it to them and let Bill check it out. You can leave the tune on your truck, since the unit is only acting like a monitor now, so you wouldn't lose out on any performance gains it's provided while it's in transit.

I cannot imagine any kind of malfunction in your truck that would cut the power momentarily to the OBDII port. I don't even think any of the wiring to that port comes close to anything that moves (like the tilt wheel) that could cause wear and tear. I'm beginning to strongly suspect the OBD cable and/or the unit itself.

In fact, I remember now one other instance of a PHP customer who had to have his OBD cable replaced, so I know they can be faulty. I'd talk to Bill or Corey about this. I'm sure you'll be able to work something out.

And - maybe if you just turned the ignition on, but left the engine off and wiggled wires, into the back of the OBD port, the OBD cable at the plug, and the cable where it plugs into the Gryphon, you might be able to reproduce the problem and figure out where the fault is.

Hope all my "thinking out loud/rambling thought processes" have given you some ideas! :o

- Jack

[OneTomcat]

Thanks Jack, all good ideas. I'll try the ignition on and wiggling test over the weekend and see what transpires. I'm a little hesitant to open up the case and mess with anything while there is a warranty in force so I'll wait on the maestro on that procedure. It seems to me that I remember reading about a bad cable on one of the forums. I'll have to do some digging and try and find it. Maybe the symptoms ar the same.

Hopefully it won't have to go back ...... I have no idea what hoops I'll have to jump thru to handle the customs aspect. Anyone been thru sending an item for repair thru customs?

[Power Hungry]

Some things to look at...

1) Check the cable. Without wiggling the connector, try to flex the cable from one end to the other and see if the may be a break in one of the wires. Of course, this is not a broken wire that you would see, but the unit may cut out if wiggled the right way.

2) Check for other devices on the Power Point or cigarette lighter. These use the same circuit and may be causing a current draw that could cause the programmer to reboot.

3) Tap on the programmer and OBD-II connector. If there is a loose connection in either of these, you might see a glitch. Don't tap on the display... It's glass.

4) Reach behind the OBD-II connector and wiggle the wires from behind. You might have a bad connection there as well.

If all else fails, the unit is under warranty and we'll be happy to replace it. In MOST cases, warranty repair should be exempt form brokerage fees or duties. Just be prepared for it to take some time to travel.

As for leaving the truck in the level, ideally that would be fine. However, if I have to replace the board then you'll get a new unit and your truck would be stuck in a level. This is a situation we would certainly like to avoid it if at all possible.

Keep us up-to-date and if it continues, let us know so we can get the unit replaced.

Take care.

[Jackpine]

Originally Posted by Groovy Chick

You might want to check the fuse that goes to the lighter. I thought about posting that before, but I didn't know if it was dumb thing to suggest. I wanted to run it past Billy first, and he just told me that yes, that could be an issue. Oh, yeah... go me!

What? (Thought there was a BS flag in here someplace, but, oh well).

Yes, the cigar lighter lighter fuse controls power to the OBD port (one of Ford's better ideas, I suppose), but, c'mon - a fuse is either good or bad. I've NEVER in my life heard of an "intermittent" fuse!

Maybe, just maybe, the fuse connections could be corroded so there's intermittent contact or they possibly could be distorted which MIGHT cause the same symptom, but really!

OK, I've probably overreacted and I shouldn't even post this. However, I doubt any of us want to be surrounded by "yesmen", and, as you can see, I have too much respect for both of you to be one of those.

And, if you can convince me I'm out to lunch on this, I'll humbly apologize!

But, I sure liked all of Bill's ideas. And Corey, except for the fact that the unit usually works, your idea would be the FIRST thing to check!

OK, tell me to shut up!

- Jack

[OneTomcat]

Thanks for all the great ideas. You guys rock I think I do have a cell phone charger plugged in the rear power point. I'll check out the other things this weekend.... hopefully we'll get a day warm enough to do anything.

I'll not get involved in the lighter fuse issue as I can see many hours of heated debate

[Jackpine]

And, I'm apologizing right now for the tone of my last post. It was unkind, and Corey, I'm sorry! I still think I'm right about the fuse issue, but I could have found a better way to say it.

Told you I'm not "nice"! :o

(Oh heck - go ahead and change the fuse! It can't hurt anything!)

- Jack

[Jackpine]

So, the fuse contacts could be distorted by the electrical draw! I DO humbly apologize! (Rats! You're the fastest editor in the Free World, now I have to look for flowers, jewelry, or find some cash).

My thought in changing the fuse was to fix any "hidden" problems.

Just so you'll all know, Corey and I have PM'd back and forth on this issue this morning and I'm eating a big serving of crow right now. Fortunately, she's a forgiving soul in addition to being "Groovy"!

- Jack