How OBDII mode works
Out of the box, a Haltech display dash expects to talk to a Haltech ECU or VCU using Haltech's own CAN protocol. If the car still runs its factory ECU, the dash can instead be set up in NSP to request data through the OBDII port, as long as that ECU communicates over CAN. The dash asks for standard OBDII parameters (PIDs) and displays whatever the ECU answers.
Two things to keep in mind. First, the dash can only show what the factory ECU chooses to support; not every car answers every PID. Second, OBDII data is requested one parameter at a time, so it won't refresh as quickly as a native Haltech CAN stream. It's great for gauges and warnings, less so for high-speed data logging.
Supported channels
| Group | Channels (units as supplied) |
|---|---|
| Engine basics | Engine speed (rpm), throttle position (%), calculated engine load (%), timing advance (degrees), engine run time (seconds) |
| Temperatures | Coolant temperature (°C), engine coolant sensors 1 and 2, intake air temperature (°C), ambient air temperature, engine oil temperature |
| Pressures | Intake manifold absolute pressure (kPa absolute), barometric pressure (kPa), fuel pressure (kPa gauge), fuel rail pressure, evap system vapor pressure |
| Air flow | Mass air flow rate (grams per second), mass air flow sensors 1 and 2 |
| Fueling and mixture | Short and long term fuel trims for bank 0 and bank 1 (%), target AFR as lambda, O2 sensors 1 through 8 air-fuel equivalence ratio and voltage, engine fuel rate (L/h) |
| Vehicle | Vehicle speed (km/h), fuel level, control module (ECU) voltage, commanded evaporative purge |
Metric units are what the ECU sends. The dash handles unit conversion for display, so you can still show psi, °F or mph if you prefer.
What we tell customers
- Check your car first. A late-model engine usually supports most of this list. An older CAN-era car might answer only the basics. There's no harm testing, but don't count on a channel until you've seen it live.
- Channels outside the list won't appear. Things like transmission temperature or boost from an aftermarket sensor usually aren't standard OBDII PIDs. If you need them, bring the sensor in another way, such as a dash with its own sensor inputs or a Haltech CAN input device.
Hardware and setup
The iC-7 OBD-II display dash is built for exactly this job. To connect a dash to the OBDII port, use the iC-7 OBDII to CAN cable. For the NSP side, start with sourcing data for dashes in NSP, and see navigating dashes in NSP if you're new to the software.
Running an aftermarket ECU from another brand instead? We have separate guides, such as Link ECU to a Haltech dash.
