Difference between revisions of "ElanScan"

Latest revision as of 12:40, 13 June 2026

ElanScan is a piece of software which interfaces with the Elan's ECU and can retrieve various real-time stats.

13/6/26 update --Madbilly (talk) 12:40, 13 June 2026 (BST):

For late Win10 and all Win11, refer to these instructions: http://www.lecinterfaces.talktalk.net/index.htm For earlier Win10, refer to these instructions: https://d4pinky.wixsite.com/m100-documents/elanscan-etc

On 13/6/26 I could not get the links below to work, but that could be my own computer or my ISP --Madbilly (talk) 12:40, 13 June 2026 (BST):

ElanScan is available for download from ESM's old website, information on obtaining suitable interfaces is available at GeoffSmith's website.

Preparation

If you think you have a problem, CHECK THE BASE TIMING. Provided this is correct, then proceed.

Communication errors

The error log reports any bad communications between the pc/ES and then car/ECU :

Comm port inactive

The wrong communications port has been selected for ElanScan. Check in the pc hardware configuration / device manager to see which ports are present. {From bitter experience, this may also indicate a broken serial port!}.

In Windows XP go into Device Manager: Right mouse on | My Computer | and select | Properties |, select the | Hardware | tab and press | Device Manager |. Expand the | Universal Serial Bus controllers | by clicking on the [+] and there should be a reference to a | USB serial converter |. Expand the | Ports (Com & LPT) | and there should be a reference to | USB Serial Port (COMX) |. The port number must be used so in ElanScan click "Setup" then "Set comm port" and select the correct number (COMX) from the list.

To check the latency, double click on | Ports (Com & LPT) | and select the | Port Settings | tab. Click the | Advanced | button and ensure that the | Latency Timer (msec): | is set to 1.

Bad echo (sent: F4 56 01 B5: received: )

The ECU is not responding, usually because the ignition is not turned on or the interfaces is not properly connected [Note F4 56 01 B5 relates to the Elan turbo engine only]

Bad echo (sent: F4 56 01 B5: received: XX XX XX XX)

Indicates noisy communication with the ECU, likely caused by a poor electrical connection [Note XX is the hex representation of a byte of data and there may be between one and four bytes returned depending on the problem]

No reply No frame start byte received

Probably caused by having the latency timer setting too high: In device manager (see "Comm port inactive" above), select | USB serial port | Port settings | Advanced | BM option:Latency timer (ms) | and make sure it is set to 1. See also USB driver instructions.

For Win7, the FTDI application note on advanced device settings is helpful. Note in particular that the settings are for the "USB Serial port" (usually under Ports), rather than "USB Serial Converter" under USB. The "Ports" section may only be visible when the ElanScan cable is connected to the computer.

User help

Change the graph display

Select the required parameter from the drop down boxes:

Primary axis data in blue

Secondary axis data in red

Click on the picture for a full sized view

Lotus Fault Finder

Diagnoses

Baseline ES run from cold

Start engine from cold until the fans kick in for the second time. Thermostat opening should be apparent at ~80 to 85°C and fan switch at ~105 to 110°C.

Check the Injector pulse width

When hot, plot the injector pulse width vs throttle position and it should look something like this:

Suggestions and links to LEC until they can be migrated into the Wiki (Geoff)

• Baseline ES run WOT in third gear

• High idle speed

• Stuck thermostat

• Stuck wastegate

• Idle not matching target idle : appears to be caused when TPS low is not set to 0.4V. See Wayne's data [1]

• O2 sensor: For closed loop cars, from cold, the "CO potentiometer/Oxygen sensor?" trace should start at about 3V and within a couple of minutes, be oscillating between less than ~0.5V and greater than ~4V:

Click on the picture for a full sized view