Hours or Miles Discrepancies Troubleshooting
What: There are a few possible problems and solutions related to your Hour Meter or Odometer value not matching the Current Hours or Current Miles value in Tenna. Review this article for more information about each potential issue and recommended troubleshooting steps.
Important! There will never be a 100% match between Tenna and the odometer/hour meter. Manually matching the odometer/hour meter to Tenna is important for the discrepancy to be as small as possible.
What are possible reasons for hours or miles in Tenna not matching my odometer or hour meter?
| Asset Errors or Damages | ECU Provided Data vs. Odometer/Hour Meter Hour meter or odometer was reset Damaged hour meter or odometer Key switches are left in the "run" position after the engine is turned off Battery disconnect wired incorrectly, causing a floating ground |
|---|---|
| Incorrect Installation or Verification | Incorrect miles or hours entered during Tracker Verification |
| Site Issues | Bad cellular coverage |
| Tenna Issues |
Troubleshooting
ECU Provided Data vs Odometer/Hour Meter
The values for hours and/or miles reported from your Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may differ from the values shown on the physical hour meter or odometer. This can be a minor discrepancy due to calculations from GPS data, or more major due to a new engine being installed on an asset.
Solution(s):
If the difference is small (only a few miles or hours off), it is unlikely to cause any major problems with maintenance schedules. However, frequent matching of this data to Tenna is recommended.
If a significant difference between ECU and odometer/hour meter occurs, users can choose to Ignore ECU Provided Data while the cause of the difference is explored. View Current Miles Overview and/or Current Hours and Idle Hours Overview for more information about ignoring ECU data.
For more extreme cases (off by more than 10%), contact us so we can work with you to uncover the underlying cause of the problem.
The asset’s physical hour meter or odometer was reset.
During Tracker Installation, initial mileage, hours, and idle hours are entered into Tenna. Sometimes, the hour meter or odometer is reset afterwards. This will result in a different reading on the physical meter and the value shown in Tenna.
Solution: It is recommended to periodically re-calibrate the values in Tenna to the asset’s physical hour meter or odometer. This will ensure that values remain consistent. View How to Update Current Miles or How to Update Current Hours and Idle Hours (Desktop) for more information.
The asset’s hour meter or odometer is flawed.
The physical hour meter itself is not perfect and over time will have unavoidable inaccuracies which will contribute to drift in hour-keeping relative to Tenna. Additionally, the source from which the hour meter derives ignition state information may itself be mechanically or electrically noisy, further degrading timing accuracy relative to Tenna.
Solution: Regular re-calibration of your hour meter to the value in Tenna is recommended. You may also replace the hour meter if needed or find a more suitable reference point for detecting the running state of the asset. Replace if needed or find a more suitable reference point for detecting the running state of the asset.
Key switches are left in the "run" position after the engine is turned off.
A common issue with keyswitch-sourced ignition sensing is the possibility of the operator leaving the keyswitch in the “run” position (or some other position that would engage the asset’s electrical system) after shutting off the engine, which will not trigger a cycle end time.
Solution: Ensure that the ignition line is wired to the alternator of the vehicle (if accessible and available), instead of the key-switch. This avoids two potential issues: jittery key switches and the ignition being left in the run position despite the engine being off. Use alternator terminal R, T or RB (Relay or Tachometer) and verify with a voltmeter that the voltage rises with ignition on and falls with ignition off. Double-check all wiring to ensure that a constant battery feed is available and properly connected to the tracker via an inline fuse.
Battery disconnect is wired incorrectly, causing a floating ground.
When installing a plug-in tracker, to an asset with a battery disconnect, the ground wire has to be grounded on the machine-side of the battery disconnect, not the battery side. If it is connected to the battery side, this will cause a floating ground and turn the tracker back on, thus starting to read and report hours.
Solution: If this happens, move the tracker’s ground wire off of the battery to the chassis. After repaired, reset the hours in Tenna to match the machine’s hour meter.
Back-to-back ignition sequences
Multiple back-to-back ignition sequences can cause the tracker to misinterpret the actual ignition ON event, which can cause an erroneous start time to be recorded. This issue is more common in diesel vehicles due to the nature of the way the engine is started. For instance, in extreme cold weather conditions, multiple failed ignition sequences in an attempt to start heavy equipment may lead to a discrepancy in hour totals.
Solution: If you turn on an asset’s ignition and it does not start, wait 2 minutes and try again. Keep 2 minutes between each ignition start attempt.
Damages to the asset
Other potential reasons for discrepancies include:
- Damaged alternator
- Damaged wiring (Check to see if wires have been cut, unplugged, damaged)
- Blown Fuse
Solution(s): Have a qualified mechanic review the tracker and asset to ensure that the above issues are not causing discrepancies.
Hours or Miles were not entered accurately during the Tracker Installation process.
During Tracker Installation, the installer is required to enter current miles and/or current hours in the Tenna App. This establishes a baseline for the Current Miles and Current Hours values in Tenna. To learn more, view Current Miles Overview and FAQ and Current Hours and Idle Hours Overview.
If the installer entered any inaccurate values, the value in Tenna will not match the values on the odometer or hour meter.
Solution: You can view the Log of Manual Updates for Current Miles or Current Hours to see what value was submitted during the Tracker Installation and Tracker Verification processes. If the baseline is incorrect, update the hours or miles.
Learn more about viewing the Log of Manual updates and updating hours or miles in How to Update Current Miles or How to Update Current Hours and Idle Hours (Desktop).
The tracker’s wiring is not installed properly.
If the ignition sense and/or battery wiring is not installed properly, the tracker may miss cycles because the tracker cannot sense ignition events.
Solution: Check all wiring. Refer to the tracker’s installation manual for specifics.
Incomplete Trip or Cycle
Hours and Miles are reported to Tenna (and added to the Current Hours or Current Miles totals) after the asset has completed a Trip or Cycle. A Trip or Cycle is considered completed once the asset has turned off it’s ignition. If the asset is mid-trip or mid-cycle, the odometer or hour meter asset will read the accurate value until Tenna is updated.
Solution: Complete the trip or cycle (turn off the asset’s ignition) and wait a few minutes. Refresh the Asset Details page to ensure the Current Miles or Current Hours total has updated to the accurate value.
Bad Cellular Coverage
If the asset is in a spot with poor cellular coverage, it may not report properly or at all. There are many things you can do to access the cellular signal in your area.
Solution: To learn more about troubleshooting cellular coverage, view Cellular Coverage FAQ and Troubleshooting.
Tenna Server is Down
Occasionally, the Tenna server will experience outages. If you believe this is the case, reach out to Tech Support at 888.836.6269.
Tracker is malfunctioning.
If you believe your tracker is malfunctioning, view Troubleshooting Offline Trackers to find a solution.