Since engineering was my background I love to know everything that is going on with the engine, transmission and look at the daily and total trip information. In 2000 I bought a Silverleaf VMSpc monitor from Silverleaf Electronics and I have used it on every motorhome trip since then. I seldom look at the motorhome's dash gauges because the Silverleaf gives much more information.

There is a plug under the dash of most diesel motorhomes and the adapter cable connects to that plug and goes through an adapter and then to my laptop computer. Other programs such as a GPS mapping program can run and display concurrently with the Silverleaf, but I use a separate GPS unit. My laptop has a high resolution 15.4" screen that is not effected by sun so it takes only a glance at the laptop to check the gauges and readings.

Silverleaf makes several different monitors and all are standalone units and very expensive except the VMSpc which cost about $395. Anyone can download the program free from Silverleaf's website and play with the program before purchasing it.

I am constantly asked to write an article on the VMSpc and show a picture of my computer's screen so here it is, except the actual monitor fills the entire screen.

After trying different gauges and setting this is the one I now use. I have placed a number at each indicator and will explain its meaning.

1 - The transmission gear selected and the actual gear the transmission is in.

2 - Amount of engine horsepower being used at this moment.

3 - Amount of engine torque being used at this moment.

4 - Percent of engine load being used at this moment.

5 - Miles per gallon at this instance.

6 - These are alarms. If any of these (engine coolant, transmission temperature, oil pressure, battery volts) turn yellow that is a warning and if any one turns red it is time to pull over and shut down the engine. I glance at the alarms to make sure they are green.

7 - Rolling MPG is the miles per gallon over a short period like one mile.

8 - Engine oil pressure.

9 - A bar-chart showing engine load, horsepower and torque.

10 - Engine alternator voltage output.

11 - Accelerator position shown in percentage - 100% being on the floor. I had my foot off the accelerator.

12 - Total gallons of fuel used by the engine since manufacturer and the total hours the engine has run.

13 - Time of day.

14 - Engine speed in RPM.

15 - Turbo boost pressure.

16 - Intake manifold temperature.

17 - Engine coolant temperature.

18 - Transmission fluid temperature.

19 - Actual speed of motorhome.

20 - Speed cruise control is set to.

21 - Fuel rate in gallons per hour that engine is using at this moment.

22 - Total miles on motorhome.

23 - Graph showing engine and transmission temperatures.

24 - Today's trip showing distance traveled, gallons of fuel used, average speed and miles per gallon for trip.

25 - Total trip showing distance traveled, gallons of fuel used, driving time in hours, average speed and miles per gallon for total trip.

(For the above two items - If I am traveling from Florida to California I reset both before starting the trip and reset Today's Trip at the beginning of each day.)

26 - Fuel tank showing miles until the tank runs dry, the number of gallons of fuel remaining and the average miles per gallon since the last fill-up.

The gauges and indicators can be customized for personal preferences and to fit any size of screen. The Silverleaf VMSpc does a lot more than give the display above. It monitors routine service and lets me know when it is time to change the engine oil, transmission fluid, filters, lube job, etc. Also, if the engine senses a failure the VMSpc will spell it out in plain English such as: Error Code 030 - Engine Coolant Low. That is much better than getting a red warning light and beeping alarm telling me something in the engine needs attention, but I would have no idea what the problem is. Just another advantage of the VMSpc.