Engine Load indicator error

[Klueck]

We have a 2003 Monaco Windsor MH with a 370 ISL Cummins engine with 70K miles.

We have a Silverleaf VMSPC engine monitoring system that I have hooked up to my laptop.

The last time we were traveling, I noticed a brief red light on the "engine load" gauge. I believe I got the red light when it would go to "zero" but it may have done it at 100%. At this point, I'm not sure.

I had never noticed this previously. No other gauges were abnormal. The temperatures were fine and the engine ran as always. This gauge showed the engine load at zero on occasion even though we were accelerating and then would go up to 100%. I don't recall what it was prior to this time.

Does anybody have any idea what this means? Nothing else appeared out of order, but the past few trips we noticed a little clunking when we were accelerating, but only a few times. King of like the transmission kicking in. It didn't happen often so we have not had it checked out. It seems to have quit.

The transmission fluid was changed a few thousand miles ago.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

[tatest]

It means your monitoring system is not real-time, and may be missing some inputs from time to time.

Calculations like "engine load" or "BMEP" are derivative from other measuremens, and usually short term averages, a snapshot of some segment of the recent past. There will also be lags from sensors to monitor, monitor to computer. There is interference from the operating system, "I'll get to dealing with that piece of information coming into the USB when I'm done doing what I'm doing now." When writing real-time software for process control, we could never work through general purpose operating systems, and certainly not the clunky multi-tasking system a laptop would have, which has to focus on user-interface inputs above all other information.

[ScottG]

"Engine load" would have to be extrapolated from other inputs so it's kind of a false indicator IMO.
OTOH, I would expect the reading to go to 100% on occasion with a heavy RV or any vehicle for that matter.