Alternative mpg computer retrofit
 

I've been looking through old posts for information regarding alternatives to a Scangauge, since my car is OBD1, and the mpg version of the superMid doesn't seem to be making any progress. I've tried the soundcard in the laptop method and I wasn't able to get anything usable, just a lot of wildly fluctuating numbers. Then I found Bobski's excellent installation of the 88 Legend computer and decided to try that. While I was at the junkyard this morning, I didn't find an acura, but did find one out of an '89 Lebaron which looks like it should work. My question: does anyone have a shop manual with an electrical diagram for that year (approximately) Dodge, Chrysler, or Plymouth that could tell me where the 9 wires connect? When I pulled it all the wires went directly into a very large taped harness so I couldn't trace them. If I can get this working, I'll do a write up with photos if anyone else is interested. Thanks in advance, Norm

Check the usual places for free online shop manuals -- autozone's website, EBSCO (ask your local library), and maybe just google it up. Also, your local library may have the dead tree edition.

I assume this is the info from Bobski that you're talking about?
https://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=4258

Thanks. I'd already googled for over an hour before I posted this and autozone doesn't have any information for this application. I didn't think of the library though, their online catalog says they have a Chiltons on the shelf so I'm on my way as soon as I finish typing this. I've not usually had good results with Chiltons, I refuse to buy them myself, but its worth a try.

That is the information from Bobski that I was referring to.

Sometimes you can get an older Chilton or Haynes book for ~$5 shipped on eBay. That might be a reasonable alternative when you refuse to buy one but want it.

Thanks again, the library had what I needed, not a Chiltons though. I guess in this age of digital information overload, I had forgotten the old "dead tree" methods. I'll let everybody know if I get this working.

Let me know if you come up with something. I'd love to get the same thing in my CRX.

The Chrysler ones use a vehicle specific information bus, forgot what it's called, wanna say SMbus .... will try and remember some places to begin looking and come back later.

Ah, it's called the CCD bus

A few details...
https://www.kolumbus.fi/juha.niinikos...cd_display.htm

Now if you have a Chrysler vehicle, you can do without the navigator/traveller by using a palm pilot or laptop to translate that info through an interface, but duplicating those signals to get a Chrysler trip computer to work would take as much effort as scratch building one.

Dunno if these google books links work but...
https://books.google.ca/books?id=Urug...sult#PPA419,M1