I've almost forgotten. A 1986 DeVille I owned had the diagnostic
computer on board. You could code access it thru the automatic
temperature control panel. The temp display became the screen and
the buttons became the keyboard. I used to ride around and watch
live - the timing degrees, water temp, the manifold air temp, the
fuel spray jet width (in millimeters), or the drive shaft twist
angle (just kidding). But when it came to trouble codes I didn't
need to go to a dealer, just opened up my 500 page shop manual
full of flow charts. It was actually fun (and that car never beat
me).
Mike L
60A,67E,59Bug
----- Original Message -----
From: Brent Schwartz <brentschwartz@qwest.net>
>
> It goes like this:
> Check the computer diagnostics.
> Read the manual
> Drive to the parts store to buy what it says is wrong.
(usually a
> sensor)
> Replace part
> Work on the MG some more.
>
> This even applied to my Mazda RX-7 which is about
> as far from a conventional engine as you can get in
> a production car. I was regularly called a liar
> when I told people that I did all my own work on the
> RX-7. The rotary was EASY to work on.
> At its heart it was just an internal combustion
> engine with a slightly different setup and a lot of
> computer controls.
>
> Almost everything in the last 20 or so years is computer
> controlled and therefore I have to make few adjustments.
> The computer figures out how to make the engine run
> and merrily goes about its business without me. When
> the computer fails, it almost never "half fails". It is usually
> all or nothing; at which point I replace the computer. By the
way,
> if anything is working I usually asume the computer is
> ok and start looking for ground faults, etc. If nothing
> is working I still check the computer as a last resort.
> It's almost never the computer. <famous last words>
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