"Magical Paperclip" OBD-I Service Code Reader
 

So I've been looking around for an OBDI scanner for my carPC, when I stumbled across a debate of diagnostic code reader vs a paperclip. According to what I've read, you shove one end of the paperclip into the pin labelled "TEN" and one into the ground pin, and the check engline light should come on and blink the codes? Is this true, Arch, and if so do you know of any better documentation on it?

Yes this is true, it is very ghetto but it is true

The snap on scan tool can read obdI stuff i think most can... Had to use it on a POS smelly 90 probe today

yes it's true the chiltons manual even says to do that

That's pretty interesting. Btw, do you know of any good software that reads OBD-I that would scan and tune? The more I think about it the more I like the idea of having a OBD-I prorgam running on the carPC taking car diagnostics while I drive. that'd be pretty sweet.

no tuning available really (the chip is rom) hence the removable chips now they did have an update with teh tech one but most of the new obdII machines are backwards compatible

there actually are tons of things that you can get to hook a PC up to your car and tune it..but not for the 3.4.

and this paperclip thing only works on 93. thats what i heard. i havent tried it on mine...

Have you tried a scanmaster?

any odb1 will work

werd, so probably the best bet would be to buy a "performance" tuned ECU?

yep if possible