Is there a software + cables package existant I can get so I can essentially plug my car into a computer and monitor the vitals?

 

Have you been watching too much Fast N Furious? lol. Actually, I have no idea if you could, or even what you would be monitoring if you could do it.

 

hehe.. well kind of.. but I know cars can be plugged into computers and tuned.. I'm just not sure about 1st gen rx7s...

I'd like to monitor various speeds, pressures and mixtures and whatnot.. I have a feeling these cars are too old for that

 

haha I don't think you could with a 12a unless you put a **** ton of sensors throughout everything in the car to monitor it. Otherwise it would just monitor everything that your car already monitors as there are no more sensors for it to read off of. Now if you have a fuel injected 13b in your car, that is a different story - but then again, if you did that and wanted to run a computer on it, why not just have gauges read everything like that so it could be in front of you at all times? Seems more logical to me.

 

Probably has been watching a little too much fast and the furious.

Only time people ever really plug computers into their cars is to tune a standalone engine management system. You could technically install such a system in any fuel injected car, or retrofit a carburated engine to FI to do such a thing, but chances are if your ready for that you wouldnt be asking this kind of question.

As normality glitch said, if you just want to monitor more aspects of your engine just get some more guages!

 

Like this?

 

Hahaha. That is too good. That picture made my night. lol

Thanks bstrange, that is classic!

 

love it now i can sleep good tonight. LOL

 

lol.. actually what I really want to know, is the timing, and fuel/air mixture..

 

Well, for the timing I think your only option is a timing light, and to check manually. I havent ever heard of anything to measure your timing from inside the vehicle.

As for the A/F mixture, your car probably doesnt have an O2 sensor if its a GSL so if you were to install one, a guage really wouldnt be to hard to install as well or cost very much. Probably much less than a setup to link to a laptop.
Also if you do want a guage to read your A/F ratio, wideband is the only way to go.

 

LOL, too much fast and the furious comment was awesome!

As others have stated in order to moniter everything with a computer you would need a standalone fuel management system. But you really need to ask yourself if its worth it for your application.

I know in my car I am going to be using a laptop, but im going to have a LM-1 wideband, Microtech ECU, and other components feeding information into it. This way I can moniter and modify my fuel maps. Where as for your application all adjustments can be done mechanically, so you shouldn't NEED a laptop hooked into your car for any reason.

Oh, and BTW, where in Alberta Canada do you live?

 

to do this you need to spend close to 3 grand on a stand alone EMS. which in case of a stock 12a is impossible and if you do pull it off with a 12a megasquirt would be retarded.
swap to a TII go standalone and then you can have your computer monitored engine data.

 

I still want to know why regular gauges wouldn't be good enough and you would need a laptop to display all those things. I mean, a laptop will be to your right side meaning you have to look to the right to see it. Gauges are right in front of you reading the same things the laptop would be telling you, and thus you don't have to look as far to see them. Sure a laptop would make for a smaller area to take the place of, but if you are going to worry about all those things, do they become less important during the times when the laptop is closed than they do for the times that it is open?

Or am I missing something? Like you would only be using the laptop during tuning issues, and then never use it again?

 

Well the laptop comes into play for comparing things such as your air fuel ratio, boost pressure, (im going to be using water injection, can measure that as well), and all the information from the standalone. You can therefore use graphs to compare data, see EXACTLY what your car is doing and simpily modify aspects of it in order to get it running at its optimal potential.

You need to remember that, elevation, temperature and other factors can change the way your car is running. Therefore I wouldn't say the laptop is only good for tuning and then is pointless. It's a similar concept with widebands, you keep it plugged in because of the changing enviroment around your car, and making sure the car doesn't go DANGEROUSLY lean.

Just for interest sake, this is what the display is like with the microtech software.



To sum it all up, is it needed? NO! But if you are planning on running 400 hp and you would like to compare data from different components of your car, then by all means go for it. But if your running a stock/lightly modded car, it would be a waste of money that could be spent on other components.

 

Lol, i didnt mean to go all out like that.. I kinda meant a simple little thing to tell me if something is off and could be tuned better.. I guess i'll have to use my own judgment for this car, since it wont even start right now..

 

I think the only thing you can do is hook up a light by Mazda that flashes a light a number of times to tell you some sort of a trouble code.

 

I don't know if anyone mentioned the MegaSquirt route. I managed to get one recently, but have not had a chance to see if it works yet. If anyone has info they wanna share with me on the Megasquirt Install I certainly would appreciate it! But it is like open source software, connected to a piggy back system on a stock ECU with a circuit board you can buy or build, the plans are readily available. Low Cost is the key if it works right.

 

you may want to look into widebands if u want to monitor air/fuel for a 12a thats pretty much the only thing stock gauges cant tell u and probaly an important thing to know weather your lean.. or not

 

Well, for new, uninformed or those who have OD'ed on F&F, the ecu in the 12As in NOT an engine control unit. It an emission control unit. There are no inputs/outputs for timing, fuel, vacuum, or even the presence of an O2 sensor.

Not until the RX8 came out was the rotary even OBD compatable.