When did cars get computerized for the first time?
A crankshaft position sensor provides orientation, the computer decides exactly when to fire each plug, and POW! Near as I can tell, it was General Motors that gave the distributorless system its start; they introduced DIS in several cars for the 1987 model year. Before that, the state of the art was the electronically-controlled distributor.
What happens when you reset your car computer after replacing the battery?
Depending on your vehicle when you reset car computer after replacing battery the setting of your anti-theft system may be forgotten and you may get locked out of your car. It has the potential to reset or disable the anti-theft system.
Is the modern car as much about computers as muscle cars?
Modern cars are as much about computers as the muscle cars of the ’60s and ’70s were about carburetors. Technology has taken the automobile to heights scarcely imaginable 50 years ago, just as developments in vehicle technology 50 years from now haven’t even been imagined yet.
How did computers change the timing of ignition?
Primitive computers determined the optimum spark timing for a given situation, and they applied vacuum to the distributor to advance the ignition timing as needed. Several cars of this era had “feedback” carburetors that allowed on-the-fly adjustment of the fuel mixture based on feedback from the oxygen sensor.
When does the misfire of an engine go away?
For the combustion to be successful, the mixture needs a specific proportion of fuel for the amount of air entering the engine. Otherwise, you will notice the cylinder misfire while your engine is idling. But when you’re driving at faster speeds, the symptoms of the misfire will go away.
Why does my car feel like it has a misfire?
There are times when the misfire might not even come from your engine. It could come from the transmission instead. If your car starts to jerk around like an engine misfire had occurred, your transmission may not be able to adequately shift up or down. You will notice this more when you’re driving at faster speeds.
What happens when a car computer goes bad?
A damaged car computer can cause your engine to suddenly jerk, stall, or misfire provided that your transmission is maintained, and your car has enough transmission fluid. This issue is unpredictable and varies in frequency and intensity. A malfunctioning car computer negatively affects aspects of vehicle performance, such as fuel settings.
What causes an engine scanner to give a misfire error?
The scanner will either give you an error specific to one cylinder misfiring, or a generic misfire error across all cylinders. Feel for a strong vibration from the engine bay. Engines are designed to be balanced as they run, so its balance will be thrown off if one cylinder stops firing.