Its amazing what computers in todays cars monitor. For example when I was scanning my 2006 Charger I was picking up PID’s for things like:
Washer motor operation
Washer fluid level
How much weight was on each weight sensor in the passenger seat
The location of the drivers/passengers seats in their tracks
Condition of every outside light on the car
A/C high side and low side pressures
and a whole lot more…
transman
But they won’t tell you if its a spark or fuel issues that keeps them from starting 
But they won’t tell you if its a spark or fuel issues that keeps them from starting
That’s because their basic reporting function was defined by the EPA whose charter is to control emissions. An engine that doesn’t start/run isn’t a significant emissions problem. So no mandatory codes for “No spark”, “Dead starter”, “Low fuel pressure”, “Busted ignition switch”, etc.
Just buy a decent car and tell her it does not have one.
Old cars are considerably less reliable than newer ones, end of story.
To me, 2000 lines is a LOT of code.
2000 lines of code is a very very small application. I’m currently working on a medium size application…about 200k lines of code…Large systems (like operating systems) are in the 10’S OF MILLIONS.
I am, after all, a hardware guy, suspicious of software.
Most people are suspicious of what they don’t understand.
That’s the perfect solution! Tell her you removed the computer and rewired the car to run without a computer. She will think you are a genius as long as she doesn’t brag about it to anyone who knows better.
Basic mission is defined by EPA but the manufacture is free to “enhance” their system and offer extended capabilites,many do,we see this with manufacture specfic diagnostic codes.
This is definitely the best post of the day.
Andrew has come up with the best, most practical solution to the OP’s problem.
Wifey can enjoy a reliable car and not have to become more neurotic about her fear of computers. She will never know the difference.
Until she mentions it at the bridge club. Then hubby will have some explaining to do.
Perhaps what he has to do is get her something that’ll be so much fun she’ll stop caring that it has a computer. This is a perfect job for a fancy sports car!
A distributor is a mechanical computer, however simple. A carburetor combines fluid, mechanical and sometimes electrical (float valve, mechanical or electric choke and a throttle plate) logic. Wouldn’t that be a computer too?
Now that reminds me. What has happened to the car enthusiasm over the last 20 years. They are supposed to be fun, not just utilitarian means of getting from A to B in the cheapest way. I don’t know if a Corolla is fun or not but I feel sorry for those just buying a car for basic transportation and not excitement. Now when you got into a new 1957 Ford with the new car smell, the recessed steering wheel, power steering, the thunderbird engine, etc. etc. That was excitement and you wouldn’t have cared if it had a computer or not.
I’m always telling people that their computer could be broken but they usually aren’t. You could go back to 1973 just to be sure. There were feedback carburetors in 77 but you don’t really want a car any older. I don’t worry about Toyota computers, it’s GM and Chrysler that I’m not happy about.
Didn’t realize automotive computers were so stable and reliable. I did know they were great for making cars perform better. There is a commercial on TV selling an extended car warranty plan. One of the things they show is a cost of replacing a car computer and it has a high cost. Of course the price is probably over exagerated
Empathize with your wife for wanting the independence from something that can be apparently very expensive to replace. But I think the truth is the best way. You can offer her the options of:
1)car with computer
2)public transportation
3)bicycle
4)walking
5)combination of the above
One thing I’ve discovered is that women are amazing people. They can have remarkably flexible attitudes. It may just take a little time.
I had forgotten about having a fun car. When I returned to school we bought a used '67 bug. Wife and I loved that car. It was so much fun. Personality too. Periodically it wouldn’t start at the ignition, so our mechanic installed switch on the engine. So sometimes we had to get out, open back, push switch to start, close back, jump back in car, and drive off. My wife’s students found that hilarious. Of course the always present ice scraper for the inside windshield during midwestern winters. Incredible gas mileage with gas at $.32/gallon. The lovely VW sound!
Both distributors and carburetors qualify as analog computers. The difference between them and electronic computers is that the programming is much more accessible. The nature of problems is different from electronic computers and they are usually fixable – which is a good thing because they need occasional tweaking. Their “programming” drifts constantly.
Interestingly, some carburated 1980s era cars got quite good gas mileage compared to modern cars. The Honda CRX-HF had EPA ratings around 40 mpg city, 50 mpg highway. Of course it was tiny. But my 1979 Mazda GLC also got better mileage than the cars currently in our driveway, and it was actually bigger than many modern compacts.
Emissions – electronically controlled ignition is better.
Safety? Modern cars are better. But that’s not because they use computers.
***One of the things they show is a cost of replacing a car computer and it has a high cost. Of course the price is probably over exaggerated ***
Two words – “Monopoly Supplier”. Require that the software program license and media containing the program be sold with the car, and you’ll find that vehicle computer prices drop dramatically as third party hardware suppliers would then be able to enter the market. Of course you’ll also find that the black market in chips modified for higher performance at the cost of emissions controls grows dramatically as well.
Trust me. Those who own convertibles as daily drivers haven’t forgotten that driving can be fun. Those who ride motorcycles as much as they can, and leave their cars at home know what it is like to have fun getting from point A to point B. Those who drive Mustangs, Chargers, and Camaros…
The ECM,PCM,DME or whatever each manufacture wants to call it is covered by a 8yr 80K warranty,syays something about standards. How about that Rusty Wallace on the band wagon for extended warranty? he sold out.
I don’t know how far back you have to go! But I don not understand WHY she does not want a car with a computer. The computer is there to help maintain the vehicle’s different systems. This will assist with safety and reliabilty.
Didn’t realize automotive computers were so stable and reliable. I did know they were great for making cars perform better. There is a commercial on TV selling an extended car warranty plan. One of the things they show is a cost of replacing a car computer and it has a high cost. Of course the price is probably over exagerated
ALL solid-state components are HUNDREDS of times more reliable then the most simplest mechanical part. Moving parts wear out…solid-state components don’t. The computer in your car is NOT a General Purpose computer. It has a specific design and special software for each car…that alone keeps the cost high. But that doesn’t mean it’s prone to failure.