Jim,Jim White wrote:Scott, what TV show? I'd just like to check and see if you act it any better than you do it in person:-)TeamHarco wrote:Not to be a jerk, though I play one on TV...
A) I don't happen to have the magnets or a bracket or ... on hand (and I'd have to get my hands dirty).
B) I enjoy playing with electronics.
C) The ease of clipping a connector onto a VSS wire for the last 3 or 4 Subaru's and having the odometer just work has been a real treat.
D) I already have a functional EZ-Pulse that I can finagle onto a wheel to provide odo pulses should I not get direct car electronics working.
E) I know a rallyiest who had magnets (maybe not quite well mounted?) who had rallied for a couple years with them before rounding a tight corner at speed and encountering a surprise pothole that neatly got just the right flex to strip all 4 magnets off.
F) An ODB plug in would be a real boon (and suit taxi, nav systems, highway maintenance vehicles, occasional cop cars, etc., witness all the after-market devices). But I don't believe ODB or CAN have a suitable signal (bummer).
G) I've had "factory trained" mechanics modify prior device installations where undoing the nuts and swapping the (mis)reinstalled parts after a repair was deemed too difficult so they simply took a hacksaw to the long side to gain the clearance needed.
But, yes, magnets are still an option.
Not an actual show. I just climb on the TV and act like a jerk.* No different than what most people experience of me, in person.
A) Not hard to find. You just have to shell out a little cash. Can't help with the dirty hands, but there is - soap.
B/C) I figured you enjoyed playing with electronics. And yes - there is a lot to be said for simply finding a good source of a good pulse and using it. But - as you are finding out, this particular car is not cooperating.
D/E) The E-Z pulse is a reasonable fallback/ reserve/ fly-in and attach to a rent-a-car solution. It is much less robust than well located and mounted magnets. I've rallied with magnets on axle shafts and senders for close to 30 years. No loss of magnets in all that time. I have had a sender fail (discovered after driving all the way to Wisconsin and then having to run S). And at last year's LSPR, we were looking for a short-cut to get to the next spectating area, effectively off-roading, tore off the wire to a sender. Discovered and repaired in plenty of time for the next rally we needed it (plus it was back-up to the primary). I have always run at least two on each of my cars since the Wisconsin incident.
F) Yep - a simple plug-in at the OBD port would be nice.
G) Yep - another reason I do not visit a dealer or a repair shop. If I can't fix it - it's time for the scrap yard, or it becomes a parts car. Granted, not many people can do that. But a robust magnet set-up is hard to beat.
You play with electronics. I play with mechanical things. The world needs engineers.
Let me know if you need some tips on a magnet installation. I could reveal some of my secrets (as long as you promise not to pass them on).

* Like the penguin...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyFxXdqtGNk