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What are my options for some kind of mpg-display in a '90 Corolla, which lacks an OBD port?

My first step will probably be to get a vacuum gauge, since they are cheap and will give the instantaneous feedback I'm looking for, but a real iFCD would be fab.

I've seen mention of SuperMID, but had trouble finding anyone selling them (or more details about compatibility). No luck either finding OBD-conversion kits for my model.

Googling has turned up a number of hacks like wiring a multimeter to the fuel pump sensor, or tapping into the fuel injector to get fuel usage, which are within my technical capabilities.

I managed to find a .PDF wiring diagram of my car's ECM, so I guess if I got totally crazy I could build a wiring harness from the various incoming sensors to a laptop serial port. I'm a competent programmer, so the rest could be done in software, assuming I can make sense of the signals coming in.

What are other people doing for FCD in older vehicles?

Hi Wapcaplet:

___If that 90 Corolla has EFI and an electronic VSS, a Super-Mid will do all that you ask and more!

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Thanks for the reply! It is indeed EFI, and there looks to be a speed sensor pin on the ECM.

SuperMID info is startlingly hard to come by--is there a compatibility list or FAQ, or any online retailers that sell them? I gather they're import-only for U.S...

Hi Wapcaplet:

___Yes, they are hand made and only available through Yoshi that I know of. PM him and he would be glad to set you up.

___We used one at the Prius Marathon back in 2005 and I saw one on a Civic De Sol in late 2006. Those things are deadly accurate after a slight calibration given they actually measure a single injector pulse X4 for the 4-cylinders and can see fuel cut through a FAS instantly. After the nearly 1,400 miles, it was within .1 mpg’s IIRC compared to actual distance traveled over actual fuel fill from top off to top off!

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hello Wapcaplet, Wayne and all...

Thank you for your interest in my SuperMID.
Sorry that I was not in touch this site for a while from Japan.
However, the SuperMID is real thing. :)
I posted the SuperMID information in English at GasSavers site.
http://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=3953

Wapcaplet,
Since you have the wiring diagram of your car's ECM, do you know which wires for the EFI injector and the electronic VSS?
If yes, you're ready to get one from me.
I have some in stock built by my friend in Japan.
Please PM me for more detail.

Thanks and regards,
Yoshi from Japan