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- 1992 XLT
Well we have looked at scanners and code readers in another post, and ended up on that post talking about "Breakout Boxes". A lot of people wonder what the H*ll is THAT? Simply put a breakout box inserts itself somewhere in a wiring harness or wiring arrangement, and allows the user to access the signals. They are used in computers, and in automobiles for example.
Ford used the EEC-IV (Electronic Engine Control, 4th generation) on the early Explorers. (and throughout their entire product line during that period.) The sophistication of todays computer technology did not always permit that information to be displayed, but it was there nevertheless. Question was, How to get it?
Enter the breakout box.
The breakout box put itself between the engine and the computer, and allowed the user to rapciously access the information being exchanged (I sound like Mike Tyson, no ?). They are simply a pinout board, mounted in a box, with associated cabling, like this:
You can see the way the cabling hooks into the computer and then bridges into the automobile system.
A closer look at the pinout board, little holes numbered to correspond to the numbered wires in the connector:
The output is readable with a high impedance (this is IMPORTANT- Digital Volts Ohmeter (DVOM) No cheap knockoffs here, they may fry the computer by introducing their own voltage.) Not as fancy as a scanner which decodes the meaning for you, but valuable nonetheless because you can always look up every meaning of the output signal somewhere. Like on the factory manual CD or in the manual itself!
FORD decided to make maximum use of the breakout box, and designed add ons to allow you to look at other systems. Here for example, is a harness (still looking new in the wrapper) that hooks into all the Distributorless Ignition System (DIS). It connects to the sensor connectors on a 3.0 litre engine... allowing you full access to the signals, even while the engine is running:
Yes it has been used, but only by me. I paid the princely sum of $25 for this setup on E-bay. More pics of it...:
each lead is clearly marked. The head unit, is like a cobra, and it plugs into the Breakout Box:
Overlays (which I'll show you in a minute" go into the breakout box to show you what's what. Ok something more of interest to you Explorer lovers... TFI (thick film Ignition) Yes there is a cable for this. Mine cost me $15. Here is the diagram on the blow mold case, yeah THAT was included for the $15 I paid:
As you can see, again there is a plug in head and then the harness plugs into the sensors letting the engine run and letting you plug into it and read it as it does. The head is similar... with a simple control on it:
Again an overlay in the box makes everything simple (Yes I know this is the 3.0 DIS overlay not the TFI, but they look a LOT alike):
ANyway there are other system overlays and connectors, but you start to get the idea of just how versatile the 60 Pin box was for FORD.
People ask abnout bleeding Anti-Lock brakes. Well guess what? There was an adapter for the breakout box that read the brake codes, AND... AND... did the procedure for properly bleeding them. It was called the anitlock Brake Adapter (ALA) and looks like this when installed in the unbilical for the breakout box:
The controls for the bleeder are on the end:
It works just as advertised, although aftermarket units do just as well without allowing access to the signals. These show up from time to ime on E-bay, about $75 or so. Mine ? It was in the breakout box case when I bought the breakout box. A surpise like in Cracker Jacks. The seller said he was selling it "as it" nothing taken back. I took him at his word <g>.
Ok well, that is what a breakout box is, and can do. Not a scanner - less. And more. Cost? Betwen $125 and $200 on E-bay. Worth every penny if you want to look inside that engine.
Happy Exploring
Chris
Ford used the EEC-IV (Electronic Engine Control, 4th generation) on the early Explorers. (and throughout their entire product line during that period.) The sophistication of todays computer technology did not always permit that information to be displayed, but it was there nevertheless. Question was, How to get it?
Enter the breakout box.
The breakout box put itself between the engine and the computer, and allowed the user to rapciously access the information being exchanged (I sound like Mike Tyson, no ?). They are simply a pinout board, mounted in a box, with associated cabling, like this:
You can see the way the cabling hooks into the computer and then bridges into the automobile system.
A closer look at the pinout board, little holes numbered to correspond to the numbered wires in the connector:
The output is readable with a high impedance (this is IMPORTANT- Digital Volts Ohmeter (DVOM) No cheap knockoffs here, they may fry the computer by introducing their own voltage.) Not as fancy as a scanner which decodes the meaning for you, but valuable nonetheless because you can always look up every meaning of the output signal somewhere. Like on the factory manual CD or in the manual itself!
FORD decided to make maximum use of the breakout box, and designed add ons to allow you to look at other systems. Here for example, is a harness (still looking new in the wrapper) that hooks into all the Distributorless Ignition System (DIS). It connects to the sensor connectors on a 3.0 litre engine... allowing you full access to the signals, even while the engine is running:
Yes it has been used, but only by me. I paid the princely sum of $25 for this setup on E-bay. More pics of it...:
each lead is clearly marked. The head unit, is like a cobra, and it plugs into the Breakout Box:
Overlays (which I'll show you in a minute" go into the breakout box to show you what's what. Ok something more of interest to you Explorer lovers... TFI (thick film Ignition) Yes there is a cable for this. Mine cost me $15. Here is the diagram on the blow mold case, yeah THAT was included for the $15 I paid:
As you can see, again there is a plug in head and then the harness plugs into the sensors letting the engine run and letting you plug into it and read it as it does. The head is similar... with a simple control on it:
Again an overlay in the box makes everything simple (Yes I know this is the 3.0 DIS overlay not the TFI, but they look a LOT alike):
ANyway there are other system overlays and connectors, but you start to get the idea of just how versatile the 60 Pin box was for FORD.
People ask abnout bleeding Anti-Lock brakes. Well guess what? There was an adapter for the breakout box that read the brake codes, AND... AND... did the procedure for properly bleeding them. It was called the anitlock Brake Adapter (ALA) and looks like this when installed in the unbilical for the breakout box:
The controls for the bleeder are on the end:
It works just as advertised, although aftermarket units do just as well without allowing access to the signals. These show up from time to ime on E-bay, about $75 or so. Mine ? It was in the breakout box case when I bought the breakout box. A surpise like in Cracker Jacks. The seller said he was selling it "as it" nothing taken back. I took him at his word <g>.
Ok well, that is what a breakout box is, and can do. Not a scanner - less. And more. Cost? Betwen $125 and $200 on E-bay. Worth every penny if you want to look inside that engine.
Happy Exploring
Chris
