I just bought a giant thingus. Anyone want it?

[nextse7en]

I just picked up a ESP FICS 4000 Auto diagnostic center.

Plugs into OBD1, probes exaust, reads vacuum, charging system and every other damn thing, also measures emmisions.

This thing is huge, weighs in at about 300 lbs. and came with a box 4'X3' full of every attachment for every car you can think of.

Also has a cal gas tank
Computer, printer and monitor are built in.



Now I have 5 three ring binders that total about a foot thick to read.

Anyone ever used these, and know how they work? And how much is one worth?


Any info is apprieciated, as I know nothing about this system. And I may just resell it.


Here are a few things I need an explination for


This is what I assume to be a DIS adapter, I know that the inductive clamp is, and the battery terminals, but where the hell do these go?


This, this is a thingus that also came with it.


This is the back:




I imagine that this would be great for someone who is really into tuning, I may just keep it however, and try to figure out how it works.


-Patrick

[demonsvx]

I think some of the wires with the round clamps go to spark plug wires. Too much wiring and stuff going on for me

[Manarius]

It looks like the system they use at inspection stations to measure hydrocarbons, gas cap pressures, etc.

[ShiuludeSVX]

Originally Posted by Manarius

It looks like the system they use at inspection stations to measure hydrocarbons, gas cap pressures, etc.

Cool. Makes the perfect AirCraft Carrier Anchor.

[immortal_suby]

I'll bet Beav knows exactly what it is. A few trips to hooters and he might even tell you

[Phast SVX]

rs232 is a serial connection to a computer....i know that for sure. If you dont want it im sure id love to delve into it

[ensteele]

Heck, if I go to Hooters with you, I will show you were all of those wires go.

[Beav]

Hahahaha... thanx for the vote of confidence, Matt. My retirement is going to be spent travelling, collecting all the free beers promised to me over the years...

I haven't seen or heard of a Peerless analyzer since the early-mid '70s. It is the brand I first used (and haven't seen since.) That was so long ago I doubt I would have recalled it without seeing this to jog my memory.

I'm surprised, sort of, that you found one. The economics of 'big box' analyzers dictated that trade-ins were smooshed after a few select IC boards were removed. I suppose this box was never traded in and just sat in a corner collecting dust for a few years.

Anyway, I see that it has a DI adaptor - DI referring to 'Distributor-less Ignition'. That places it somewhere in the mid to late '80s, maybe '90s. It also explains the abundance of wires. On pre-DI (or DIS, the more common acronym) an analyzer used one lead on the coil wire and another on the #1 spark plug lead. This would provide signals indicating what was happening in the ignition secondary. Since DI or DIS ('S' for System) doesn't use a distributor, separate pickups are required for each spark plug lead or coil (the multiple 'WTF' leads grouped together.) #1 spark plug lead gets an extra lead so the display will 'know' which pattern to display first, with subsequent patterns representing the remaining cylinders in the applicable firing order.

The pic with 'Piston' and 'Rotary' denotes the ability to use the box on DIS equipped 4cycle and DIS rotary engines. For example, if a DIS engine has 6 cylinders and three coils, each coil would fire once per rev - think about it now... one cylinder would be on its power stoke, the other on its exhaust stroke - 180° away. That's why the 'Piston' section has 'Waste' (the cylinder at exhaust) and 'Compression' (the cylinder at the top of its power stroke) labels. The 'Rotary' section has 'Leading' and 'Trailing' labels, Mazda rotary engines have two rotors with two spark plugs each - one slightly ahead of the other in the rotor's rotation. 'Leading Waste'... well, you can figure that out by now. This switch allows you to display the patterns for the spark plugs in those positions.

Big box analyzers are best sold to private individuals, pros know that they are a dying breed (10-15 years ago) and when they break down it's extremely difficult to find parts. The last great big-box was the Bear PACE 400 and they have a following but the repair parts for them are becoming scarce/expensive. Since the onset of OBDII, high-end scanners, DSOs, DMMs and portable five-gas analyzers, the big boxes have gone the way of the like-sized dinosaurs. A box like yours, in excellent, someone is using it every day fashion is worth...maybe $1000 - $1500, absolute tops. If anything is missing or not functional, and I mean ANYTHING (read:the least bit less than perfect) figure on $50-$400. Like I said, your best bet is to keep it or sell to a private party or a hobbyist. If you decide to keep it and want to learn about 'scopes, etc., visit Tom at www.Autonerdz.com and also check out his links.

Did I ever tell y'all I used to be a XXX Tool Distributor? Seriously, I had a big white and yellow tool truck and everything.