When did "they" start putting computer chips in cars?

If you had to draw a line in the sand, what year would you pick as the last of the analog cars? 1983?

I just found out today that my 2007 C55 doesn't have a dipstick. That's it, I quit. I'm dropping out. I want to go back to when cars had dipsticks, not chips.

Dale

 

Chrysler offered the Electrojector on 1958 models like the 300D...the Electrojector patents were subsequently sold to Bosch.

Bosch then developed their own electronic fuel injection system, called D-Jetronic (D for Druck, the German word for pressure), which was first used on the VW 1600TL in 1967.

Bosch's LH-Jetronic was all digital circa 1982. So that would be a good line in the sand.

 

I think it depends how you exactly define "computer chip". If you mean a full-blown microprocessor actually running things, it might be a little later than 1983, but, if you mean just an IC chip somewhere in the system, maybe a bit before 1983 -- but you're in the right ballpark.

I, too, could do without a lot of this needless complexity. For example, my wife wore out the ignition key on her 2006 Subaru, so I find out: 1. a new RFID ignition key is $50, 2. there's a $50 "reprogramming" charge, and 3) I need to make a service appointment and bring the car and all of the RFID keys to the Dealership for the reprogramming. I don't think so! I gave her my RFID key and had a plain key cut for $1.99 -- as long as I hold the old RFID key nearby, the plain key works fine. IMO, the only thing that this so-called "security" feature has enhanced, is the Subaru Dealer's ability to gouge me for $.

 

I recall the 1984 corvette that actually debuted in 83 having a computer dashboard that was capable of MPG, fuel till empty, and all types of stuff. Or Dr. are you referring to only electronics for engine management?
Erik

 

My Mercedes 2003 E500 had SEVENTEEN warranty trips to deal with computer issues...

My 1986 Ferrari 328 has NONE. I'm glad of that

Dave

 

What car had the first digital clock?!

I'm thinking that Delphi had a digital clock on one of their car radios in 1977...

 

That would make sense, as I think a cadillac had the first digital clock or a very early one in their 1979 eldorado...? which would have had a delphi radio
Erik

 

The 1979 BMW 635CSI (Euro version) was the first production car that I know of that had Bosch Motronic (digital) fuel injection, with ignition and injection combined in one control unit with a removable EPROM.

Brian Brown
Patrick Ottis Co.

 

... then, "they" started putting chips into cars that tell tales about your driving habits in the courtroom, just like the black boxes on board aircraft. Oh by the way, "they" didn't offer to tell you about this when you bought the car.

http://www.harristechnical.com/downloads/cdrlist.pdf

 

Thanks, this is helpful. I don't really care about clocks and radios. I just want a car. Even my 1989 SEL has senors that monitor other sensors. Geeze Louise! Enuf is enuf.

I'm going set my Ebay search for everything from 1900 to 1980 within 200 miles of home to see what pops up.

Dale

 

So, you haven't checked the oil for almost a year......

 

Trade you. $450 for my Jag for the same process, and the keys don't have to be cut. They're ALL the same.

 

Bosch electronic fuel injection came out in 1968 on certain VW's, and by the early 70's it was on various european cars. Many of the same parts are still being used that were on those early systems. I dont know if it had a "chip" per se, but it was definetly a computer. I believe it was in the early 80's that they began to have "memory" with the ability to store fault codes.

 

Not sure about other makes but on Ford's you can program the new keys yourself providing you have two working keys and the owners manual. You can buy aftermarket RFID keys for the Fords for about $16 if you look around. The problem is the vehicle comes with two keys and most people don't think about getting a spare until they loose one and then you have to go to the dealer and them program the ECM to recognize your new keys. Last truck I bought I when the dealer and I got close to terms on price I said "Throw in two extra keys and you have a deal".

 

ask the Ford dealer what it costs if you have lost both keys.


My lock shop says if I have one key it's the cost of a blank....$50 and $35 for him to hook up his lap top. If both keys are missing, its a tow to the dealer for new locks and a minimum of 30 minutes of technician time with a laptop.

It's getting to where the security stuff is more valuable than the car to thieves

 

As an interesting aside, the Bosch FI system was first used in the ME108 / 109's which gave them a clear advantage over our beautiful Spitfires. Meant they could fly inverted for extended periods and fire up from underneath. Very useful on a wet Wednesday in the midst of battle.

 

If it's a Ford and you have two keys it's just a matter of putting the two working keys in the ignition followed by the new key. This is my 4th Ford with the PATS keys and I always make the spares when I bought the truck. I think they told me the dealer wanted $300 bucks to make a key if I didn't have two working keys. Almost makes you want to bury a key inside the vehicle somewhere you would need tools to get to just in case you are far from home and loose your keys.

 

OK - microprocessor history as I recall it from the olden days. It was, of course, around even before 1975 (but not by much - 8008 chip by Intel). Even in 1975 the very simplest 8 bit chips were still practically experimental and very very expensive. My first one, an Intel 8080A, cost SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS* and just a simple 8 bit by 1024 byte EPROM memory was also prohibitively expensive. These were full digital computer devices, however, and the primitive roots of the EMU boxes on cars today.

I personally do not think they were in widespread use before that 83/84 Corvette dashboard mentioned by a poster above (had one, and I posted about it in the other thread in general topics). Even then it went only into one of GMs most expensive cars and was itself outrageously expensive to repair or replace.

A lot of the earlier "computers" were I think actually analog devices, which are a sort of network of linear amplifiers - and not a bad solution either, in many ways.
_____
* and you can be sure this computer hobbyist had an aluminum foil gloves and hat and a ground wire on when I got up the nerve to plug it into its socket on my home made computer...

 

Do the driver & passenger have to synchronize key turns on the count of three? Sorry, just had a T2 flashback moment...

 

Would have been a lot of fun to have to put in a cassette to load the OS in the 8080 to start your car.

 

No, the OS into the cassette was after the roadside re-boot failed, remember this is before the day when everyone had a cell phone to call for the "tow truck"

 

I remember my boss back in the late 70's having proudly bought he and his business partner new Mercedes and having them both die on the way to our transmitters.

The computers or electronics were very susceptible to high power RF. They had to roll backwards down the hill until they got out of the "radiation area" before their cars would re start.

 

Nothing so advanced - punched paper tape from a teletype, my friend...

 

I can see you now stuck on the road side with your trunk open and a card reader chugging away on a stack to re-program your ......Gremlin

 

Excuse me, I had a Porsche 911 back then - 1975 911S Targa. I must admit that my electronics engineering mentor Bill McFerrin, who was our chief engineer of the day did have a Gremlin, though. It may have caused his divorce.

Seriously on this - I think that one of the main things that limited the use of the microprocessor in 1975 era cars until later on by several years were the heat limitations. The car makers had to work very hard to create a module that could go under the hood and without any cooling fans, etc. Remember that the very early computers were often put under the car seats.

BTW 2, I do not think that the 1968/69 VW cars mentioned had a computer of their own - as I remember it it was a pre-wired diagnostic plug that could be attached to an enormous dealership service "computer" (diagnostic system) to more quickly get conventional readouts. One of the things it did was to estimate the compression on each cylinder by monitoring the cranking voltage pulsations on the starter while disabling the ignition!

But then, it HAS been about 35 to 40 years ago...