Mileage Scam?

[FalconGuy016]

I just read through another gears/speedo/odo thread and had a thought hit me.

Since a programmer (SCT, Diablo, etc) can change the speedo/odo to account for a gear ratio change, can the same programming be made to alter how the odometer counts (as in, slower than normal)? I am not trying to condone this or anything as I would be extremely pissed if I got a car that this has happened to, but is it possible?

I guess it would depend on what parameters the programmers actually change. I don't know how the PCM is programmed at all, or how a programmer interacts with it. I would doubt it would be easily possible... but could it?

 

[ponysarepretty]

Yes I thought about it a while back, but to do that the person would have to run around with an incorrect speedo, whether that bothers a person is his or her own decision. But who would do that, the amount cannot be changed by that much anyway, about 1/3 of your total speed, so you would have 60k instead of 90k, not that big of a deal?

 

[FalconGuy016]

No I don't mean by a programmer you can buy now, but the language used to communicate with the PCM. I wouldn't imagine it being very difficult to making your own little programs if you know how it works. If it's possible, that is, to change values that only relate to the odometer. It may be something that is inherently grouped (speed and odo) in the PCM and might not be possible. But if it is...

 

[ocbaud]

i wish someone could figure that out!

that way i could get my miles back that the previous owner put on after installing gears and no speedcal.....

my odo says 85,000, but i'm sure its closer to 60,000

 

[ponysarepretty]

No I don't mean by a programmer you can buy now, but the language used to communicate with the PCM. I wouldn't imagine it being very difficult to making your own little programs if you know how it works. If it's possible, that is, to change values that only relate to the odometer. It may be something that is inherently grouped (speed and odo) in the PCM and might not be possible. But if it is...

Yeah, I am pretty sure that odos can still be rolled back with electronics, it was like the rolled back odos in the past. That is why most places record your mileage when you go in for inspection and you can easily search it up.

 

[hognutz]

well a simple answer to your question is most likely yes.

you would just need to know where the info is stored. then rewrite that memory. it is illegal to do though obviouly.

 

[RedDaemon]

lol hacking cars...its jsut a computer..it is possible, its all about overwriting memory, fundamental hacking right there, im surprised it hasnt been done yet, or it is being kept quiet

another thing is that its ford, i bet its really easy to hack too

 

[FalconGuy016]

Well you could make it damn secure in a PCM if you wanted it to be, even by how it is literally hard wired. But at the same time, you can change all those other values and it leads me to wonder if Ford was smart with that or not.

That scares me

 

[SaleenGT2001]

what would happen if you just unplug your speed sensor. on my old ford ranger i blew a wiper fuse and my speedo stopped. i drove it that way for over a year. i never sold the truck so i didnt care about the mileage. if you unplug the speed sensor on an auto trans it wont shift into OD, but with a manual what would happen????

 

[1LowGT]

nothing at all to a manual,my cousin did it on a sunfire with a toggle switch and he said it eliminates the speed governor,

 

[joshheat25]

Yea I was thinking the same thing when I programmed my car! if you had stock gears and programmed for 4.30's you would be slowing down the mileage right! and vice versa. I think I got that right

 

[UhadMEatGT]

Why couldnt you just throw in a lower mileage odometer from another GT. As long you are not having it serviced by anyone.....to where the red flags are going to be thrown by Carfax, dealership, etc. This being said, it is illegal and I do not condone any illegal activity.

 

[mrvax]

It may be something that is inherently grouped (speed and odo) in the PCM and might not be possible. But if it is...

I believe they do work together. Having your speed read correctly and your mileage incorrect is something I don't think can be done with factory equipment. I think you would have to disconnect 1 of them and build a seperate circuit that received input from the EEC and then altered the signal to the speedo/odo.