Black box behind the dash?
Black box behind the dash?
Author
Discussion

dnb

Original Poster:

3,330 posts

271 months

Saturday 11th March 2006
quotequote all
WHat does the little black box behind the dash actually do? It seems to connect to the speedo, but then the wires disappear into the loom and are never seen again.

Presumably it's some form of signal conditioning for the speedo?

simpo two

92,708 posts

294 months

Saturday 11th March 2006
quotequote all
Just put the dash back quietly and move on

Polarbert

17,936 posts

260 months

Sunday 12th March 2006
quotequote all
^^^ It probably fell off!




Please note this is a joke

cln1

657 posts

254 months

Sunday 12th March 2006
quotequote all
I've just chnaged to a carbon fibre dash in my 500 and I found several black boxes behind the dash. I just changed the dash panels , checked that everything still worked and then boxed it up.

I'll sort out what's what at some time in the future if I need to.

Colin.

annodomini2

6,971 posts

280 months

Sunday 12th March 2006
quotequote all
Probably either the dash computer or body computer.

raw-sewedge

970 posts

288 months

Sunday 12th March 2006
quotequote all
dnb said:
WHat does the little black box behind the dash actually do?


This is normally how a long spell of pain and expense starts

dnb

Original Poster:

3,330 posts

271 months

Sunday 12th March 2006
quotequote all
I'm already in to the long spell of pain and expense... (New rad, ECU, fuseboard, alarm, heater controls, wiring, fuel pressure reg, injectors etc.) I just want to know if the little black box connected to the speedo is necessary for working the speedo or if it does something else. If it doesn't do anything for me then it gets binned.

banana man

32 posts

254 months

Sunday 12th March 2006
quotequote all
the little black box attached to the speedo tells the ecu that the car is moving and how fast its moving to control the revs as such hope this helps????????

dnb

Original Poster:

3,330 posts

271 months

Sunday 12th March 2006
quotequote all
Thanks. I guess I don't need it then!

shpub

8,507 posts

301 months

Monday 13th March 2006
quotequote all
banana man said:
the little black box attached to the speedo tells the ecu that the car is moving and how fast its moving to control the revs as such hope this helps????????


I doubt it as the speedo sensor is hooked directly to the ECU. There is on some cars a box that converts the pulses from the sensor so that the speedo works correctly. I would leave it be on the grounds that if it ain't what is name, the flagpole will fall over while chasing a rabbit...

chevtrev

785 posts

265 months

Monday 13th March 2006
quotequote all
I have a dash dismantled,so will trace and let you know tommorrow.

stringbag

291 posts

279 months

Monday 13th March 2006
quotequote all
If I remember correctly, there was a black box for the immobiliser in there when I took my dash out.

FlipFlopGriff

7,144 posts

276 months

Monday 13th March 2006
quotequote all
Immobiliser box definately. I think there is another which I think is also alarm related. I'd forget about it until it goes wrong.
FFG

beano500

20,854 posts

304 months

Monday 13th March 2006
quotequote all
Might be that a previous owner just popped a few bits and bobs behind the dash to confuse anyone brave enough to strip the dash out.......

JonRB

80,038 posts

301 months

Monday 13th March 2006
quotequote all
beano500 said:
Might be that a previous owner just popped a few bits and bobs behind the dash to confuse anyone brave enough to strip the dash out.......
Only your twisted mind could come up with that, Ron.

dnb

Original Poster:

3,330 posts

271 months

Monday 13th March 2006
quotequote all
Worryingly, Ron was the previous owner...
Would you like to tell me something Ron?

Definitely NOT the alarm. This is in a nice metal silver box these days (the old one was indeed 2 little black boxes, but they didn't connect to the speedo). It's not the heater controls either.

The wires that go into "my" black box are power, blue speedo wire, earth and a couple of others. I'm inclined to agree with Steve that it is some form of speedo signal conditioning.

My real problem is that now all the new kit is in the car, I have far too many apparently redundant wires to deal with.

chevtrev

785 posts

265 months

Friday 17th March 2006
quotequote all
I traced back the black box wires today,they go to both lights at the bottom of the speedo gauge,haven't got any cars going at the mo,do these function as anything?