I just got my cable made for winaldl. I hooked it all up and tried to run it but it wont show any data. im almost positive the cable is rght but i cant figure it out. Maybe im doing something wrong? But i cant figure it out, oh yea and its a 91 rs. Any advice will be great, Thanks!

Check your COM port setting in WinALDL. Play with the baud rate too. Do you have any resistance across the A and B pins?

I am not too familiar with the com ports, but i know that it says that com port 1 is working properly, But i dont know if im using com port 1 or not. And i dont know about the resistance, I know that somewhere it says to use a resistor across those pins but i didnt know that pertained to my ECM.

First of all, what ECM are you using? Second, the COM port is your serial port and the WinALDL settings are found in the CONFIGURATION part of the WinALDL window. You can change COM port number and baud rate (communication speed) settings there. You can also change between metric and US units of measure in that module.

it is the stock ECM service number 1228746. What do i need to have the baud rate set at? Do i have to do anything special to establish a link? Or do i just start up the program and then start the car? I have been trying to get this thing to work forever. Also do i need to use a resistor between two of the pins?

You can try the resistor across A and B. I think it is 10K ohms for ALDL mode. Try putting the COM port at COM 1 and 4800 baud. Experiment with different COM ports (1,2,3,etc) until you get a connection. Mine works on COM1 at 4800 baud with 1228746 selected as the ECM.
And yes, start the program then start the car. You can also use it with the key in the ON position to adjust your TPS.

Ok, ill give that a try, i just broke one of the legs off the transistor so ill have to fix that first.

Ok i have tries all of that and im still getting nothing, i check the serial port and all that and it all seems fine. Anything else i can do?

Okay, how are you powering the thing? Did you use the serial DTR pin or are you using the external 12V power option? It could well be a problem there. Try running the power to the port off a cig lighter (the schematic is on the site where you got the original schematic) and see if that works. You will still need the 10K resistor. I'd almost recommend putting a small fuse in the POS wire too, but that's just my opinion.

Well at first i was just running of the laptops battery, then i tried hooking up the adapter but still nothing. And do u mean i will still need the 10k resistor across pins a and b? Also what kind of wire do i need to use for the 12v source?

Yes, you will need that 10K resistor. At least that is my understanding of it. It works for me when I am logging data in diagnostic mode.

Is this extra 12v source a common thing that most people have to use?

I honestly don't know the answer to that question. I don't have to use it, but I am using the AutoPROM USB for my logging.

WINDOWS 98 RIGHT? Not sure if this helps but try turning on ign b4 you attach the prongs to aldl. that is the way my worked this year with winaldl to aldl cable to serial/usb adapter to laptop. i have XP. verify winaldl is set to same comport as laptop is set.

I was having same problem and I forgot the 10k resistor across A & B. I just rana wire off to the fuse panel with a spade connector and placed it in one of the ignition spare holes. that way I can tuck all the wires up and out of the way. I also ran the serial cable behind radio and stuff so that its in the floor of the pass side and laptop sits in pass seat. I have found that the serial ports voltage range from -7volts to 11.8 volts. So I wouldn't recomend running the 12 off the computer. Just use the cars supply.

Also if anyone else is using "WinAldl" ..... I am getting very spikey readings. IS THIS NORMAL...?? And is there a way to get a fast sample rate...?? I have messed with baud settings. That don't seem to help.

del-
I have a 91 RS with the stock 8746 ECM, and I don't use the 10K resistor across A-B ports. Winaldl works fine. Therefore, I infer that you shouldn't need it. Did you look at the picture I posted on your thread on the TBI board?

For my 12V supply, I bastardized an old cig-lighter adapter for a diskman.

I just found out that I don't need 10K across mine either (8746) and WinALDL will work fine...and it doesn't try to kick the idle up to 1000 rpm. Well, I fixed that little problem in ALDL mode too by setting the ALDL idle to 750rpm...anyway, you get the idea.