smokingss

ok...WTF is this port? I know what the diagnostic port is and thats under the dash, im not that dumb. I have no idea what this could be... i assume aftermarket. Its where the rear defroster switch should go( car has no rear defroster). Its like a 7 prong port, about inch long and 1/4 inch high. Held in by torx screws almost like stock camaro trim screws. Possible cell phone? CB? Radar detector? someone give me soem ideas...i'm stumped....

Trickster

Well Smokingss,

If you are talking about what appears to be a RS232 connector below the cigarette light. I would have to say someone jury rigged their own diagnostic port for a laptop computer there.

smokingss

what could it be for? im almost scared to find out...lol The car is 100% stock other than that thing. In a 88 iroc what could u even hook a laptop up to?

SydwayzTA 86

hahahaha, i'm sorry, i just cant help but laugh, i can just picture myself driving along the freeway and glancing down, *wtf is that*.


but anyhow, could have used the laptop to read fuel pressure, air fuel ratio... has it always been stock ? maybe nos ?

smokingss

Bone stock as far i can find. i got the car about a week ago, it had blue NJ state plates (80's-mid 90's) nothing modded, owner died several months ago. When i took the back liscense plate off, i found a thin piece of cardboard behind the plate, turns out its the original paper dealer advertisement tag, been there for 16 years, dealership got torn down years back... cool huh? so yea its that original, except for the car being originally black . anyway im amussed as to what this could be... maybe a RARE interface haha J/K Its installed cleanly so im lost... maybe the guy went to Radio shack and saw the connector, and having a blank spot on the dash figured it would look cool....:lala: Car was custom ordered by that owner, 305tpi 5spd g92 rare seats etc. Heres a slightly better pic

MrDude_1

theres only one way to know.


remove the 2 screws holding that panel on, and look at the wires going from it.


odds are, it leads to the back of the ALDL connector under the dash....

thirdgen88

He said it is a 7 prong port.. An RS232 serial connection will be a 9-pin or 25-pin port with the 9-pin having a row of 5 above a row of 4... I'd say its for something other than an ALDL port, although, that'd be a pretty cool thing to put there if you find no use for whats there now..

Trickster

Hey thirdgen88,

Sure the RS232 plug contains anywhere from 9 to 25 pins, However, whoever put it in there obviously only put the number of pins in that would be used for the application.

thirdgen88

Yes yes... but my point is that is a _different_ connector.. I realize that all 9 pins aren't used (and all 25 pins definately aren't used).. It wouldn't make sense to make an additional ALDL serial interface with a proprietary connector..

Trickster

I agree that it makes no sense to do this. Maybe the previous owner planned to program the ECM using a laptop or a personal computer. I've seen, and I'm sure you have also, some strange things that people do to their cars. Why not make an additional ALDL interface like that if you don't have the proper connector for it and you have a need for it.

thirdgen88

It isn't a RS232 connector!!! So you couldn't use a laptop to connect to that.. Unless you made a special cable to go to that special connector which in turn was hooked to the aldl connector. This would be stupid.

My point is that because it is not a RS232 connecter, it likely ISN'T an aldl connector; why would someone go to the trouble of using a strange connector when they could simply put a 9 pin serial connector there so any laptop could hook up to it with a standard serial cable and the appropriate software??

thirdgen88

Secondly, as I said, it would be very nice to integrate an rs232 aldl interface cable into the dash there.. This would allow any computer to hook up with a standard serial cable..

Trickster

Thirdgen88,

After blowing that picture up for a better view of it, I have to agree that it is not a RS232 connector. My apologies.

Smokingss, does that connector have all six or seven pins in a straight row across it? An does it have something like a circuit board (fiber) material between them? Also, is that a slot or opening at the bottom of it? The reason that I am asking this is because I got curious and checked some wiring and stuff that I had pulled out of my car from the prvious owner being a mad scientist in disguise. Among the junk I pulled out was connector that looks like it would fit yours. This connector had been wired to a mobile phone (now removed) in my car.

smokingss

its actually a 6 wire, i didnt look good enough, lol, but anyway i pulled it out today this is what it was.... I didnt cut the wires for it, They were exactly like that just tucked into the dash. On the bottom of the connector it says "ANTI THEFT DEVICE" so i guess it was part of the alarm system after all, not much of the alarm is there, so far i found led lights and the underhood siren, but still...what the heck do u need a connector port for an alarm for?? now i just want to know what type of alarm. did u have to plug somethign into it to get the car to run? strange....

smokingss

forgot to add the pic...haha

X86TRANSAMWS6X

there are keys you plug into it to start the car. it looks like ine my dad has. if it is what i said it is prob. disconnected

X86TRANSAMWS6X

Here is a pic. this is my first time postin a pic so idk if its gonna work!

firedawg225

Ya a friend i knew when io was in Guam had a connector on his dash where he had to plug in a "key"(computer chip ona key ring) into to start and drive the car. If it fell out why'll driving the car would die. I thought that was a stupid invention adn sort of dangerous. oh well my 2 cents.