[Kobie]

Here's my wife's (near) new ride. It goes well. I can't figure out if it has the 200hp or the 250hp engine. I'm guessing it must be the 200hp. VIN decoding has been no help at all!

I always find it interesting to see what other regions get as names for a car. In North America, that's known as the Ford Fusion. Good car!

[Racer X 69]

Could be bad grounds (I've checked and cleaned the ones I could find/access), bad TWICE (SAAB speak for Theft Warning Integrated Central Electronics), I don't think it's the DICE (SAAB Speak for Dashboard Integrated Central Electronics, bad ECU, bad wire behind the dash somewhere. The issue is multiple things that have nothing to do with each other regarding how the communication bus works on the car.
On one hand, I have no power to the dash instruments, Auto Climate Control or SID (SAAB Information Display which runs warning chimes, steering wheel buttons, turn signals etc) but the steering wheel controls work, the Stereo System works which is on the same bus as the ACC and SID. But the SID and Dash instruments act like there's no ignition power trigger to turn them on, so the Stereo and Steering wheel buttons shouldn't work either, nor should the Fasten belt light and warning chime even though those work as well. And none of those systems run on the same bus that's responsible for starting and running the car.
And yes, I've swapped relays, checked for power at fuses etc. Even had the car plugged into the actual SAAB diagnostic computer and the only errors were MIU (Main instrument unit): missing, ACC: missing, Head unit: Missing, CD Changer: Missing.
The car will crank, but only if I bypass the immobilizer. It won't turn over, just cranks.

Cars these days.

The CAN bus.

The myriad computers.

The miles of wiring.

All the technology.

Give me a Datsun with twin SU carbs anyday.




48 years old.

Original paint, engine, transmission, interior.






Bonus round.

Find the hidden computer. Seriously. There is a "computer" in the following photo:

[MarkJerling]

Bonus round.

Find the hidden computer. Seriously. There is a "computer" in the following photo:

Nah. You've got me!

[MarkJerling]

I always find it interesting to see what other regions get as names for a car. In North America, that's known as the Ford Fusion. Good car!

5th generation Mondeo in UK, Europe, South Africa & Australia. No idea why they chose to call it a "Fusion" by you.

[Kobie]

5th generation Mondeo in UK, Europe, South Africa & Australia. No idea why they chose to call it a "Fusion" by you.

I think it all started when someone at Ford had a great f'n day and decided to name as many products as possible with an F...

We had (all available about the same time) the following F-named Fords... Ready for this? Here we go!

Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, F-Series trucks, Freestar, Flex, Freestyle, and the Five Hundred.(Yes actually spelled out).

[MarkJerling]

I think it all started when someone at Ford had a great f'n day and decided to name as many products as possible with an F...

We had (all available about the same time) the following F-named Fords... Ready for this? Here we go!

Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, F-Series trucks, Freestar, Flex, Freestyle, and the Five Hundred.(Yes actually spelled out).

Interesting. The Fiesta and Focus is called that in Europe / here too. Of course, the F-series pickups have been called that since the fifties. I've never seen a "Freestar", a "Flex" or a "Freestyle"!

[microlight]

Kobie, your battery issue and mention of CD autochanger reminded me of an issue I had with my previous car, a Mercedes CLK Cabriolet. The battery started constantly flattening, even a new one went flat in less than a week and wouldn't even turn the engine over. Turns out that the CD autochanger was the culprit as one of the CDs (a beginner's teach yourself German disc!) became jammed in the loading mechanism, so the mechanism was constantly on the move.

[Sandy Hancock]

After a succession of Subarus, I'm having another try with Toyota. I had a Landcruiser Prado TX diesel over twenty years ago (wish I never sold it) and a Kluger GXL some time later (wish I never bought it!).

Now I've entered the modern age with a RAV4 Cruiser Hybrid 4WD. Plenty of low rev torque, all the electronic driver assistance wizardry (stopping just short of autonomous driving), and it runs on the smell of an oily rag.

[alex66]

Cars these days.

The CAN bus.

The myriad computers.

The miles of wiring.

All the technology.

Give me a Datsun with twin SU carbs anyday.




48 years old.

Original paint, engine, transmission, interior.






Bonus round.

Find the hidden computer. Seriously. There is a "computer" in the following photo:

Wonderful, always had a liking for the early Z's

[ThorSanchez]

I always find it interesting to see what other regions get as names for a car. In North America, that's known as the Ford Fusion. Good car!

Of course Ford doesn't make any cars for the US market besides the Mustang. All SUVs, trucks and the one sports car. You want a Fiesta, Focus, or Fusion/Mondeo and you're going to have to buy used or move overseas.

[Kobie]

Of course Ford doesn't make any cars for the US market besides the Mustang. All SUVs, trucks and the one sports car. You want a Fiesta, Focus, or Fusion/Mondeo and you're going to have to buy used or move overseas.

Yes they do. They haven't switched over yet. I believe 2021 will be the change.
https://www.ford.ca/cars/fusion/

[Just1MoreDave]

Cars these days.

The CAN bus.

The myriad computers.

The miles of wiring.

All the technology.

It's so disappointing to read about the latest whatever, just wanting to know something about the engine or transmission, and the first thing is "latest version of Android Carplay". That'll be fun for the first two years it's supported, then the technology will move on and some update will break it in four years.

Bonus round.

Find the hidden computer. Seriously. There is a "computer" in the following photo:

My guess is the red and white twisted wires on the left, some kind of ignitiony thing. The real question is about the Budweiser can in the previous photo.

[arnold]

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8QJ_uw1N4RN0Ap2y12xu8IvX_mASeGPIaAtRSLCxu0...-no?authuser=0
1964 VW in original condition.

I had bought a new Beetle in Sydney in 1964 but had to sell it two years later when I moved countries. This car was also driving around Sydney at the same time. Sixty years later I saw this advertisement in Adelaide:

"Delivered new on the 2nd of November 1964 by the Barker Motor Company of 684 Pacific Highway Killara, Sydney NSW "North Shore's leading Volkswagen Dealers" at the time. The original invoice is to hand and the cost at delivery was 839 pounds!

The original lady owner Mrs R Baker, was a very fastidious owner and we now have a very original Beetle with an amazing paper record of its early years. The current owner is, he believes, the 4th (third?) owner of this amazingly original Beetle which has still a lot of original paint and a very tidy and original interior. It has only completed just over 32,000 miles. [32416 miles]"

Now this beauty sits in my garage as a replacement of my original VW.

[Racer X 69]

My guess is the red and white twisted wires on the left, some kind of ignitiony thing. The real question is about the Budweiser can in the previous photo.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

Winner!

Winner!

Chikn dinner!

Yes, I swapped out a distributor from a 280Z, which uses a magnetic pickup in place of points, and an electronic ignition module (the “computer”).

As for the beer can, it was wrapped around the 280Z ignition coil by my kid brother when that coil was on my race Z. When I upgraded to an aftermarket coil on the race car, the beer can wrapped coil went on the shelf, and I ultimately used it on the 240Z.

Personally, I would have used a better brand of beer.

[arnold]

Cars these days.

The CAN bus.

The myriad computers.

The miles of wiring.

All the technology.

Give me a Datsun with twin SU carbs anyday.




48 years old.

Original paint, engine, transmission, interior.






Bonus round.

Find the hidden computer. Seriously. There is a "computer" in the following photo:

I'm with you on the overuse of technology. I don't think you will see modern cars age like your 'Z'. Electronics is a weak point from two aspects; being outdated and not replaceable, and the fact that electronics is by nature fragile. Add in the fake vents, fake exhausts, fake engine noise, touch screen that force you to take your eyes off the road to change the temperature and automation one finds oneself having to constantly override. Then there is the plastic. My Audi A4 quattro has a plastic water pump, and it doesn't have a simple dipstick but instead a temperamental digital display.
My (bought new) Saab 900 is a welcome step back into a world in our control.
[IMG][/IMG]