Cant believe $3 saved me $1,000.00

Here's my Story i own a 95 International 9400 12.7 detroit 60 13 over
Eversince i owned this truck,the DDEC 3 has never worked older drivers know what it is,for the new drivers its the DETROIT DIESEL ELECTRONIC CONTROL that runs to the computer on your engine,all new trucks have them it sits behind the steering wheel on the dashboard its the thingy showing speed, mpg boost,cruise control,engine temp,oil temp,and so on n so on,

so i was determined over the holidays with my off time to get this thing working after the inlaws started driving me crazy & eatn all my food n beer time to get out da house lol, or get a new one.i ripped apart my dashboard,yanking wires here and there determined to figure this out,I contacted Detroit no help,they referred me to Stewart & Stevenson who told me if they could get the part it would be $1,000.00 but then who referred me too,yeah you can see where this is going,so i went to a local truck sALVAGE YARD IN HOPES OF FINDING this part,the salvage yard owner told me he never even knew what it was,,so now im at a dead end.i knew what it was and for,just couldnt get my hands on a new one.

well me not the type to give up,i improvised with some MECHANICAL INGENUITY,having some background in electrical & automotive
i ripped it apart there were a total of 8 screws holding this Component together,once i got pass that ,i seen a circle 3v battery,hmmm i said what are my chances of this thing being dead n da wiring being intact,o well what have i got to loose,so i yank it out,went to the nearest dollar store spend $3 yes $3 bucks on a 3v battery,rush back to truck pop in NEW BATTERY.dang it nothing it doesn't works

so i get out the old credit card and Mentally prepare to spend $1,000.00 on this new part,i started to take it loose but i figure leave it so there wont be any space in my dash,as im screwing back together my dash LOW N BEHOLD

Da DARN thing started WORKING,well i be so i got a screw n went to fidging round.

lol THE GOOD,it works shows me everything from mpg,idle time,fuel goal,legs,trip,oil change,engine hours n so on n so on
THE BAD,it dont show the mileage because its been a long time, since the battery was dead

so i wanna know if n e body or old head,or veteran let me kno if its possible to hook up a laptop n get a scanner to possibly get that info,i have a 6 prong ecm hook up under the steering wheel where i can plug up a scanner,but i would love to download the information monthlynand print it out for my records,any one can give me some pointers FEEL FREE TO HELP ME OUT,theres also a option to print this out,but theres no printer in truck
Im guessing it started off a company truck

here are a few pics of it finally working,i posted this thread incase someone has the same situation with old iron and just think it doesnt work it just mite,
$3 bucks saved me $1,000.00

 

I have solder kit,i just dont have the got doggone button to put it back in place,i wish i knew a place where i can find a replacement button somewhere in the internet,but i have looked n looked and cant find it no where so ill have to use what i have til im fortunate enough to run across one,i know they have em out there just gotta find it

Can you pm me with pics of yours,or post pics on here ,i would like to see exactly what terminals you used and how u done it,it will definitely help me out,Thanks bro

 

Lol right on brother, right on its just amazing how a truck thats almost 20 years old, some parts still work and some are still expensive, thats why i always tell people that want to get in this business and become a Op, You can not be afraid and too lazy to turn a wrench and figure things out for yourselvs-ITS A MUST, some people think just because they buy a new truck it wont have problems, or buy a truck period that everything else is gonna MAGICALLY FALL IN THERE LAP, SOMEHOW, i call that WISHFUL THINKING, you cant just throw money at a problem and expect it to correct itself alot of guys have went out of business thinking like this, and before you know it there BROKE and blabbing bout this Industry this and this industry that, IM GLAD I OWN OLD IRON, its way easier to work on than the new trucks had i had a new truck it would of been way more complicated and costly

 

Yes sir ree bob lol it is

 

WRONG,, its holding memory now,you are talking about a battery that has been in the truck since 1995 and now its 2005,i dont kno any lil battery that last that long,as far as the ground there is none its a 5 prong connector all in to one hook up like a radio harness it just snaps in from one male to female,im assuming it took the computer a second to realize that there was power from the unit

,no ground nowhere but running from the harness i dont know how long these things were designed to last,but i think i ll get another 20 years out of it if i keep it that long lol its holding memeory SO so FAR SO GOOD! im not complaining

,but lets just be logical for a minute,the average truck batterys that run the truck only last a few years before you replace them, hell dont nothing last forever ifn u ou wanna be technical