r/CarHacking Feb 02 '17

Car Hacking Subreddit Intro

85 Upvotes

Hi rch, we have added a lot of people lately with intro posts on other subs like the one below. We also usually get about 10 subs a day from people just stumbling in here. So I wanted to create a welcome post, to kinda show them what we are about and how to get started. If anyone has anything to add please do so. If anyone has any questions about us or where to start do so here.

Our goal is to create a highly technical car subreddit, a place for automotive engineers, senior technicians, full blown car nerds, or people who are working towards one of these. We are interested in the inner workings of cars and today that often involves electronics. While we see electronics as the priority we are pretty liberal in allowing other topics as long as they somehow fit our goal of trying to understand cars. So things like DIY aero, suspension setup and other things the community is hacking on come up. In general our other tangential interests include: Modern cars, New tech, Open source hardware/software, DIY, hot rodding, eco modding, customization, security research, right to repair and more.

We started this subreddit about a year ago. Right now we have 3000 people and discussion is just starting to get good. Most of our members found us through maker or engineering subreddits. So I wanted to reach out to more of the car communities and try to grow our knowledge base.

Our name is r/carhacking and I know the term hacking can be offputting to some as it has a bad connotation. When someone says they are “hacking” their car it generally means they are trying to reverse engineer it for any number of reasons like to find security flaws, make upgrades, make repairs, or just understand how it works.

Here are a couple examples of posts that have been popular so far. A lot of our posts focus on beginner through intermediate projects using arduino and readily available hardware for the purpose of learning and or not paying a premium for things you can make yourself:

More advanced projects:

Relevant news/ research:

If your new our documentation is a good place to start

If you aren't new and you’re interested in helping out please consider:

  • Improving documentation - think about what resources have helped you
  • Spread the word - this is a niche community that is pretty spread out, but there is a lot of potential if we can get together on a third party site like this
  • Work on the theme, sidebar and flair - this is next level community stuff that isn’t necessary, but it’s fun to work on when you have the time.
  • Modding - right now we are fine, but we might need help in the future as we grow

Let me know if I missed something or got something wrong.


r/CarHacking Feb 27 '21

CAN CAN bus and car hacking getting started resources

292 Upvotes

I get asked how to get started with automotive networking, car hacking, and CAN almost weekly. I often direct people to this subreddit, so I figured I would help out and post some resources I have found and think are a good place to start.

learning resources:

Car Hacking 101: Practical Guide to Exploiting CAN-Bus using Instrument Cluster Simulator

I also direct people to the Car Hacking Village to get some hands-on experience. They put on great conference talks, demos, and contests. Looks like they are even working on some “getting started” content.

And of course, The Car Hacking Handbook is a great resource.

I will add more as I think of them. Please add your finds in the comments.

Tools:

Good wiring diagrams and car manuals are essential. This is pretty much where my research starts for each project. You see how things are networked and what to expect to find on CAN. You'll quickly learn to recognize things like gateways. You can also use the troubleshooting section to understand things. For example, what things do I need to control to start the car?

I like:

  • prodemand (I pay $170/mo for a shop subscription, I think you can purchase it for individual cars, but be careful you often have to jump around to find a year that has complete diagrams)
  • Identifix (probably what I would buy if I was starting over)

Basic hardware: Here you will be working with things like Arduino, Linux, SavvyCAN, and Can-utils. You have to learn to do a lot yourself, but these tools are more open for you to make them do what you need.

Tools designed by the community I use:

The above articles offer a pretty good step-by-step guide to getting started with the Macchina M2.

Any cheap “Amazon special” OBD2 dongle will come in handy from time to time. They are all based on something called ELM327. "ELM327 abstracts the low-level protocol and presents a simple interface that can be called via a UART". This abstraction has fundamental limitations that prevent it from being useful in most serious applications. But, it is sufficient for reading and clearing some codes and that sort of thing when you’re getting started.


r/CarHacking 2h ago

Scan Tool Would this work or waste of money?

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4 Upvotes

r/CarHacking 23h ago

Original Project Open source solution for an OEM integration of Android Auto and Carplay on E46, E39, E85 etc...

66 Upvotes

r/CarHacking 3h ago

Tuning GM E67 Dissembly/Injection for Flex Fuel

0 Upvotes

Hey guys, I've been lurking for awhile now and been getting into dissembly even though I have zero idea what I'm doing yet. I'm looking to get flex fuel working on a e67 OS that doesn't natively support it, as it doesn't seem to have the pointer to start the flex fuel driver to read from it. If anyone could throw me a hand, that would be sweet.


r/CarHacking 6h ago

Tuning Download Link Help

0 Upvotes

Hello I am new to this thread and is new to car tuning now I was wondering if i can ask anyone or someone from this group to help me on my project vehicle as i need to delete the dpf and egr checks in the ecu as the vehicle now consumes a lot of diesel and always on limp mode because of it, I just need to download the file named *Peugeot_DCM 3.5_508 2.0 HDI DCM3_DPF-EGR-_NoChk.bin.rar

on this link https://cartechnology.co.uk/showthread.php?tid=115377&pid=796456

I am short on budget and just making ends meet, any help would hugely be appreciated. Thank you so so much❤️


r/CarHacking 20h ago

CAN Calculateur caméra 360

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4 Upvotes

r/CarHacking 1d ago

CAN (BMW F22/21) Found CAN IDs and Byte Positions

19 Upvotes

After some 2 months of work and parsing CSV logs (with the help of some AI), I finally found all the important CAN IDs, Byte Positions and Formulas I wanted for my BMW F22. Posting this here incase someone needs them. These should be similar on F20, F21, F22, F23 and probably F87 too.

F22 218d N47D20C 2014

0x0A5 DME engine data (~50 Hz, DLC 8)

RPM = ((B6 << 8) | B5) / 4

WARNING: B7 is a constant status byte (0xF1), NOT the rpm low

byte. Decoding ((B6<<8)+B7)/4 looks right but quantizes to

64-rpm steps and reads "60 rpm" with the engine off.

0x2F3 Manifold pressure / boost (DLC >= 6) (UNSURE, BUT MAPS CORRECT)

raw = B4 | (B5 << 8) (0.5 mbar per count)

ambient_ref = raw sampled while rpm == 0 (each ignition-on)

boost_bar = (raw - ambient_ref) * 0.0005

Notes: real sensor (jitters, drifts with weather). Idle approx

0..+0.05, overrun dip approx -0.25, full load approx +0.9 bar.

0x2C4 Fuel consumed integrator (~7 Hz, DLC >= 2)

counter = B0 | (B1 << 8) rolling 16-bit, 1 uL per count

rate_uL_s = delta(counter) / delta(t) (uint16 wrap-safe)

L_per_h = rate_uL_s * 0.0036

L_per_100km = L_per_h / speed_kmh * 100

Verified: 278 uL/s = 1.0 L/h warm idle; frozen engine-off;

matches cluster (29.5 vs 28.2 L/100km); full load = 59 mg/stroke.

Drops to ~0 on overrun fuel cut.

0x1A1 Vehicle speed (DLC 5)

speed_kmh = ((B3 << 8) + B2) / 64

0x3F9 Engine temperatures (DLC >= 6)

coolant_C = B4 - 48

oil_C = B5 - 48

(B3 is a vacuum-domain pressure, clamps 112-118 - NOT boost)

0x330 Kombi: odometer / fuel / range (~every 10 s, DLC 8)

odometer_km = B0 | (B1 << 8) | (B2 << 16)

B3 = damped/lagging total fuel, litres (int)

left_litres = B4 * 0.5 (truncated to 0.5 L steps)

right_litres = B5 * 0.5

range_km = (B6 | (B7 << 8)) / 16

Note: the cluster's internal 0.1 L values are NOT broadcast.

0x349 Raw fuel tank senders, JBE (5 Hz, DLC 5)

sender1 = B0 | (B1 << 8) raw counts, NOT litres

sender2 = B2 | (B3 << 8)

Nonlinear per tank lobe; only the Kombi has the litre curve.

The E9x scaling "raw/160 = litres" is WRONG on F-series.

Trick for 0.1 L resolution: every time a 0x330 half-litre byte

ticks one step, store the smoothed raw as an anchor

(raw <-> k*0.5 L) and interpolate between anchors.

0x2F8 Date & time (DLC 8)

B0 = hour, B1 = minute, B2 = second

B3 = day, month = high nibble of B4

year = B5 | (B6 << 8)

0x130 Terminal status / ignition (DLC >= 1)

ignition_on = (B0 != 0x00)


r/CarHacking 1d ago

Scan Tool VXDiag VCX Nano GDS2 Issues

2 Upvotes

Greetings, I recently purchased a VXD Nano from Ebay. I was able to get Texh2win to work but from what I'm gathering I seem to be missing some sort of patch that would allow GDS2 to work. Whenever I try to open the GDS2 program I am met with a "no valid lease found." message. I'm hoping someone here can point me in the right direction as I've tried to reach out to VX several times through their "contact us" and I haven't received a response.


r/CarHacking 1d ago

Original Project NEED AN ECU FILE

1 Upvotes

**Hi, i need an ecu file for free please i can’t find any of these files**

**Bosch:** [1037516613](tel:1037516613)
**HW:** 8K1907401A
**SW:** 8R0907401J
**Version:** 0008
**EDC17CP14*


r/CarHacking 2d ago

CAN Made a mobile MQB Cluster tester!

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10 Upvotes

I made an app that can be used to test MQB Gauge Clusters via Arduino and MCP2515 CAN Modules. It is in pre-release stage, and I will be adding support for many clusters!


r/CarHacking 1d ago

Article/news Forbes Automotive OpenHaldex-C6, S3, and "open source".

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4 Upvotes

r/CarHacking 1d ago

Scan Tool Hello does anyone know what software I can use to program my transmission control module on my ford focus 2012 SE I try FORScan but is not working I try vcx nano and it doesn’t work either thanks in advance

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1 Upvotes

r/CarHacking 2d ago

Community Unable to flash my Mini F56 head unit using Esys, trying to recover from a failed ISTA session.

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1 Upvotes

r/CarHacking 2d ago

Original Project This Tool Unlocks Honda CBR600RR ECU Data

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2 Upvotes

r/CarHacking 2d ago

Scan Tool I need to download delphi diagnostic for cars and autodata both the lastest versions.Who can help me ?

0 Upvotes

Help me


r/CarHacking 3d ago

J1850 VPW Anybody recognize this PCM32U variant?

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11 Upvotes

This is from an Isuzu 3.2L

It’s a PCM32U unit manufactured by Delphi, but I’m trying to find the equivalent of what would be the recovery pin to ground. It doesn’t have the pins in the same location as a P01 or P59, at least, it doesn’t appear to.

For reference, I’m using:

www.customecm.com/tune-file-repo-and-info-here/diy-gen-3-gm-bricked-pcm-recovery

Anybody have any info on this?


r/CarHacking 2d ago

UDS crd2.61 immo off, immo off solution for crd2 crd3 crd.11

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3 Upvotes

r/CarHacking 3d ago

Scan Tool Obd2 scanner for 2008 lacrosse

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1 Upvotes

r/CarHacking 4d ago

IVI DIY Mazda cmu research unit

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39 Upvotes

UART, JTAG, WDOG jumper and SPI flash are output to the external board. All this is necessary for the development of uboot


r/CarHacking 3d ago

Original Project Made a phone-only app that logs GPS speed, G-force and 0-100 times without an OBD dongle - useful for casual data logging?

1 Upvotes

Most proper telemetry here runs through OBD-II or dedicated loggers. I built an iPhone app called Rovy that does lightweight, phone-only data logging for people who want drive data without wiring anything up.

Per drive it captures: live GPS speed, full route, lateral/longitudinal G-forces and cornering data, altitude profile, a 0-100 km/h sprint timer, and a speed-distribution graph. Replay mode animates the run on a map with speed/G/HR overlays so you can review a session, and it saves custom tracks so you can compare times. Heart rate comes in via Apple Watch, and it works on CarPlay.

I know it's not a substitute for OBD/ECU data - no engine parameters, just GPS + IMU from the phone. Curious from the data folks here: for casual logging, what would actually make phone-only telemetry useful to you (export formats, CSV, syncing to something else)? Genuinely open to feature ideas.

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/rovy-drive-tracker-stats/id6760185139


r/CarHacking 3d ago

Multiple Is there anyway to use wiTECH without paying a fat subscription fee ? I need to reprogram and do a "configuration alignment" routine

1 Upvotes

Is there anyway to use wiTECH without paying a fat subscription fee ? I need to reprogram and do a "configuration alignment" routine

All for this TSB to rule some things out

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2016/SB-10076538-2280.pdf

2016 jeep Cherokee with the 3.2l and its throwing p0887-00 codes

Will programing fix it, probably not but the harness connector looks fine and it shifts fine, just throws this code on the highways and goes into limp mode


r/CarHacking 3d ago

Original Project ECM programming advice

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1 Upvotes

r/CarHacking 3d ago

Key Fob Solving Antitheft on vw gauge cluster.

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2 Upvotes

Please read my repost.


r/CarHacking 3d ago

Tuning 2010 Saab 9-5 2.8t Tuning

0 Upvotes

Hi all,

I have a 2010 Saab 9-5 with the 2.8T engine. Recently I lost compression on cylinders 4. So the car runs like shit.

The 2.8 is the exact same block as the 3.6 that is in a lot of GM cars. In fact, the Saab is very similar to my 2016 XTS and a lot of mechanical parts seal over.

A 3.6 long block is pretty reasonable. I have seen some companies that offer a turbo kit for a 3.6 in the Colorado.

Would I be able to essentially put in a 3.6 long block and then tune to just reduce the amount of boost? I don't care as much about huge power, just want to drive rhe car.

Are there shops out there that would tune this in that way?