Depends on what you want the box to do exactly?

 

breakout box


help decipher trans tests & engine tests. you know how to build one?

 

you use a computer ,hardware and software like Automotive Enginuity to talk to the PCM and other modules
i have never heard of a DIY breakout box ?

 

It's an electrical box that connects between the computer and the component. The Ford factory manual I have has it listed & how it's used. How's that for ingenuity?

 

OTC Ford EEC-V 104 Pin Breakout Box OTC3235: Advance Auto Parts

YOure better off with a proper scanner

 

OTC Ford EEC-V 104 Pin Breakout Box OTC3235: Advance Auto Parts

YOure better off with a proper scanner

Jeez, 690 bucks. you can buy AE AND a laptop for that kinda cabbage......

And be better off....

 

Breakout boxes can be fairly simple to make. Most of them allow you to switch a component on and off. For example I have one at work fr injectors on engines. Plugs inline with original harness and you can flip switches to basically make an open circuit to shut off the component. Or you can make breakout harnesses so you can plug in the same way and read voltages or amperage with everything plugged in and working as normal. It really all depends on what you want to test and how you want to test it. As others have said on these rigs you'd be better off with a quality scantool. My brother runs auto engunity. I have a Snapon solus pro. They both read the same pics and can do the same functional tests.

 

The usual breakout box for these would not be used to switch things on and off, although there have been "Injector Breakout Boxes" that do switch injectors in and out of the circuit. In the PSD case, it is sometimes hooked up inline with the PCM connector and the PCM. Sometimes (actually in many pinpoint tests) it is only hooked up to the PCM connector and the PCM is left disconnected. It is a very useful tool that makes it much easier to test between the connector pins (called test points) called for in the specific pinpoint tests from the Powertrain Control and Emissions Diagnosis (PCED) Manual. You could also measure voltages, frequency, etc. if desired. If you don't have one, and the pinpoint test calls for the box to be connected to the connector only, you can simply probe between the appropriate connector pins, but it is more difficult (more leaning over into the bay, tighter areas to probe, constantly looking at the pinout diagram to get the right pins, etc). For tests that call out having both connector and PCM connected, you would need to pierce the insulation or something without the box. You can DIY one, but you will need the appropriate connectors, pins, diagrams, etc. There is an AEM extension harness you could use to tap into to make one, but it is not cheap at just over $200. Cheers!