Adding RPD
05-08-2014, 06:24 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
Join Date: 09-23-2012
Location: Michigan
Posts: 62
Adding RPD
Has anyone added the RPD to an SS that didn't come with it? Mine's an 08, and a coworker of mine scored a RPD out of a Cobalt for me. It mounts to the A pillar instead of the center dash like ours. I'm hoping get it working and replace the boost gauge with it.
05-09-2014, 04:29 AM
#2
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Join Date: 10-03-2005
Location: Sachse, TX NE Dallas
Posts: 2,351
i researched this and just didnt seem feasible to do it
you have to buy the whole thing just to get the housing and that was around 250 to 260
i have found out that if it wasnt built for it that the wiring and necessary harness is just not there
good luck and i will be watching this one
you have to buy the whole thing just to get the housing and that was around 250 to 260
i have found out that if it wasnt built for it that the wiring and necessary harness is just not there
good luck and i will be watching this one
05-09-2014, 06:13 AM
#3
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Join Date: 01-23-2009
Location: Fredericksburg, Virginia
Posts: 24,683
Do you have a wiring harness for it? Do you have the expertise to find the correct wires and then tap into them? I am guessing that it would wire into the OBD port, if you knew which wires.
I wonder if a Bluetooth OBD reader and display wouldn't be more feasible?
I wonder if a Bluetooth OBD reader and display wouldn't be more feasible?
05-09-2014, 07:44 AM
#4
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Join Date: 09-23-2012
Location: Michigan
Posts: 62
I have the RPD and harness already, however the harness has been cut about 10 inches after the RPD. Ive been searching on the Cobalt forums about this, and it seems there have been people who have done this successfully. Now I just need to dig down to the specifics of which wires to tap. I'm already running an OBD 2 reader with Torque on my smartphone, but I'm looking for a more factory looking install. I've debated putting a tablet dock in the top dash bin, bit I use that for storage and we all know how little storage their is in the HHR.
05-09-2014, 09:45 AM
#5
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Join Date: 12-06-2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 11,092
Although the RPD is a neat little item to have(mine has it), I would be very leery about hacking into the cars wiring system.
Might be costly, but I would check and see if the correct wiring harness is available.
Remember that the factory RPD equipped SS's will not run without the RPD unit operational. Something to think about because of where the unit gets it's "feed" from.
Go tapping into the wiring harness, make a small mistake, well,,, your car may not even start and run.
I also have the Torque app on my phone with the wireless OBD reader. Neat little program. Haven't played with it much yet. I do like that it can be used to read codes.
Might be costly, but I would check and see if the correct wiring harness is available.
Remember that the factory RPD equipped SS's will not run without the RPD unit operational. Something to think about because of where the unit gets it's "feed" from.
Go tapping into the wiring harness, make a small mistake, well,,, your car may not even start and run.
I also have the Torque app on my phone with the wireless OBD reader. Neat little program. Haven't played with it much yet. I do like that it can be used to read codes.
05-09-2014, 03:29 PM
#6
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Thread Starter
Join Date: 09-23-2012
Location: Michigan
Posts: 62
I'm not all that concerned with taping into the wiring. Factory the RPD is wired in series, and disrupts the CanBus circuit if disconnected, which is why the vehicle will not start without it. The upside to having a HHR that came without it from the factory, is that I can wire it in parallel,so that it runs with or without it connected. I've got to do some more digging to ensure I find the correct wires to tap for the signal. There are diagrams posted on the Cobalt forums, I just need to verify if the wires are the same in the HHR. I'll try to link the post from the Cobalt forums.
Although the RPD is a neat little item to have(mine has it), I would be very leery about hacking into the cars wiring system.
Might be costly, but I would check and see if the correct wiring harness is available.
Remember that the factory RPD equipped SS's will not run without the RPD unit operational. Something to think about because of where the unit gets it's "feed" from.
Go tapping into the wiring harness, make a small mistake, well,,, your car may not even start and run.
I also have the Torque app on my phone with the wireless OBD reader. Neat little program. Haven't played with it much yet. I do like that it can be used to read codes.
Might be costly, but I would check and see if the correct wiring harness is available.
Remember that the factory RPD equipped SS's will not run without the RPD unit operational. Something to think about because of where the unit gets it's "feed" from.
Go tapping into the wiring harness, make a small mistake, well,,, your car may not even start and run.
I also have the Torque app on my phone with the wireless OBD reader. Neat little program. Haven't played with it much yet. I do like that it can be used to read codes.
05-09-2014, 09:10 PM
#8
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Join Date: 09-23-2012
Location: Michigan
Posts: 62
I need to do a bit more research, but this is a good start. A quick HOW TO on installing the RPD(UAF) - Cobalt SS Network
