Worst fake Eco OBD2 fuel saver yet (with schematic)

As designs go, this has to be the laziest and cheapest fake engine tuner plug there is.
Most of these units try to look convincing by emulating data transfer with flickering LEDs, but this one has just one flashing LED with circuitry that hints that the designers didn't even know basic electronics.
Worse still, this unit manages to pass almost 20mA of current continuously to light its LEDs, that may not even be visible through the badly designed case. That current is significant for a vehicle that doesn't get used a lot.
These units pretend to interface with your cars control computer via the OBD (On Board Diagnostics) port normally used by mechanics to analyse vehicle faults. They claim that the unit learns your driving behaviour and fine tunes the engine settings for maximum efficiency and power. In reality while there are real units for very specific vehicles, these units just put on a light show and rely on the buyer to convince themselves that they feel a performance difference.
In some instances these units can have faults that actually interfere with your vehicles data networks and that can result in your car malfunctioning while the unit is plugged in.
Don't waste your money. If you really want to save fuel, try to adjust your driving style to avoid excessive acceleration and braking (hard braking is wasted energy), and avoid trying to accelerate uphill as that poses the highest strain on an engine.
On a plus note, the case could be useful for your own OBD projects to utilise the permanent 12V available at the socket.
Supporting the channel with a dollar or two on Patreon helps keep it independent of KZbin's quirks, avoids intrusive mid-video adverts, gives early access, bonus footage and regular quiet Patreon live streams.
/ bigclive
#ElectronicsCreators

[@ArticTiger]

This 100% does something. if you go to a mechanic with one of these installed and they see it, they know to offer to change your blinkerfluid.

[@mjc0961]

I hope they'll also change my piston return springs, and swap the summer air in my tires with winter air.

[@briandrown3595]

Don't forget they're probably low on horn powder too

[@bigclivedotcom]

And offer a $20 firmware upgrade for the fake fuel saver.

[@m.k.8158]

@@briandrown3595 Also they will know to check/replace your muffler bearings

[@johndododoe1411]

@@briandrown3595 Horn powder is very expensive in China, as it is equivalent to this device, but for population production. Production in Africa suffers from a significant shortage of horn producing herds.

[@o8thman812]

I had an ex company car with a 50c fuel saving device. It worked amazingly well & really saved me loads on fuel costs. It was a small bolt welded to the underside of the accelerator pedal!...

[@markjohnson8602]

bet the motor is full of carbon. lol little speed don't hurt and actual can improve fuel economy!

[@talos86]

@SaltyBrains still you cant speed up, when the welded bolt touches the "floor". You cant press it further.

[@dougaltolan3017]

@@markjohnson8602 Ahh, the good OLD, bad OLD, Italian tune up. Modern engine management: my reasons are beyond your comprehension.

[@allennicholson4248]

What happens when you need to drop a gear and floor it to get out of trouble?

[@PREDATEURLT]

@@allennicholson4248 most problems would not happen when you slower. I know from experience, have two cars one with 76kw and another with 184kw and risk taking is way lower in the 76kw.

[@barrieshepherd7694]

3 flashing LEDs would have been even cheaper and they could have claimed that 'unlike previous versions' it is fully automated and needs no reset function.

[@WowUrFcknHxC]

Stop giving them ideas 😐

[@Scrogan]

Dedicated flashing LEDs you mean? I think those cost more than the cheapest LEDs and transistors.

[@notahotshot]

The reset button is there to make the device interactive, which reinforces the idea that it is actually doing something.

[@brettadams6734]

@@notahotshot yep. Then you drive more efficiently and the reset was effective

[@colinofay7237]

That'll be the next, upgraded version

[@LtKernelPanic]

How generous of them to include a 2 year warranty!

[@bigclivedotcom]

That's probably to give people longer to lose the receipt.

[@mawizard6341]

@@bigclivedotcom it doesn't seem that the components would really burn out too. They'd probably last two years. Driving three LEDs isn't that hard and even in the crappy configuration it's likely it would last doing what it does for a long time!

[@DaddyBeanDaddyBean]

If it STOPS WORKING within two years, they'll replace it. If it does nothing in the first place, can it ever be said to stop working? 😁

[@mawizard6341]

@@DaddyBeanDaddyBean nothing minus nothing equals.....

[@JasonW.]

@@DaddyBeanDaddyBean "Works as designed"

[@tactileslut]

"Turn the car off. Distract yourself for five seconds. Don't start the engine." So far it's saving me from using any fuel.

[@raymitchell9736]

How wonderful... They've worked around the chip shortage by replacing those power hungry microprocessors with a 2-transistor Fuel saver... Econo to the MAX... Yeah!!!!

[@benkerr9051]

a 555 timer would be my choice if i had to build this

[@johndododoe1411]

@@benkerr9051 But there's a chip shortage and others will be buying up 555s for use in shop signage. However someone dedicated to cost savings might hunt down a solution with only 1 or zero transistors.

[@diablo7322000]

As a mechanic, I've had cars come in with can bus faults/no communication errors, etc. I've had multiple modules go bad from these shitty fuel savers, battery drain, OBD2 ports that no longer work. Some of the worst kill the 5V reference, that's real fun trying to diagnose when the customer removes it and doesn't mention it was installed.

[@snowcold903]

Yes that must be a lot of fun!!🥳🥳😆

[@GeorgeVCohea-dw7ou]

What these people don't seem to realise is that; if this were so easy and cheap to accomplish, the auto manufacturers would have long since implemented the tech by default to beat regulatory obligations. Of course, yeah, there is legit software factory installed to optimise fuel consumption in many vehicles already these days.

[@snowcold903]

@@GeorgeVCohea-dw7ou Yes that is true 👍

[@tjmarx]

@@GeorgeVCohea-dw7ou Ironically, auto manufacturers have long ago implemented exactly what this device claims to do. Your cars ECU already learns your driving habits and changes how it operates to maximise performance and fuel efficiency specific to how you drive the vehicle. You can actually clear these settings (plenty of videos about on how to do it) to see how (rough) your vehicle runs without them and have it remap your driving style over a few hundred kms. So from the outset the OBD2 device being shown is advertising to do something any vehicle new enough to have an OBD2 is already doing. The only reason you'd ever tune your ECU is if you're trying to pick up my torque on the low/high end or you're trying to give up fuel savings to maximise acceleration. Tuning isn't a mainstream thing for that reason, it's really just for niche groups.

[@GeorgeVCohea-dw7ou]

@@tjmarx The Volvo emissions test scheme isn't the only tomfoolery within the industry! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnqkqaWkoM6nr5I It is, what it is!

[@mediocre-motorcycle-modifi6818]

I work in the emissions industry. We heard a good story of a piggyback rail pressure fuel saver. It intercepted the rail pressure signal and sent a lower rail pressure signal back to the ECU. The ECU think it's rail pressure is lower than it really is and will calculate the fuel use to be lower and show you on the dash. The only problem was that when the ECU tried to regenerate the DPF the fueling was so off that it made them so hot that they cracked. Also it probably used a bit more fuel in reality.

[@maximal10]

I just realized that you could grab a bunch of USB male plugs 1 or 2 flashing LED's cheap breadboards and some 3d printed shells and make "range extenders" for electric vehicles. The blinking light means its working!

[@SeanBZA]

They already are on the market, in a different colour shell.

[@Kitchfox]

Not likely to get many victims there. Most people that are going to buy something that plugs into the OBD port on a EV want to have exact cell by cell voltage and temperature information along with battery conditioning information. I'm not really that into it and just use the information GM seen fit to put on the dash and I make adjustments accordingly. So the point is the moment it fails to connect with whatever device you plan to read the data output on that person is going to be asking for there money back.

[@zh84]

I love the deadpan way he reads out the twisted English from the instructions. It reminds me of Stuart Ashen.

[@Randrew]

Very affordable e-waste! I do like the idea of using its plastic case as an OBD project box. Or a cable-end housing for a larger OBD project.

[@tin2001]

Of course many of these only have the power pins present, making it useless for a DIY project anyway.

[@roboman2444]

Most of the cost of that is just the OBD2 connector itself.

[@briandrown3595]

Most of the cost there is the shipping and marketing lol

[@demef758]

The version that has two more holes in the plastic to let the buyer see the additional static LEDs is the deluxe model costing another $10.99+ s/h.

[@bastiannenke9613]

Considering the older videos which appear to have predecessors of this module, the "evolution" is impressive. Other companies can only dream of those cost cuttings.

[@Broadcast1Channel]

These things have been showing up again on a popular video streaming service pre-role adds again. Usually with some story about a person that worked at a big auto company who exposed that all auto manufacturers had been lying and that he had a simple fix that could double fuel economy, and when he approched big auto management they fired him. So he decided to go it alone and bring out this symple fuel saving device. Even with reporting these adds they still show up. Although they have now moved back on to little plug in fan heaters that can heat your entire house for little energy. Prior to this it was there favourite usb powered AC unit (evaporation cooler) that can cool a room by many degrees in minutes. All of these have a story attached about a person who big tech tried to silence.

[@jasonkuehl639]

Glad to see an updated version of these, and even happier to see Clive showing the circuits. Every time any of my family members ask about these, I show them the Big Clive videos, since they won't believe me about these being a scam!

[@arduinoversusevil2025]

That 15% fuel savings speaks for itself! Surely, it's worth a try...

[@bigclivedotcom]

Millions in use worldwide, so they must be good.

[@FirstLastOne]

Somebody should have put in a vise, compacting it about 15%.

[@Teeh0]

Ok hear me out... go to the scrap yard, pick out some extra OBD2 ports, put em in your car, put one of these in each! Theoretically you could reach up to 105% fuel savings (AND BEYOND!)

[@realityshotgun]

Do Canadian cars even run on gas? Thought you guys were still going the Fred Flintstone route...

[@sihamhamda47]

@@Teeh0 And also don't forget to change the flashing LED in those fuel saving device to RGB lights. It could give you extra 150% fuel savings to each OBD2 and also increase your car's acceleration and top speed by 50%

[@MyAvitech]

This reminds me of a scam I feel for when I was 16 back in the 80's. It was a product that I found at the fleamartket and advertised as a "specialized" copper disk and cost about $30. If you hooked it between your coil and distributor cap it was supposed to save gas and give your engine more horsepower. Later when I opened the package to install it, I found that it was nothing more than a piece of plastic with 2 terminals and a US Penny stuck in the middle.

[@jayhom5385]

Well "specialized copper disc" is pretty accurate. 🤣

[@SteveGuidi]

The irony is that a US penny is only about 5% copper, with the rest being zinc.

[@turbokatzenburg5732]

@@SteveGuidi Now it is, yes. But back then pennies were all copper.

[@tonydoggett7627]

They produced a higher voltage spark simply by introducing another gap to jump. So instead of a spark occurring at say 10,000 volts across 2 gaps. It now had to rise to 15,000 volts to jump three gaps. No performance gain and harder starting!

[@techalyzer]

If you have an older car, be sure to check your exhaust circuit. My muffler opened up because of rust. It now has a "sportier" sound and quite a bit more power, but it started to empty my tank twice as fast.

[@gillespriod5509]

Because you enjoy the sound and Press more often the pedal! Unless the leak Is before the lambda sensor of course!

[@SilvaD702]

About 10 years ago Progressive Insurance in the US had a class action lawsuit for their 'snapshot' driving/tracking device. Not sure whatever happened with that, but the lesson resonates to never plug foreign crap into your car.

[@Francois_Dupont]

what happened? was it a GPS tracker or something?

[@Speedy6617]

According to the lawsuit, Progressive had received “over 1,500” customer complaints as far back as February 2014 concerning the alleged damage caused by the Snapshot device. Those customer concerns, the suit adds, were in addition to “over 8,000” complaints about the device itself. Progressive, the case argues, therefore knew that its Snapshot device was defective yet kept quiet and failed to warn consumers.

[@Francois_Dupont]

@@Speedy6617 wow! ok ok, thank you for the detail.

[@alexlail7481]

I don't know exactly what happened...but according to there own adds towards the end...'not available in North Carolina ' 🙃 Finally government bureaucracy for the win... like our Utilities and Hospitals our insurance is also regulated by the State.

[@pjford1118]

@@Francois_Dupont Worse than that, they were complete data loggers. Time of use, speed, acceleration and deceleration rates, ABS brake activation, GPS. All of it went into an unsecured SQL data base. A stalkers wildest dreams! I reverse engineered the code in 3 different ones and none of them had any encryption, or authentication. One the good side they did have ok data simms that you could re-purpose.

[@CanizaM]

Knowing what can be done through the OBD port makes something like this firmly in the realm of "possible but not at that price". Funny enough, a version that turns up the fuel enough to roll coal would probably more popular among the diesel drivers here...

[@briandrown3595]

That wastes so much fuel. Wouldn't it be alot cheaper to just get the male enlargement surgery ? And more effective.

[@SeanBZA]

@@briandrown3595 Getting the brodozer already added inches, and the raised suspension and coal upgrade doubled the length as well. No money left for surgery that actually works after that, and the new massively larger fuel bill. After all, he can whip those out and show without getting a ticket, and the little head is only coming out when it is dark, so nobody can see it to compare.

[@johndododoe1411]

@@SeanBZA Don't forget the hood removal fad in that country.

[@jimjamauto]

I have definitely got better fuel economy via tuner, but it was like 0.5 to 1 mpg and probably just because it changed the throttle response

[@sonixthatsme]

I recently found one in a customer's car. And told him it was fake. He told me it actually works. But it was probably he changed his driving. When I opened it up and showed him how it worked ,he was kinda shocked.

[@jamesb1221222]

It would do a better job fuel saving if it just jammed the canbus and prevented the engine from starting lol

[@JasonW.]

Ah, I had the same thought.

[@phedders]

Thats the upgraded model. They sell them....

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

Ah🤗 the bistable multivibrator! It's one of the first electronic circuits that I've ever built as a kid, and it's still one of my favorites.

[@pizzablender]

Isn't this one the a-stable? The bi-stable is stable in both states.

[@anorris1212]

Back in the good old days before fuel injection. People would use a vacuum gauge, (fuel saver gauge), and watch it while accelerating. If you hit the throttle hard the vacuum would drop, and the gauge would show lower fuel economy. To prevent this, you would drive less aggressively. It actually kind of worked as it the driver would watch the gauge, and change driving habits, and save gas. Installed quite a few back in the 1970's, when I was doing mechanics. Thanks for the great videos, you always teach, and entertain.

[@SeanBZA]

Yes and older BMW vehicles had this in the gauge cluster, instant feedback and labelled as instantaneous fuel consumption. Most of the time they were driven so the needle was barely moving off the stop, well in the red zone.

[@bosstowndynamics5488]

There are apps you can get that talk to real general purpose OBD II scanners with the idea being to replicate this kind of driver feedback. I suspect these days anyone who wanted to do that would just get a newer car though (doesn't even have to be that new, my 8 year old car does it) with built in fuel consumption monitoring exposed to the driver.

[@tin2001]

@@bosstowndynamics5488 My car is 10 years old, and it has the fuel monitoring thing... Not a fancy car. Cheapest Hyundai they sold in Australia back then.

[@alastairward2774]

@@tin2001 same on my bog standard 2011 VW Polo, shows both on the spot and average journey MPG figures.

[@alastairward2774]

@@SeanBZA I think I remember seeing that in an older BMW, a needle that flew back and forward and looked like it would just annoy a person around town.

[@piconano]

It's patented too! It says right on the packaging! So it must be true. Why did they shy away from giving a life-time warranty? Lying opportunity missed...

[@johndododoe1411]

Slightly realistic company behavior helps sell the concept.

[@TalasDS]

By the way. In the automotive industry, anything over 50mA consumption while turned off is considered as a high current draw that'll discharge your battery in a couple of months. Most modern passenger vehicles stay at around 25-30 mA. So this thing is just making sure you'll be able to get a nice flat battery if you don't turn on your car in winter or something.

[@zlac]

50mA will drain 50Ah battery in 1000 hours, that's 41 days, but it's actually really fast and will be much faster in reality.

[@TalasDS]

@@zlac That's about right. However, slower discharge rates impact greatly on the Ah capacity of a standard lead-acid battery. A lead acid battery meassured at a 10mA discharge rate will have around twice the capacity of the same battery meassured at a 10A discharge rate (the standard for this measurement) Technology Connections made a pretty interesting video on the topic of lead acid batteries for small current inverters. It's worth a watch. This is why a standard battery will last for a few months without needing a charge on a vehicle. At 20-25mA you're basically at least squaring the estimated duration of the battery, on which case, you'd need to worry more about self discharge rates than idle consumption. Edit: on a side note, in my experience. Idle consumption over 100mA is enough to kill a battery in under two weeks. Which checks out with the numbers you provided. If we were to take in account that a 50Ah battery is bigger than your average battery. Average would be around 40 Ah.

[@bertblankenstein3738]

And in cooler climates, you won't get the full capacity of the battery at -25C or colder.

[@jochem_m]

I want to bet that driving for 200 miles while having that device in the back of your head, makes your driving more consistent and makes you aware of how hard you press the gas, which them probably _does_ actually translate into fuel savings. But then again, a post-it note on your steering wheel would probably work better.

[@channelsixtysix066]

Clive, I have no doubt it will work equally as well in an electric vehicle. They also have an OBD2 port.

[@cwcordes]

Memories of a "regulated" 12V supply I ran across in the 1970's . I noticed an unlabeled T-03 transistor case pop-riveted to the case. I open it and the two leads of the "big power transistor" were completely un-connected. Just a step down transformer, a bridge rectifier, an inadequate capacitor, a fuse, and an illuminated switch.

[@SeanBZA]

Will bet they used all the manufacturer rejects as well, buying them at scrap steel price.

[@stepheneyles2198]

Clive you forgot to mention the built-in safety feature: 0 ohm fusible resistor! No doubt that's in case the LEDs get over excited while they're communicating with the ECU!

[@tin2001]

It's more likely there because some reference design for OBD devices had it and they thought it was necessary to get the power for the LED. Or because they don't trust the manufacturing process to not end up with a dead short somewhere else.

[@plainedgedsaw1694]

@@tin2001 i don't think it's even fusible, the track going from it may just fuse faster.

[@tin2001]

My boss bought 4 of those (but the green petrol ones)... I pointed out they do exactly nothing before they even came out of the packet, and they've just sat on the desk since.

[@littleshopofelectrons4014]

The person that would buy this is the same person that believed in the 100 MPG carburetor rumors from 40 years ago.

[@romanroad483]

Wow, 100mpg carburettor, where can I buy one ?

[@gavinstirling7088]

I remember buying a "fuel saving device" back in the late 90's which was basically a ceramic resistor with a label on top which you inserted in place of the MAF air sensor if I remember correctly. My friend absolutely swore that his engine ran much "better" with it fitted but I thankfully decided against it. 25 years later I now know better.

[@ecaparts]

I think it was a fixed resistor in place of the IAT (intake air temperature) sensor. The car would richen the fuel mixture because it would think the air temp is much colder. It was marketed as a ‘power chip’ or ‘fuel saver’ or both and would add so much power to your vehicle! In reality, it would waste fuel and foul spark plugs until the oxygen sensors take over (which would take about 30 seconds after startup). 😂

[@linuxguy1199]

Maybe a poor mans attempt at doing a lean burn system to save fuel (which actually can save 3 to 4 mpg on some vehicles)? Either way you need a lot more complexity to properly do a lean burn (custom ECUs, tuning, dyno tests, etc.), that would likely increase fuel usage by completely screwing up the fuel air mixture.

[@Lemon_Inspector]

@@ecaparts It's always a good sign when a product is claimed to have two opposite effects at the same time.

[@chitlitlah]

It couldn't have been the MAF sensor, unless the resistor was in parallel with the sensor. If the MAF always gives a constant reading, the car will run like garbage and be undriveable. The IAT sensor makes a bit more sense. Well, it's not really a wise thing to do to your car, but I could see people doing it and thinking it was running better.

[@dashcamandy2242]

@@ecaparts I've had plenty of 80s and 90s GM cars with poor fuel economy because of a faulty Coolant Temperature Sensor, never telling the ECM that the car has reached operating temperature, so it would always run in Open Loop mode ignoring most sensor inputs. (It also can be the cause of "failure to shift into Overdrive.") Same result, running rich, and slowly destroying the catalytic converter. @chitlitlah Not necessarily true, I've had faulty MAF sensors so bad the car refused to start/stay running, but after unplugging the sensor entirely, the car runs well.

[@thesoniczone]

This is the same deal we saw here 10 years ago with the "power saving adapter plug" On diesel vehicles (and many petrol ones) the throttle is controlled via the CAN bus which is present on OBD II. To alter anything with the fueling, you would need to perform a man-in-the-middle CAN packet modification. I did this long ago when I designed engine management systems for racing (when fuel was cheap compared to today). Why go to all that trouble when ultimately savings can be realized by: * Driving less * Having the vehicle serviced properly (I can't stress this enough) * Having the vehicle fixed (so many people drive around for months with a CHECK ENGINE light on)

[@thegamejunkie1]

Found your channel, cause of Eric O and the SMA channel. 👍👍👍

[@bigclivedotcom]

Still my fave auto channel, as Eric is so good at electrical troubleshooting.

[@ruben_balea]

I guess you can glue it to the floor under the gas pedal to limit its travel and thus reduce the power of the engine. Although that does not necessarily mean less fuel consumption if you do not adapt your driving style.

[@ZaphodHarkonnen]

Even though it’ll probably increase costs, marketplaces like eBay really need to be held accountable for not actively looking for these things or otherwise disrupting such scams. I think the trade off in increased costs would be worth it however.

[@Farm_fab]

Some time ago, I bought a supposed 3000w inverter for 24v, only to find out that it was far closer to 300w. Not surprisingly, the seller continued to sell them. EBay assumes that it's the end user that is at fault, not the seller. The end user is just an ignorant hick, and all the sellers are great at what they do.

[@fuzzy1dk]

how many tens of thousands of experts should they hire to buy and test if something is a scam?

[@Randrew]

If it sells, it makes ebay money so they have little monetary incentive to clean up their shop. That is, until enough buyers become too disillusioned and just stop shopping their. Lucky for ebay, there are newer online sellers (Wish, Banghood, Aliexcess) of dreck that keep ebay looking good in comparison.

[@ZaphodHarkonnen]

@@fuzzy1dk As many as needed. It will increase the difficulty for many to sell and buy. But I do not view the cost of status quo as an acceptable trade. Marketplace operators are not common carriers like communication systems (ISP, phone, mail). Yet even then we have regulations in place to support the safety of the whole community even when it adds short term costs.

[@executive]

or you could just take responsibility for yourself.

[@briandrown3595]

At a Mechanic and Emissions testing shop I once worked at a customer brought their newly acquired used BMW Minivan in for a Emissions test. She thought I was lying when I informed her she had bought a windstar with a BMW emblem glued to the hood. Her title vindicated me. "Two things are infinite : The Universe, And human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." Albert Einstein

[@derekchristenson5711]

I'm not sure why it's so satisfying to see you take apart these snake oil machines, but it is!

[@fazergazer]

A stable multivibrator vs. astable multivibrator. What a difference a space makes!😊

[@brucepickess8097]

Yes indeed, a stable flip flop just flips or flops to one state only.

[@OneMHz]

Should mention that OBD wasn’t designed to supply power continuously for a long time so these devices can burn out circuitry in your car. My insurance company, Allstate had to panic recall their driving tracker because of how many cars they damaged.

[@_chipchip]

Not sure I get this. Anything plugged in should only be drawing the current allowed (at a maximum) to the fuse type (ie 10 amps). Why would having something plugged into something that’s designed to have something plugged into it burn it out? People have odb2 readers hooked up for real time data reading when they are driving all the time and it doesn’t seem to matter? Not saying you’re wrong just curious as to why that happened when odb2 insurance scanners are pretty common?😊

[@ecaparts]

Knowing the pinout of the OBD2 port, the POWER connections are NOT connected to the engine computer in any way. The Ground (and Chassis pins are 4 & 5) and Pin 16 is continuous battery power, current limited usually through a 10A fuse. Those pins are the 12v power from the vehicle that the device is ‘stealing’. There is pretty much a 0% chance of permanently damaging vehicle electronics by plugging shady electronics in this port!! Yes there MAY be exceptions but vehicle electronics made to withstand shorts to power or ground on bus lines and such without permanent damage. Of course the vehicle will not work properly and possibly not start if you short the CAN bus (pins 6 & 14). But the vehicle will operate again after the ‘short’ is removed and communication is restored to the bus (as Clive mentioned). Probably the most common issue at hand is the continuous power consumption DISCHARGING your 12v battery to the point you will need a jump start. Now, the insurance trackers. Are just that. They have a GPS and track you EVERYWHERE you go, how much you drive, how fast you drive and sometimes actually monitor engine parameters such as throttle %, engine load and braking parameters. Oh and they sell that data to 3rd parties as well. Sounds like a great idea! Privacy, anyone? However, if they are causing drivability problems, just unplug it. 👍

[@christastic100]

My fuel saver is built into the car key . When the key is taken away from the vehicle the car goes into fuel saving mode and doesn’t use any fuel at all . Miraculous , amazing! 😁

[@Dream.of.Endless]

About 3-4 years ago, my sister came across an advertisement for similar fuel-efficient saving device. Not via OBD port, but the device was in 2 halves, and you would put them around the fuel line, before entering the carburetor, and zip tie them. The way it was described, it was that it was atomizing the fuel particles for better mixture with air, and thus having more energy with less. There were no blinking lights to dazzle more people. She, and also the rest of my family were really adamant to find a way to purchase the device since it was advertised via WhatsApp by word of mouth mostly. Coming from a tech background, but also having finished high school with a diploma as an auto mechanic, the bullshit radar was in high alert for me, yet, my word on them wasn't enough. Had to do some digging on the web, and finally managed to show them that it was just a cheap plastic with magnets on each halve and nothing more. And unless of being this incredibly extraordinary magnet that could split atoms, there was no way that this device was going to improve whatever they said it did.

[@hinspect]

This was great! A flashing circuit and they could've drilled more holes in the cover to expose the other LED's. From the video it looks like the hole for the "reset" button is not in line with the switch. I would love to have a stout beer with you sometime😄

[@johnnydohe6506]

I think the 15% fuel saving is meant to be compared to the last version of the unit. It draws 15% less power from your OBD port than the last version.

[@acrodrigues1]

"Not even a microcontroller..." Big Clive's disappointment voice says everything!

[@nsns1996]

i like the -"Patented" stamp on the package. Patented crap.. flashing led's is nice for the driver and ambient lighting

[@oxygen454]

The only systems that are even close to altering the ECM performance is $600 and up. Power Programmer and Bully Dog are just a couple companies. Fuel saving, race mode, power tow mode etc.

[@TheGuruStud]

ALL of them are fake. The only plug in that does anything is the AFM disabler for GM trash.

[@oxygen454]

@@TheGuruStud cheap ones yes but bully dog and power Programmer are not. They are a chip that costs around a grand and have a screen to run the controls. I usually run mine on power so there's no fuel savings to be made there haha

[@lucusloc]

@@TheGuruStud CAN bus tuning is not a scam, but it is not cheap equipment. Most of what I have seen goes through a computer like a laptop using specialized software but there are models out there that have dedicated hardware that does all the calculations and tuning on the device. Simple one-model-only versions can be pretty lightweight and simple to use, sometimes with only a handful of prebuilt profiles they load up (power, eco, etc.). Expect to pay a lot for any version, but they do work as advertised if your car is suitably digitized. Modern engine controllers can tweak everything from timing to air/fuel mix to even bake, throttle and steering sensitivity. Damn near everything is now actively managed on new vehicles. Now if you have one of the earliest cars with a CAN bus these units will likely be able to do jackall, as those early systems were just monitors over older engine designs that were still all analog/mechanical affairs. The CAN bus could tell you about faults but had no ability to make alterations to anything the engine was doing. But then again if you had a system that could do all this you would know which cars it would work on because you would have to get the software for the specific engine you wanted to modify, and these legitimate companies obviously do not make software for engines that have no capability to be modified in software.

[@agenericaccount3935]

@@TheGuruStud Cobb would like a word. SCT as well.

[@TheGuruStud]

@@lucusloc a passive plug in is a scam. I'm not talking about ecutek or Cobb, etc, where you actually modify the ECU.

[@twerkingfish4029]

It literally just hit me that if these devices were so great they would just be standard already.

[@kinn1647]

Good morning Clive , i bought a Superchip fitted by Minisport Padiham Lancs they did rolling road check at same time i gained a couple of bhp and went from 16 mpg to average 28mpg 20 years ago its saved me thousands 👍🖖🍺

[@kinn1647]

Piggyback chip

[@Jakek200]

I finally saw one of these in the wild a month or two ago (i work at a car dealership in the service department). I wish I could've told the customer that they had been scammed. Heck if anything it'll slightly (and I mean very slightly) decrease your fuel economy by pulling that extra current.

[@bigclivedotcom]

You should have offered to upgrade its firmware for $100.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Actually, make that $10 given the original cost of the unit.

[@graealex]

If your shop sells them, then you are actually part of the problem. And they're not just unethical, they're outright illegal. The customer could simply sue for fraud, and would probably win. The device doesn't even have a chance to do what it claims on the label. You should let your boss know that. The device is fraudulent, and selling it to customers is defrauding.

[@beeble2003]

@@graealex I think you've misunderstood. Jake's saying that a customer arrived with one of these plugged into their car, not that Jake or his employer sold them the device.

[@graealex]

@@beeble2003 Okay. Makes sense. I couldn't imagine actual stores selling these. This would be as if Walmart sold fake USB drives, lol. Not sure why he couldn't tell the customer that the fuel saver was fraudulent. If anything, it saves the customer from getting his battery drained. Plus he should try to return it to wherever he bought it.

[@getcartercarpark.]

Clive, Can you do a video on putting high brightness sequential flashing LEDs on this so that it at least has a use in annoying the driver?

[@frogz]

do blue and red flashy leds if you're really an ass****

[@Walking_Death]

or a piezo buzzer

[@getcartercarpark.]

@@Walking_Death And a two tone Piezo buzzer

[@KJ6EAD]

Drill holes for the other LEDs to enhance "performance" then put black tubes on each to improve channel separation. Give it to Ralfy.

[@LionelN]

As always, very interresting and captivating video and explanations. Special mention for the french "chassis" part ! (I'm french)

[@pavierthermostat8763]

I agree with you on the ‘fuel scam’ - and I’m not talking about the OBD gizmo. Higher fuel cost = less fuel sold = perceived environmental benefits ? (perhaps??) Awesome video as always Clive ! Keep up the good work!

[@reverse_engineered]

Nah, less fuel sold = higher prices = same income but less expense = higher profit. OPEC has been playing this same game for decades.

[@chrismooneyham5279]

Its entirely man made, I absolutely agree, just like all the other atrocious happenings going on.

[@DaveSomething]

put some magnets on the fuel line and a tornado in the intake!

[@vincentrobinette1507]

I agree with you on the magnets. The ONLY case that a Tornado makes sense, is on a carburetor, with a specific Venturi design, or certain intake air ducting. It's completely useless on any fuel injected engine, whether gas or diesel.

[@MoparNewport]

Red Seal Automotive Service Technician in Canada here. These fraggin scams could readily cause significant damage to the electronics of a car. If I may, here's some legitimate, time proven ways to actually get the most milage out of your car - Tires - in good condition, matching all four wheels, and most of all, at the inflation specified by NOT the sidewall, but rather the sticker on the car (usually the driver door frame) that the manufacturer put on. That's where the guys n gals that spent a LOT of money on this issue figure your car will do best at. Many people confuse the 'maximum inflation pressure' stamped on a tire as the 'design ride pressure' that a vehicle calls for. Also, ensuring the tires are the correct type, load rating, style etc for your car. This seriously is the biggest killer for most people trying to get milage up - under inflated tires. Unless you are a serious off roader, there's no call to drop tire pressure below manufacturer's recommendations; and under inflation is the leading cause of tire failures which often cause accidents. Maintenance - ensuring the car is in good running mechanical condition. Tune up as required (though these days thats basically just spark plugs), no significant issues to the car's running (OR SAFETY). When in doubt, take it to a REPUTABLE mechanic. Newer vehicles in particular are vulnerable to losing significant performance due to bad, dirty, low, or incorrect oil level. Many engines today have some form of 'variable camshaft timing' that usually relies on hydraulic pressure of engine oil to actuate the camshaft timing (called phasing in this respect) to get the most out of the engine; oil problems = bad performance or engine failure. Keep up on your maintenance!! Cargo - If you dont need it, dont carry it. The less mass you have to get, and keep, moving, the less fuel youll burn. The only exception to that is of course spare tire, tools/parts as necessary, and, should you be driving long distance or what not, proper emergency/safety/cold/hot weather gear. Fire Extinguishers, First Aid Kits and the like are always excellent investments. Of course, what you do carry, keep properly stowed/secured. Accessories - Air conditioning is a big one; turn it off when you dont actually need it. (Make sure the light is off.) Generally though, unless its a ridiculous booming sound system or huge driving lights, the electrical load is fairly minimal to most fuel powered cars. For 4x4 vehicles, keeping the vehicle in 2WD/AWD as conditions permit will also improve milage. Air Flow - Now we are getting into the weeds, as it were. Generally, keeping windows up and oblong air obstructions off is best; weather permitting of course. Not towing a trailer/caravan/etc of course. Past that, if the car had 'air dams' or similar - plastic guides, shields and so on - ensuring these are present and not damaged will help direct air flow around the car in its most efficient manner possible. A big one is the air shields/dams along the bottom of a car - they regularly get ripped off, but they do a substantial difference in smoothing under car air flow which reduces drag. Driving Habits - pay attention to how you drive. Try to be easier on the throttle, select lower speeds, easier routes as is safe and possible to do so. 10MPH less can make a DRAMATIC fuel savings, especially if your vehicle's shaped like a brick (such as a Jeep). Case in point, my 2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited, 4 door, V6 Manual, brick through the air. When i try to cruise at 120KPH/80MPH, I get on average 15-16MPG. On a recent long distance trip, I was towing a trailer, with a heavy motorcycle attached to it, and by keeping my speed down to 80KPH/50MPH, i got my milage UP to 19MPG. That's nineteen miles per gallon on a Brick going through the air, pulling a tandem axle 600# trailer with a 700# motorcycle strapped to it. Best milage Ive ever seen out of it! ECO MODE - related to Driving habits, many modern vehicles have some form of ECO MODE or Economy Mode; some feedback from the car (usually on the dash, often using an alternative mode to your odometer) to tell you when your driving is the most efficient for the car. Pay attention to it. Also? As Clive here mentions, stay the ever lovin crap AWAY from anything that screws with electronics. Unless you know precisely, exactly what you are doing, do not touch; at best nothing will happen; at worst you'll cause many thousands of dollars of damage to your car. Anyway, hope this helps those that need it!

[@neilbain8736]

Your videos are just at the limit of my electronics knowledge; just over in fact which is why I watch them to learn. This I understood. We made astable and bistable multivibrators in class at school, and later in college. I wont say how long ago that was but we used machine code mnemonics, and BBC micros were a pretty neat idea. Of course, in my day fake devices were simpler and more reliable. I remember a fuel economiser which was just a great big magnet that fitted round your fuel line to electrostatically charge the fuel and smooth its flow (it wasn't even neodymium). No electronics to go wrong.

[@rustymotor]

Watched your last video and jumped onto fleabay and searched for those devices, yes they do sell different types for either diesel or gasoline vehicles in fact there are a lot of traders selling them. Wonder how many peoples will end up with flat batteries after parking their car for a period of time?

[@matthewmiller6068]

That is more economical because it won't throw you in limp mode and make it run a horrible inefficient limp profile until you fix the canbus errors. Or do like a cheap elm327 did to me and leave you unable to start the car, shift to park, or set the brake because mine confused the computer thinking the transmission and e-parking brake were missing.

[@stuartpiercy3940]

Thanks Clive. My parents were going to buy one of these things a few months back until I sent them one of your older videos on them.

[@rarbiart]

in the next cost reduct iteration you have to bring your own led....

[@KeritechElectronics]

I laughed REAL hard when I saw the schematic! Dave Jones really needs to see that. And kudos to you for the multiple pronunciations of chassis. We here in the tube gear industry use these a lot.

[@MD4564]

Dave Jones would have a fit if he sees this.

[@KeritechElectronics]

@@MD4564 Oh yes, his BS debunking videos are 100% good rants!

[@PainterVierax]

Please no. Dave Jones will twist the topic into another electric car video.

[@nbrowser]

You know...I found one of these things in a customer's car the other day....I work as a mechanic for reference.. I had the customer join me in my bay where I pulled up your video on the green one (same one stuck in their OBD2 port) and let them watch the video...the device was promptly fired straight into the garbage can.

[@simonruszczak5563]

Kudos for saying the "fuel crises" is entirely man-made.

[@vincentrobinette1507]

For the switch contact to turn OFF the amber LED, one of the contacts has to go to the negative rail. By connecting the base of the LED transistor to the 2kOhm pull up resistor of the other transistor, it completes a path to the LED through the base/emitter junction of the drive transistor. That would put ~10 milliamps into the LED, making it twice as bright. (the transistor is turned ON by the forward bias, causing to pull up the LED via its own 2kOhm pull up resistor)

[@johndododoe1411]

The button reconfigures the circuit into a monostable multivibrator. Analyze accordingly.

[@mueffe1357]

It feels like a long time ago, BigClive did an ODB circuit diagram. The skit does not disappoint. Nice.

[@bigclivedotcom]

There's another one coming up that manages to combine a microcontroller and bizarre discrete circuitry.

[@patricksweetman3285]

@@bigclivedotcom If I remember the old one correctly, you reused much of your dialogue in this one.

[@daveytn]

I love these! As a mechanic I find it hilarious that people are willing to buy a mystery device which they think actually does anything at all, let alone just automatically find the ECU and tell the car to use less fuel? To save fuel at all you'd have to remap the ECU entirely to to as such, litterally the opposite of a remap for more power. What intrigues me is to what they actually do, because they do nothing at all to the car (mostly). Best case I ever heard was one was set up (and this is just hearsay so I can't confirm) to cause the car to run overly lean, which for any non mechanics reading this, is quite bad lol

[@bigclivedotcom]

When you see one of these plugged in you should offer to do a firmware upgrade on them for $10 and get yourself some beer.

[@robsmith9392]

Every time I hear chassis, I remember being in school and reading “Juno and the paycock”. The chief character would exclaim in an Irish accent “The worlds in a terrible state of chassis!”

[@AE111TRD]

The amount of people who I've encountered with these that get properly fighty and willing to up fistycuffs when I try to explain they've bought fully into such a scam is unreal, its as if they cant deal with the fact they have been duped and gullible, and are willing to fight for it

[@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co]

Of course they get angry. You're calling them gullible and stupid. The truth hurts.

[@paulf2529]

My brother has one and gets a so say 5mpg extra, he also rekons it works best with BP ultimate fuel! I shall link him to this video as he got very defensive of his one, to my great amusement.

[@harmlesscreationsofthegree1248]

I imagine also that there could be a sort of placebo effect whereby your awareness of this device monitoring your driving causes you to drive in a more sensible and economic way. Some people out there that shelled out for this thing would be convinced that it works.

[@bosstowndynamics5488]

There are people convinced that HHO generators improve their fuel economy too, and those are effectively a motor-generator style perpetual motion machine with extra steps

[@joemason9187]

Clive I bought 2 of these put first one in me mk6 transit, it started smoking I immediately pulled it out didn't risk using the other one in the car so sent them straight back didn't want another, great vids dude

[@bigclivedotcom]

I've never heard of them doing that. I wonder what went wrong.

[@Ozzy3333333]

I hate scammers, good job showing how low a DIRTBAG can go.

[@BryceAWD]

It's sad. the last few things I have bought online, are either counterfeit, or absolute abysmal quality.

[@Deepthought-42]

As you say they are snake oil. I was conned into buying a more expensive one of these (serves me right for watching YT in the early hours 🤣) When it arrived I made great play of giving it to my wife and let her see me fit it to her car. I took it out a couple of days later without her knowing and am waiting to see whether her fuel consumption has improved.🤔😉

[@johndododoe1411]

You'll know when her weight in bed changes.

[@brianr987]

Smart guy, why I like your channel. You know CANN bus vs ODBD

[@cmdrkradenguard6808]

Another great video! The world needs more teachers like yourself!

[@rushilkisoon]

The most expensive thing is probably the OBD connector 😂

[@dcallan812]

Its only saving the maker on parts and manufacturing.🤣 But Im supprised theyve not gone to just an LED flasher circuit with a buttoin to iluminate the LED. interesting bit of crap. 2x👍

[@halbvoll1]

Great, that remembered me when I was a child, the astable multivibrator with 2 led (at the right position) was my first transistor circuit

[@gvii]

Much like the fuel line magnets that "Align the fuel molecules" for economy. Doesn't do diddly s**t except maybe causing some people to convince themselves they're saving fuel. After many, many years as a mechanic, I've heard and seen almost every stupid internet/marketing/DIY thing people do to either save fuel or make more power. I still remember the one guy that ran his bike a quart low at all times because he was absolutely convinced that running it at the full mark would potentially blow out the seals in the engine. Even told him I've had people come in 4 quarts overfull and the bike was fine afterwards. But no matter. Nothing I said or did would convince him otherwise. His Triumph Speedmaster sounded like a box of hammers rolling down the stairs when he started it up in front of me, bad enough that even I was visibly shocked at the noise it was making. Didn't matter. He was absolutely certain.

[@kevinbean3679]

Certain astrological signs show more stubborn than others, pays to be aware or you'll just get arguement, no matter the issue

[@albanana683]

Since it's so cheap I can buy 2 and save 30%!

[@alex15095]

I bought seven to save 105% and my gas tank ruptured from being so full after driving around so much. Would not recommend.

[@wimwiddershins]

Salvage the connector for OBD hacking fun (or disaster) depending on how you wire it. :/

[@bitelaserkhalif]

Use it with USB killer. For lulz. Because everywhere on KZbin where it titled "USB killer vs car" is not correct. More like USB killer vs car audio instead.

[@psirvent8]

@@bitelaserkhalif Do you think it could prevent the car from starting ? If so that's quite alarming !

[@pseudomemes5267]

@@psirvent8 Oh yeah good ol hv pulse across the CAN bus and the car will be a 1 ton chair that seats 4

[@Speedy6617]

@@psirvent8 I am no mechanic. But the obd2 is in direct contact with the cars brains. I am pretty sure you could fry both the engine and transmissions brains. Even on new cars that could lead to a complete write off if it happens when driving.

[@psirvent8]

@@Speedy6617 Thank's for the reply. This makes me so glad to still drive my old car from the 90s that doesn't have a single chip in charge of the engine functions. Unfortunately it uses the most expensive fuel out there and also because of god*damn EU laws I can't drive to certain places and soon this car will become banned everywhere.

[@mduvigneaud]

I should have gotten one of these right at the beginning of the pandemic to account for my significant decrease in fuel use.

[@azazeldeath]

Ex mechanic here, few comments. 1. Avoid most if not all obd2 fuel savers even if specifically made for your vehicle. If you have to get one go a reputable brand. But you won't be paying less than 50, hell id be shocked if you find a real, and safe one below 100. 2. Only thing you should ideally plug into an obd2 port is a scanner if your not a mechanic or tuner. 3. Be careful with those scanners, let me put it this way, if you can buy a scanner below 20 dollars, but mechanics use some that cost 15 grand and more, well why would we ever buy or use the expensive one? It's because they need to be safe, and work with most if not all vehicles it can communicate with. 4. There are generic, and working tools you can get to save fuel, or even improve performance. They are tuning tools that cost thousands, even then sometimes it's better to upgrade the bcm and ecu to things like a haltec system. But in short you plug the cable into a laptop or computer and the obd2 port, and actively change things like timings, injector durations, throttle profiles etc, it's a huge list and can be dangerous to your vehicle. Do not recommend. 5. If you want to save fuel change your driving habits. Most of these fuel savers "work" because your more mindful of your milage and will actively do things to save fuel, on that note turning on and off your vehicle at lights and stop start situations CAN save you fuel if you stop for long enough (your vehicle uses alot to start compared to idling for the most part) but the main reason to avoid it is vehicles with stop start features have special starting systems. With beefier wiring, relays and most importantly the start motor. If a start motor costd 1600 to just buy, well fuel prices will need to go insanely high to justify replacing them fairly regularly.

[@eidodk]

I do have an Elm327 OBDII clone connector, that looks much like this one. It was as cheap as this one, however it does read the ECU, and it also have options to erase errors. It would be nice to see you actually touch upon one that actually works.

[@eidodk]

@Jeroen It wasn't advertising that it would.

[@dougle03]

There will be people that swear by one of these.... 👀

[@stepheneyles2198]

Probably the same ones that have a baked bean can exhaust on their Subaru!

[@markadams2765]

This was being advertised on you tube in an advert above the list of videos, while watching a you tube video. I kept informing google to remove it and it was a scam after about the fifth time it did not appear then a week or so later the advert was back, and I kept telling google to remove it. The advert was someone pouring a non-petroleum in the petrol tank.

[@dalegene1729]

I am a retired automobile mechanic, employed between 1972 to 2008. I lost track of the number of items that were fraudulently Advertised to improve fuel economy. There were fuel and oil additives, devices that attach to the Fuel line, devices that were placed in the air intake. Devices that change the ignition timing and injector timing. All of these items cost money, either as a running cost, which adds To the cost per mile, or as a one-time investment. Some of these items have caused damage to the engine as well as the Exhaust cat converter. Remember what stoichiometric fuel air ratio 14.7:1 is?

[@barrieshepherd7694]

How long before the EV version is released?

[@bigclivedotcom]

I'm pretty sure they'll make one for whatever port they can find power at.

[@rarbiart]

scammers will have no problem coming up with some babble to promise "battery range optimization up to 30% electrical power saving benefit bargain extend mileage....." to fit into your 12V car outlet...

[@webrosc]

@@rarbiart the fuel shark plugs into the 12v socket, same scam different socket

[@benrr101]

Does it really matter if the LED is before or after the transistor?

[@bigclivedotcom]

It raises the emitter voltage which affects the base voltage.

[@dougsaunders8109]

Key part of instructions, place unit in OBD slot, turn key, don’t start engine. Fuel saving as car is not running 😊

[@StevenSmith6942_]

just as entertaining as the off grid advertisement at the end of video... except the ad takes all the information it can from your account and sells the info to highest bidder... nice

[@brettd5884]

Junque!

[@whitesapphire5865]

Thing is, my car, already does this stuff for itself. It's just a basic old Volvo which learns your driving style and automatically adjusts various engine parameters to give you the best engine performance Vs fuel economy according to how much of a prat you are behind the wheel! I'm pretty sure most other cars will do the same, so adding anything else to that either, would have no effect, or would likely have a detrimental effect. I honestly can't really understand how people let themselves get sucked in by these things. On the other hand, back in the early seventies, it was claimed that if you added a pinstripe along the length of your car, it could add up to five miles per hour in your top speed, even more if you used a double stripe. Ever heard of "go faster stripes"? Well, that's where it comes from! Same thing goes for magnets clamped on to your fuel lines, transistor assisted ignition, air intake humidifiers, fancy cone shaped air filters, exhaust eductors and any number of other snake oil products.

[@webnerd]

It's a sad truth indeed but I can see a lot of people falling for this type of device given the price of fuel right now ... the good old placebo effect in some respects

[@Arachnoid_of_the_underverse]

There is also the security implication of plugging an unknown device into your vehicles OBD connector.After all much like malicious code made to compromise home or server computers these could contain a similar payload to adversly affect the running of your vehicle and given the reliance of electronic safety circuits in modern vehicles, thats a highly risky prospect.

[@skylined5534]

"Ha! Stupid round-eye! You buy any old offal and all we do is ruin your fuel economy to be laughing as at your expending of waste monies! Ke-ke-ke-ke!" This is actually what's on the labels and boxes of items like this I reckon.

[@chrisneppiras9408]

well done for highlighting this fake clive deff sharing across