1G: HELP stuck on side road

[91boostedgst]

driving to work just left intersection car started to act like it was miss firing then heard clicking under the dash behind stero then car dies and turn keyback over and boost gauge needle dont move so i know the ecu is fried what could caused this?

[muddfisher85]

Leaky caps on the ecu. 1gs are famous for leaky caps. Ive had them look perfectly fine but act strange then die just like yours. Get another ecu and pop it in. Of course as taking out the old one check the harness for frayed wires loose connections or splices where someone had something hooked up that is no longer there. You would be suprised at how many people unhook things and just leave the wires there with no tape or very little. But check the ecu for obvious signs of failure.

[91boostedgst]

its a talon tsi but will replace with another friend mine said it could be mfi that did or the isc the car is an auto with some type vacuum leak everything is stock

[muddfisher85]

Be sure to get an auto ecu then as they run smaller injectors. 390cc I think. But talon eclipse fwd or awd auto ecu will work. Just dont use a 90 ecu as you would have to switch some pins to get your tach to work. So everything else still has power in the interior just the car wont start but will turn over right? No loose battery connections? Have you checked your cam sensor to see if it came unplugged or the wire is messed up? It wont spark without it hooked up. I would still say its the ecu if you have never had the caps changed. They make better ones now. Try ecmtuning they can repair your current ecu for pretty cheap that way you know its done right and not just someone elses ecu that never had the caps changed either.

[JwpRider]

"started to act like it was miss firing then heard clicking under the dash..."

Also could be the CAS/CPS...(not sure if 1g's have both). But since you noted the missfiring and clicking, it could be the sensor. If ECU just died, I don't think the relay behind the dash would be 'clicking' (going up and down)...it just would have dropped out. Could be the ECU, but I would check the sensors first...

[WES_393]

+1 to everything mudfisher said. Go through the entire engine bay and search for wires that could have come off. Check the CAS (left side of valve cover), the coil pack, etc. If everything checks out, try throwing a new ECU in and see if that helps.

[91boostedgst]

i have 450cc injectors in there with galant vr4 ecu walbro 255..... i have read when you turn the key in the on position the boost gauge should read zero if not that meant ecu was no good..but checking wiring now




just tried two other ecu and aint get nothin car just cranks i know the ecus are good but car just cranks no start.its not getting a compiter signal it seems like

[WES_393]

Another way to tell if the ECU is good is that the check engine light will come on right when you turn the key forward, and then turn off again (unless you have CEL's). If none of the ECU's are working, then it seems a connector has come undone. Like I said earlier, check all the connections in the engine bay. A disconnected CAS will stop the engine from running.

[thomcasey]

Originally Posted by muddfisher85

. Just dont use a 90 ecu as you would have to switch some pins to get your tach to work. .

Incorrect. I am running a 90 manual ECU in my 91 Auto. Didn't have to switch anything for the Tach to work (ecu came straight out of an early 90 GST with a bad motor).

Have you checked the MPI relay? It is right there by the ECU. They click and die.

[91boostedgst]

and i did hear click before car died

[muddfisher85]

Originally Posted by thomcasey

Incorrect. I am running a 90 manual ECU in my 91 Auto. Didn't have to switch anything for the Tach to work (ecu came straight out of an early 90 GST with a bad motor).

Strange I tried to start a 90 with a 91 ecu and the tach didnt work. Someone told me I had to switch a pin on the ecu or use a 90 ecu. I ended up getting rid of the car before I got around to fixing it.

And to the op sure sounds like you CAS came unplugged. Do you smell fuel when cranking? Do you here the fuel pump when trying to crank it? You have a 255 walbro you should be able to here it no problem. Do you have a spare mpi you could try? It could also be the problem if you dont here the fuel pump come on. Check there first before checking the connections at the pump. This was already stated a few posts up but listen for the pump that should help narrow it down between bad ecu, no fuel, or no fire

[95TalonOwner]

Originally Posted by thomcasey

Incorrect. I am running a 90 manual ECU in my 91 Auto. Didn't have to switch anything for the Tach to work (ecu came straight out of an early 90 GST with a bad motor).

Have you checked the MPI relay? It is right there by the ECU. They click and die.

It was probably already switched previously then.

[CCK90tsi]

you do infact have to switch pins 7? or 9 and 14 on the ecu to use a 90 ecu, i am certain of that since i have done it... you might want to check the MPI relay

[95TalonOwner]

Pins 6 and 14.

[Hesh724]

Check the mpi fuse under the hood if that is blown replace mpi first.

[CCK90tsi]

Pins 6 and 14.

nice! yeah i didnt know off the top of my head, but i just helped a friend do this

[91boostedgst]

well just figured it .first tested mpi/fuel pump relay it was fine move on to ecu and caps were bad so my friend pieced one together using multiple ecu's so i still have 91 auto ecu but parts from other ecu everything seems back to normal thanks everyone who posted and gave me ideas.

[thomcasey]

Nope. I pulled it from a 90 gst in which it had never been removed and installed in a 91 auto that had the 91 eprom auto ecu. It was not rewired. We also placed one in a 91 galant without issue. Now, i am having issues logging with it, but it works just fine otherwise

[PieEyedPiper]

Originally Posted by 91boostedgst

well just figured it .first tested mpi/fuel pump relay it was fine move on to ecu and caps were bad so my friend pieced one together using multiple ecu's so i still have 91 auto ecu but parts from other ecu everything seems back to normal thanks everyone who posted and gave me ideas.

Glad you got it fixed! Careful though, the caps that came out of your ECU will likely be the same or similar batch you just replaced them with. Just as old, too.

Keep an eye on it but otherwise good job gettin' back on the street!