No start. Ecu ok?

[bluegs03]

Hey guys i have a 1990 mitsubishi eclipse gsx. The car wont start in fact it wont even try to turn over. The car just makes a vacume cleaner noise and then the fans turn on. The dash lights up and the interior lights up. The car will only ever try to start when the car has battery cables attached. I pulled the ecu to see if it might be that. I didnt smell anything out of the ordinary

The car has been sitting for almost a year now so its understandable that i wouldnt smell anything. (i read somewhere that a blown ecu smells funny when you take the cover off.) So i took some pics and i was wondering if i can cross the ecu off of the possible problem causers. Thanks! here are the pics
let me know if i need to take the pics from another angle or if they are to fuzzy.

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[Quasimondo]

So it doesn't crank at all? The vacuum cleaner noise is probably the starter, with the drive gear failing to pop out and engage the flywheel.

If the ecu doesn't have the characteristic 'fish' smell, the capacitors are probably still intact. It's still a good idea to get them replaced to avoid any damage from leaked fluid.

Easy way to check to see if your ECU still works is to turn the key to the ON position. If the Check Engine light remains active for five seconds and then disappears, your ECU is probably fine.

 

[bluegs03]

Thank you wisemen!!! i resmelled the ecu and there is no fishy smell and i checked the dash light. The ecu seems to be fine. I appreciate the help and it seems like the ecu is doing just fine. now i have to pull out my voltage meter and figure out if the starter is emiting and power or if the alternator is bad, fun times. Ill create a new thread if i have any other questions. thanks again!

 

[Quasimondo]

Pull the starter and take it to Autozone to be tested. I wouldn't even bother to check the alternator until you can get the car running, as that can't be properly tested on a non-running engine.

 

[bling5tatus]

The two large black and the smaller blue upright cylinder shaped objects are the capacitors that get replaced. You can normally see if there is damage to the board around those components, but since you say there is no smell that may not be a problem, I would check for the brown dried up looking stuff though anyway, use a magnifying glass if you have to.... and yes, as the wiseman said, whether they look perfect or not, pay someone to replace them as frying an ecu because of neglected capacitors is just not worth it.