[RESOLVED] 1g turbo ECU no bulb check

[Jetrosr]

92 turbo, ran for about 15 min.( just got it), but not very well. Died, won't restart. Noticed ECU no longer bulb checks after it died. Removed ECU and found leaking caps, fixed the ECU from instructions on the net. Reinstalled ECU with much anticipation. No bulb check and crank no start. I found some info on a relay that switches the ECU on under the center console, wondered if this sounds like a relay failure, I just flubbed the ECU fix OR ECU was damaged beyond the cap replacement? Car has been sitting for about a year. The car is still at the previous owners house, I haven't been back over to see what pins have juice. Hoping someone has been there done that. Thanks!

 

[Avionixx]

I would recheck the caps again. Had a similar issue with an ECU that had a really crappy cap job (no offense, heh) and it was giving similar symptoms.

 

[tqmx1]

If it sat for some time with bad/leaking Caps it can eat into the printed circut board beneath the Caps. If thats the case it will take someone that is super good at pc board repair to salvage it.

Also check the classifieds there are a bunch of ECUs for between $100-200. If yours is toast that might be the quickest&cheepest way out.

 

[Jetrosr]

I would recheck the caps again. Had a similar issue with an ECU that had a really crappy cap job (no offense, heh) and it was giving similar symptoms.

No offense taken, I had trouble keeping the acetylene torch lit when I was soldering . Just curious if the situation you speak of the car lost bulb check before the caps were replaced? The leaking cap took out a ceramic capacitor (tiny rectangular block) and ate a hole in the copper trace on the PCB. I don't have a bunch of confidence in my repairs to that part of it. My budget is pretty small after Christmas, so I'm stuck with with near free stuff until tax checks or some other bank booster arrives. I noticed one of the replacement caps is about 1/2 the size of the original, anyone used these with success?

 

[steve]

I noticed one of the replacement caps is about 1/2 the size of the original, anyone used these with success?

The current technology capacitors are much smaller than those made almost two decades ago. If you used the Panasonic capacitors from the VFAQ they are about half the size.

Bottom line is if you are not getting the CEL during bulb check time then the ECU isn't functioning or the bulb is out. On a turbo car you can look to see if the boost gauge moves to see if it's the bulb or try and connect with a datalogger. If the ECU isn't running then nothing else interesting is going to happen unless there is a good song on the radio.

 

[Jetrosr]

Added some solder to the caps, little thin on the topside. Going to try to get over and give it another whirl. Thanks guys.

 

[Jetrosr]

Tried the ECU again, no bub check, no boost gauge. I suspect I don't have the little cap at C14 attached or was junk to begin with (borrowed from my junk TCU). I read another post here, the guy said he used the non surface mounts to replace this one. 12v and .1mf will replace it? I would guess an open at C14 would keep it from booting?

Got it towed up to work today, so now I have access to my 4lb. sledge if it gives me any more trouble.

 

[steve]

Unless C14 is shorted it isn't going to be the difference between working and not.

 

[Jetrosr]

Tried again with same result. Poked around with my multimeter (case grounded) and found 12v on the connector side of the big diode and 5v on the 100uf cap + leg. Wondering if the "ignition "wire (black/orange) in the small connector is an input or an output to the ECU? Never saw anything here. Steve, do you charge extra for going back over rookie repairs?

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/pro...-dead-ecu-no-check-engine-light-when-key.html Steve, you're comment about this IGN1 (same as above?) circuit has me wondering if maybe I somehow repaired the ECU correctly and now I'm fighting something else??? If everything but the CEL bulbs checks, is this a possibility? There are remnants of an ignition switch repair on the floorboard and it's been sitting for awile.

 

[steve]

Tried again with same result. Poked around with my multimeter (case grounded) and found 12v on the connector side of the big diode and 5v on the 100uf cap + leg. Wondering if the "ignition "wire (black/orange) in the small connector is an input or an output to the ECU? Never saw anything here. Steve, do you charge extra for going back over rookie repairs?

I have no idea off hand what wire is Black Orange. Pin 110 is the input to the ECU from the ignition switch IG1 output. It goes to battery voltage when the ignition switch is in the ON or START position. When the ECU sees pin 110 go high, it pulls pins 63 and 66 low which should activate the MPI relay turning on the power to the MPI circuit including pins 102 and 107.

I don't charge more to fix what others have touched but it can work out that way because I wind up fixing problems that shouldn't have been problems. If you have business questions please email me. I'm not a vendor here.

 

[GST racer]

i think if the caps have been leaking for a while, fixing the caps won't fix the damage that had been caused. I might be wrong though. Hopefully you can get something figured out.

 

[Rex2342]

Do you have any friends with dsm's close by? If so you could see if they would let you try there ecu just to get it home or just to see if your problem is definitely the ecu.

 

[VisegripMech]

I found this post very helpful - http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/1783043-post20.html

I worked for about a year doing solder touch-ups and jumper wires on circuit boards, way back in the 80's. So I was pretty confident about my cap replacement job. On closer inspection, my soldering job (or my eyesight) was the problem. I used some single strand phone wire to fix the two missng pads on top. If you aren't pretty darn good at soldering, You may end up doing more harm than good.

 

[Jetrosr]

Talked to guy today, says he has a 92 talon AWD ECU he will sell me. He said it's mint and the price is right. Any chance this could work in my FWD? Both automatics.

This page says they are different part #'s. ECU Part Numbers for DSMs

 

[steve]

So you should have a MD166260 originally and He has a MD166262. You can swap it. If it's some other number post it.

OOPS I missed the part where you said they were automatics. So the numbers would be MD165529 and MD165531

All of these are from my list Eclipse Talon Laser Galant 3000GT Stealth ECU ID Reference

 

[Jetrosr]

Guess who boosted today? First time ever! Kinda lame only 3rd gear 40mph boost, but still - BOOST! Woo hoo!

Finally got the cash together to get another ECU, and it fired right up and ran like a champ! Good heat, cold A/C, everything works (except 1st, 2nd & 4th gear)

 

[Jetrosr]

Update; took the new ECU apart, caps were leaking. Replaced the caps, and it still works! So apparently my solder skills are ok, the original ECU was just trash.

 

[Jetrosr]

So you should have a MD166260 originally and He has a MD166262. You can swap it. If it's some other number post it.

OOPS I missed the part where you said they were automatics. So the numbers would be MD165529 and MD165531

All of these are from my list Eclipse Talon Laser Galant 3000GT Stealth ECU ID Reference

If ended up swapping for the MD166262, would that explain why I'm still in limp mode with a reman TCU?

 

[steve]

If ended up swapping for the MD166262, would that explain why I'm still in limp mode with a reman TCU?

No. The ECU and TCU both share the used of some signals but they don't interact.
Have you pulled the TCU codes to see what it is having heartburn over.

The procedure is in the FSM along with the codes. It's just like reading the ECU codes but you use pin 6 rather than pin 1. (the top right pin rather than the top left pin) Count the codes and look them up.

 

[Jetrosr]

Tried the multimeter method, constant short pulses. Next day brought an old Snap on scanner home to look at the datalist, it talks to the ECU, but gets stuck trying to connect to the TCU, can't get anything. Checked all powers and grounds at TCU. Fuse is good. Been going thru the 16 pages of A/T posts trying to find a clue. Going to bring some test terminals home Monday to do a pin drag test on terminals.

 

[Jetrosr]

Tried resetting the TCU and scanning again with the engine running. Works perfect on the ECU, no codes, data looks right, changes with input. Switch to TCU and still won't communicate, but noticed engine acts like a couple dead cylinders in a pattern. Runs ok, misses, smooths out. As soon as I switch out of TCU, it runs smooth again. Possible sensor shorting, bad ground????

 

[Jetrosr]

Turns out both the ECU and TCU main processors were junk. Had hem both rebuilt and both had to be replaced under the 1 year warrenty. Finally driving the car after 6 months !
These guys rock!

 

[steve]

So you bought replacements and they had to be repaired too in less than 3 months?

 

[Jetrosr]

So you bought replacements and they had to be repaired too in less than 3 months?

No, they rebuilt my parts, but the main processors were bad in both.