ECMlink Car started sputtering and running really rich - Please Help

[steve]

Without a label on the log it's hard to know what your trying to show us in each.

Please plug your TPS back in and add ISC Position to the variables you're capturing.
Under the DTC tab deselect the Cat efficiency/O2 checkbox so you don't throw O2 Heater DTC's from your wideband using the front O2 wiring.

Your target idle speed is 850rpm. It doesn't look like you're anywhere close to that so look for air leaks and make sure your BOV is connected to the intake pipe. Based on your profile you should be able to idle at 850.

You have changes to both the Global deadtime factor and InjBatteryAdj Direct Access table. These are additive so you have almost twice the deadtime at 12v. I'm not sure that is what you want. Consider resetting the InjBatteryAdj Direct Access table

If you have a voltmeter measure the Key Off Engine Off voltage at the B+ stud of the alternator. If it's not the same as your battery voltage then the alternator fuse is popped.

Generator FR terminal circuit malfunction indicates a connection issue either internal to the alternator or with the 4 wire connector that plugs into the alternator.

 

[ZubUchiha]

Without a label on the log it's hard to know what your trying to show us in each.

Please plug your TPS back in and add ISC Position to the variables you're capturing.
Under the DTC tab deselect the Cat efficiency/O2 checkbox so you don't throw O2 Heater DTC's from your wideband using the front O2 wiring.

Your target idle speed is 850rpm. It doesn't look like you're anywhere close to that so look for air leaks and make sure your BOV is connected to the intake pipe. Based on your profile you should be able to idle at 850.

You have changes to both the Global deadtime factor and InjBatteryAdj Direct Access table. These are additive so you have almost twice the deadtime at 12v. I'm not sure that is what you want. Consider resetting the InjBatteryAdj Direct Access table

If you have a voltmeter measure the Key Off Engine Off voltage at the B+ stud of the alternator. If it's not the same as your battery voltage then the alternator fuse is popped.

Generator FR terminal circuit malfunction indicates a connection issue either internal to the alternator or with the 4 wire connector that plugs into the alternator.

Hi, thank you for your response. I do not quite understand a few things so please clarify for me:

- Why do I need to plug my TPS back in? Should I replace it with the new one?
- What does ISC Position tell me after I know what the position of it is?
- I will look for air leaks, but it is tough to do so without an air compressor or boost leak testing kit. Might need to spray soapy water based on vacuum when the car is running if that works (please let me know if it will work). My BOV is connected to the intake pipe.
- I do not know about changes made to the Global deadtime factor and InjBatteryAdj DA table, so maybe the previous owner made these changes? I don't understand what these two are either so please explain if you can (I also don't know what this means "These are additive so you have almost twice the deadtime at 12v". I will reset them as you have instructed. Thank you for noticing.
- I don't have a voltmeter and I don't know where the B+ stud is, but I will do more research into this.

I am not sure about internally, but I know the four wire connector is plugged in so I am not sure what else it is that I need to do to fix this. Thank you I will look at these things right now and update you.

As far as the data logs, just look at the latest one 08/25/2024-(latest number). It is how my car is currently running. I had all my displayed values looking nicely, but I do not know why it all reset.
Let me know if you notice anything else.

 

[steve]

- Why do I need to plug my TPS back in? Should I replace it with the new one?
- What does ISC Position tell me after I know what the position of it is?
- I will look for air leaks, but it is tough to do so without an air compressor or boost leak testing kit. Might need to spray soapy water based on vacuum when the car is running if that works (please let me know if it will work). My BOV is connected to the intake pipe.
- I do not know about changes made to the Global deadtime factor and InjBatteryAdj DA table, so maybe the previous owner made these changes? I don't understand what these two are either so please explain if you can (I also don't know what this means "These are additive so you have almost twice the deadtime at 12v". I will reset them as you have instructed. Thank you for noticing.
- I don't have a voltmeter and I don't know where the B+ stud is, but I will do more research into this.

1 - The TPS tells the ECU when the throttle is open/closed and if it changed much since the last time the ECU looked at it. This is important for the engine to work correctly. By plugging it in and getting a new log we can tell if it's working, adjusted correctly and if you slowly run the pedal to the floor, if it's got any worn spots.

2 - ISC position tell us if the ISC if positioned correctly at idle or if the ECU is trying to counteract an air leak or misadjusted BISS (Basic Idle Set Screw). It will also let us know if it's moving correctly or not.

3 - Spraying soapy water only works when you have positive air pressure leaking out to make bubbles. Some leaks only show when air is escaping cause the hole closes under vacuum. If you can only check under vacuum people use something that burns and causes the RPMs to rise if it gets sucked in.

4 - If you didn't then it's likely somebody else did it. Injectors don't open and close exactly when you switch them on and off. That's deadtime, and different injectors react differently, some take longer and some less. Usually it takes longer to open against the fuel pressure than to close. The current electrical system voltage also impacts because when the voltage is lower it takes longer to make things happen.

There are two ways you can tell ECMLink how much dead time to use, the older way is the global setting (correction value) which then would get added to the table value in the ECU before getting added to how long the ECU wants the injector to be spraying fuel to get the right AFR. The latest version of DSMLink lets you set the values of the actual table (for more control) but the two still get added together like before.

5 - You will need a voltmeter (multimeter) for many things starting now. They can be had cheaply, check Amazon. The B+ stud is the output of the alternator that the big cable(s) from the fusebox connects to, usually covered by a red cap so you don't short it out. The fuse box end is bolted to the alternator fuse. The picture is a 2G Alternator, the diagram a 1G. In both cases the B+ terminal is the large stud sticking out with the nut on it. (the little one is to attach the plastic wire support or to ground the alternator)

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[ZubUchiha]

1 - The TPS tells the ECU when the throttle is open/closed and if it changed much since the last time the ECU looked at it. This is important for the engine to work correctly. By plugging it in and getting a new log we can tell if it's working, adjusted correctly and if you slowly run the pedal to the floor, if it's got any worn spots.

2 - ISC position tell us if the ISC if positioned correctly at idle or if the ECU is trying to counteract an air leak or misadjusted BISS (Basic Idle Set Screw). It will also let us know if it's moving correctly or not.

3 - Spraying soapy water only works when you have positive air pressure leaking out to make bubbles. Some leaks only show when air is escaping cause the hole closes under vacuum. If you can only check under vacuum people use something that burns and causes the RPMs to rise if it gets sucked in.

4 - If you didn't then it's likely somebody else did it. Injectors don't open and close exactly when you switch them on and off. That's deadtime, and different injectors react differently, some take longer and some less. Usually it takes longer to open against the fuel pressure than to close. The current electrical system voltage also impacts because when the voltage is lower it takes longer to make things happen.

There are two ways you can tell ECMLink how much dead time to use, the older way is the global setting (correction value) which then would get added to the table value in the ECU before getting added to how long the ECU wants the injector to be spraying fuel to get the right AFR. The latest version of DSMLink lets you set the values of the actual table (for more control) but the two still get added together like before.

5 - You will need a voltmeter (multimeter) for many things starting now. They can be had cheaply, check Amazon. The B+ stud is the output of the alternator that the big cable(s) from the fusebox connects to, usually covered by a red cap so you don't short it out. The fuse box end is bolted to the alternator fuse. The picture is a 2G Alternator, the diagram a 1G. In both cases the B+ terminal is the large stud sticking out with the nut on it. (the little one is to attach the plastic wire support or to ground the alternator)

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Hey, thanks for this

But I still don’t know what to set my deadtime to or how to reset the DA table. I dont know how to do any of that, and I dont 100% understand the terminology. Right now I really want to figure out why the alternator is not chargjng the battery but I dont have time like I said to order a voltmeter and figure it out. Im on a time crunch and going to move soon. I dont think there is a small line or wire connected to the small stud on the alternator, i dont think it grounded, i will need to check but like I said, i dont have the capacity to do so. The car is on the side of the street and I dont have a jack or jack stands. This quite frustrating. I tried to tension the belt more but it still doesn’t charge it. What happens if the alt is not grounded? How does that affect anything?

And for anything on ecmlink, i dont know how to use it completely or what the terminology means so Im not sure how to set the deadtime or to what I set it to or how to reset the DA table. Could you please put screenshots of what you mean when referring to a certain thing and to what I should set it to. Thank you.

I know it seems like im trying to get a hand out on the work but due to my situation i really need that kind of help right now. If i had more time and space I would deep dive into it and figure everything out one by one as ive always done. Just relying on dsmtuners to really get me through this one time

 

[steve]

I dont think there is a small line or wire connected to the small stud on the alternator, i dont think it grounded, i will need to check but like I said, i dont have the capacity to do so. The car is on the side of the street and I dont have a jack or jack stands. This quite frustrating. I tried to tension the belt more but it still doesn’t charge it. What happens if the alt is not grounded? How does that affect anything?

The alternator is grounded normally on a DSM through it's mounting hardware to the engine block. The engine block is grounded to the battery by the cable to the starter bolt into the engine block. So yours is likely grounded.

Try changing the 100A fuse. You can buy them locally but understand they bolt in to the fuse block. I assume you have some tools and can do that.

I've given you a couple of hours of my time, good luck I hope things work out for you.

 

[ZubUchiha]

The alternator is grounded normally on a DSM through it's mounting hardware to the engine block. The engine block is grounded to the battery by the cable to the starter bolt into the engine block. So yours is likely grounded.

Try changing the 100A fuse. You can buy them locally but understand they bolt in to the fuse block. I assume you have some tools and can do that.

I've given you a couple of hours of my time, good luck I hope things work out for you.

Thank you Steve, I surely appreciate all the information you have given so far.

I decided to take out my ecu and have a look at it. A couple of the capacitors are leaking, and there are some burnt spots. I will take a picture and upload it later on today, but I am assuming this is what’s causing the car to run extremely bad, prevent the alternator from properly charging the battery or at all, and have an overall bad misfire.

I am going to send this out to ECMTuning to get it fixed asap, but hopefully they are not too costly in their service.

In the meantime, I am going to troubleshoot the old parts on the car. I am most likely going to replace old vacuum lines, clean any carbon build up from important places, and make sure the car is nice and tight.

Are there any important or specific precautions I should take before I insert the ecu once I receive it and before I fire it up? I do not want to be ignorant of something that could short out the ecu and damage it again.

I am going to do a fresh tune up although it is pretty much fresh already, but I am hoping to come across a set of OEM coilpacks at a junkyard or online that are hopefully in good condition. I am not quite sure how to tell a good coil pack apart from a bad one unless it’s in the car. I have NGK wires in, but I may replace them as well as they were the old wires on my old DSM. I have new NGK BPR7ES plugs that I gapped to 0.028 in the car, but due to the current condition of the car, the plugs get fouled very quickly as there isn’t enough heat being produced to burn it off the tips, so I am going to install a new set of NGK BPR6ES plugs that I have. I will gap it to 0.028, but if anyone has a better number or better reason as to why I should gap it lower, please let me know why. A friend told me that it should be gapped to 0.024-0.025 because of the mods the car has. They are simple bolt ons (Bosch 650ccs, FMIC, 3 inch straight exhaust) so nothing crazy.

I want to figure out whether my alternator is bad or not and I am not sure how I can do that without the car on. I will get the battery charge up ready to go.

I did replace the 100A Alternator fuse and replace the battery to chassis ground, but it did not fix the problem, in fact the car died driving down the street. So first and foremost I am hoping to fix this low voltage issue and I am hoping the ecu is the reason behind its madness.

I also have marine epoxy coated terminals on my battery. The negative terminal is coated in black, and the positive in red, so if someone could let me know whether those are bad terminals and a reason for why the car isn’t getting good power, please let me know. I was told they work just fine, but can never be too sure. The alternator is tensioned and the belt is tight with about a quarter to half inch deflection. It doesn’t squeal anymore, so I believe that’s good.

I am also going to do a boost leak test and fix up any leaks for good.

And I think once I insert the ecu back in, and fire up the car, I am going to use a can of seafoam to clean out all the carbon build up. I installed a new Bosch 17025 sensor not too long ago, but it’s already reading lean when the car is on, so I am hoping the seafoam cleans it, if not then I will clean it outside the car, and if that doesn’t work then I will replace it entirely.

I will also ensure all my wiring is good. Hopefully I can do this in less than a month. Thanks all, please give any suggestions and advice as I will appreciate every piece of it.

 

[CanadianTalonTC]

While I was reading this thread I was getting curious about the ECU towards the end. ECMtuning is a great service they won't rob you. Do you have a photo of it so we can see which are affected?

I have to give props to all previous posters in this thread for some intense information sharing. Very curious to see the end result.

 

[Justin DuBois]

Best money you can spend today is on getting your ECU checked out by ECM tuning. EVERY ECU has leaking caps. The longer they go unchecked, the more likely traces on the board will be etched and corroded. Worth the bench fee alone even if its to tell you that everything is A-O-K.

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

Money WELL SPENT $$$ !!!! Send it to the experts for analysis.

 

[ZubUchiha]

While I was reading this thread I was getting curious about the ECU towards the end. ECMtuning is a great service they won't rob you. Do you have a photo of it so we can see which are affected?

I have to give props to all previous posters in this thread for some intense information sharing. Very curious to see the end result.

Hey, unfortunately I forgot to take a photo, but I can ask ECMTuning to send a before and after.

And I wholeheartedly agree. Many brilliant and helpful minds on this case. I wish I reach that state one day to help next young DSMer out the way they helped me. Hopefully the ECU is the problem and nothing internally.

Best money you can spend today is on getting your ECU checked out by ECM tuning. EVERY ECU has leaking caps. The longer they go unchecked, the more likely traces on the board will be etched and corroded. Worth the bench fee alone even if its to tell you that everything is A-O-K.

Yup, I feel as it was well worth it and a lesson I learned was to really check the brain first before anything with these cars, this will help in the future. Thanks for the help so far brother!

Money WELL SPENT $$$ !!!! Send it to the experts for analysis.

If stranger are vouching for a company then that’s how you know they’re reliable. Definitely needed the reassurance. Thanks!



Like I said, I really hope this is the issue, but in the meantime, I will try to find other oem ignition components to replace that are in better condition. Starting with the coil packs.

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

Since you are "new" as you say, I will tell you that our coils don't usually give us issues.
Here is another thread that is a good read.
Thread 'bad coil?' https://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/bad-coil.385420/

 

[ZubUchiha]

Since you are "new" as you say, I will tell you that our coils don't usually give us issues.
Here is another thread that is a good read.
Thread 'bad coil?' https://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/bad-coil.385420/

Hey, thank you for sending me this. I read through the entire thread and the sub threads posted in that thread. I think the coils may be an issue because they do not look OEM. I could have sworn the OEM coils had Mitsubishi written on there or something similar to that. I want to make sure I have an OEM set of Mitsubishi coils. I currently do not know if the coils are OEM or not.

On top of that, if the ECU is not the problem, and the problem persists even after putting the ECU back in. I am going to diagnose for the Power Transistor Unit (PTU) and see if that is the case.

Wish I had more time to go to the junk yard and find it rather than order online, but I may have to do that. However, I definitely need to first ensure all the connections are properly plugged in and not loose.

 

[ZubUchiha]

Mannnn…. This car hates me. Well I got my ECU repaired, plugged it in, made sure all setting were as oem as possible, and it started running better.

Now it has an issue where it dies after a couple starts and then the third start will turn it on.

My Bosch 17025 O2 is bad, and not sure how to clean it even though I got it just this past year. I think it is fouled. With this, it’s causing the car to switch between open and closed loop which is causing it to run rough and misfire.

My guess for the dying first couple starts is the fuel filter. Now this is just a pain to remove. I tried for an hour and no luck. Going to try tomorrow.

The car also has a coolant leak and I can’t tell where it’s coming from. All I can see it coming from is passenger side between the metal coolant pipe and transmission right next to the engraved numbers on the transmission. I’m hoping it is not a head gasket issue, so I checked closer with my phone and it doesn’t seem to becoming from the head gasket area. It just seems to be coming from under the metal coolant pipe, but I dont know where.


I leave for school in a few days (Saturday). If anyone in the inland empire (riverside, ca) area can help, please let me know. I just want it driving. I’m not sure whether I should take it with me to school as it is or leave it at my parents home which causes issues and arguments…

 

[Bigbeanbird]

Mannnn…. This car hates me. Well I got my ECU repaired, plugged it in, made sure all setting were as oem as possible, and it started running better.

Now it has an issue where it dies after a couple starts and then the third start will turn it on.

My Bosch 17025 O2 is bad, and not sure how to clean it even though I got it just this past year. I think it is fouled. With this, it’s causing the car to switch between open and closed loop which is causing it to run rough and misfire.

My guess for the dying first couple starts is the fuel filter. Now this is just a pain to remove. I tried for an hour and no luck. Going to try tomorrow.

The car also has a coolant leak and I can’t tell where it’s coming from. All I can see it coming from is passenger side between the metal coolant pipe and transmission right next to the engraved numbers on the transmission. I’m hoping it is not a head gasket issue, so I checked closer with my phone and it doesn’t seem to becoming from the head gasket area. It just seems to be coming from under the metal coolant pipe, but I dont know where.


I leave for school in a few days (Saturday). If anyone in the inland empire (riverside, ca) area can help, please let me know. I just want it driving. I’m not sure whether I should take it with me to school as it is or leave it at my parents home which causes issues and arguments…

I’m inland empire