ECU Beeping At Me????

[KCz Eclipse]

Alright guys, I drive a 91 gsx. I brought this thing back from the dead, and it does have some problems. I'm assuming it has a vaccum leak, because at times the car wont even accelerate, I just have turbo spool. And I think I have an electrical problem, the car wont even start sometimes with a full battery. So i heard the beeping for the first time today. I started the car and headed to school. I was in need of gas so i stopped at a station. I filled her up and went to start and it wont. It goes back to what I am assuming is an electrical problem. I put the key in the ignition, the seltbelt and all the lights work, but when I go to start the car, the light go off and the car appears daed. So i sit there and the light will flash on and off at me when the key is in the ignition. So i try it again, the car acts dead. I sit again, and and try it, this time turning enough that i can give it gas and git it started. The car was at like 200 rpms when i gave it gas to keep it on and thats when i heard three beeps that came from the ecu i think. The starting problem has happened plenty of times, but i had never heards the beeps til today. So i thought nothing of it, went to school, and came home. Later in the evening i decided i would go and pre order black ops 2. I got to gamestop just fine. However, when i left, the car started fine, but when i went to make a left hand turn it freaked out on me. The car didn't want to move, so i gave it gas and the rpms were going crazy. The car was studdering, then it started beeping again then it shut off. I muscled it to the side of the road (the steering wheel locked up) sat for maybe 10 seconds then it started fine. The battery light was flashing on and off a little but thats it.

Thats the story, so i'm just a little freaked out with the whole thing. The car is a 5 speed, running a 16g, no fmic anymore (just the smic). When i start the car when its warm, it idles so low it will die sometimes. I know its a lot of crap i just told you, but im tryin to get some input on the problem. Anything will help.

Thanks.

 

[undefined0000]

Sounds like a bad connection. The beeping, if its a lot of short tones, is probably the ecu resetting from losing power then getting it back. battery light flashing could also indicate either ALT issues or just bad connections. I would test voltage while the car is running. It could be a schlew of problems though.

 

[DSM1G90]

First, there is no speaker, to say of, within the ECU.

Second, have you checked the ECU to see if you got leaky caps within the unit? For what you're describing - good starts, bad starts, poor acceleration, et.al. , where a bad ECU is your problem.

If it's the original ECU, it's 20 plus years old and ready to be rebuilt or replaced. Bad, or just tired ECU's will not throw a CEL.

The three beeps is the seatbelt buzzer signifying the autobelt has returned to it's position when the seat is occupied before start.

 

[t56speed]

undefined is right. It could be a lot of things... Id start with the alternator and just go down the list. It dying does sound like the alternator to me to be honest.

 

[KCz Eclipse]

I know my first post on this tread was terrible but ill try to clarify. When the car dies, it normally happens when it is warm, after it been driven. It starts, goes to maybe 1500 rpms, then drops to like 200 rpms, then dies if i dont give it gas. And for the beeping, i know for a fact that the beeps were not the selt belt. I know what the selt belt beeps sound like and they were not selt belt beeps. The sound was coming from around the ecu. It may not have been from the ECU, it was just in that general area. And on a side note, my ecu is a rebuilt one from motoguys garage. And i did try to take the ecu out one, but couldn't get the wires undone, so maybe i left them loose.

 

[undefined0000]

I know my first post on this tread was terrible but ill try to clarify. When the car dies, it normally happens when it is warm, after it been driven. It starts, goes to maybe 1500 rpms, then drops to like 200 rpms, then dies if i dont give it gas. And for the beeping, i know for a fact that the beeps were not the selt belt. I know what the selt belt beeps sound like and they were not selt belt beeps. The sound was coming from around the ecu. It may not have been from the ECU, it was just in that general area. And on a side note, my ecu is a rebuilt one from motoguys garage. And i did try to take the ecu out one, but couldn't get the wires undone, so maybe i left them loose.

Tighten up those wires, and if you're having running issues,that can indicate a bad Coolant Temp sensor or a bad CAS. Check the resistance of the coolant temp sensor.

 

[dsmspickdad]

The beeping sound you are hearing is the ECU shutting down because lack of proper voltage. Have you check the alternator? I have had several cars where the alternator failed and I drained the battery voltage below parameters, with engine still running (poorly). Check the battery all connections, alternator, and grounds.
Good luck

 

[KCz Eclipse]

What do i need to check the voltage? And how?

 

[undefined0000]

Autozone does alt testing, which they'll test the voltage with the car running normally, then under load, but if as bad as it is in your situation, you can take a multimeter to it. Just start the car and get it running at a decent idle speed. Then touch the cooresponding leads to the battery and read the voltage. It should be somewhere in the 13-14 range. Since the 1g alts suck, it will probably be low 13s. If its even in the 12s, its an alt issue. A fully charged battery is 12.6 volts. If the alt isn't even supplying that, the car will begin to draw power from the battery and thus eventually commit suicide. What I do is I just buy the digital volt meter from walmart. Its a little black screen that plugs into the cigarette lighter. That works just fine too.

It is possible for the alt to overcharge, which it would be supplying more than 15 volts and boiling the battery along with your ecu and other electronic goodies. That can happen when some power steering fluid dribbles its way in there or the voltage regulator just decided to quit. Just hope its a lack of voltage, that can't really cause any issues other than what you have.

 

[KCz Eclipse]

Darn, about the whole power steering fluid thing. My alternator has had a ton of power steering fluid go into it due to a bad seal on the bolt. It wasnt a drip, it was a pretty steady flow, but i got it fixed as soon as possible.

Ill probably end up replacing the alternator. Do you guys recommend a specific brand? Or specific specs?

 

[undefined0000]

This is a nice little upgrade: Dodge 2000GTX Eagle Talon galant Alternator 90 Amp | eBay

I'm gonna grab one of those when mine goes out. If the leaking happens again, I would suggest you look into a relocation kit. EGTs and PS are the killers of our poor little alternators.

 

[DSM1G90]

Motoguys does a great job in rebuilding ECU's ... I've got the stock 75A ALT in my two DSM rides and they both bump out the 13.8VDC under normal conditions...

We're getting close to something: How are your connections to the battery? New terminals all bright, shiny and super tight on the battery with no corrosion floating around anywhere? Are the ground leads tight attached to the battery, and from battery to chassis, block and transmission super tight as welll?

Remember: the battery is what is running the vehicle, not the ALT. All the ALT does is keeps the battery topped off and if you got any sort of bad connections, or weak battery, the ALT has to keep charging up the battery all the time and that is what eventually cooks up the ALT's internal voltage regulator.

 

[KCz Eclipse]

So can anyone else recommend a alternator that fits my car. Checked the above recommended alternator and ebay says it doesnt fit my car.

 

[KCz Eclipse]

okay guys, rather than recommending an alternator, can somebody tell me where i can find a 90 amp alternator. I cant seem to find one anywhere.

 

[undefined0000]

Should work. Anyway, you won't be able to upgrade alts without any kind of modification. The only other thing I've heard of are taking jeep alts, but you need to play with the wiring for those even.

 

[KCz Eclipse]

Alright, I might try the one you recommended above, and just hope it fits.

 

[007jimmy]

A galant has a 90amp alt. I have one in my 2g. Bolted right in. Now for a 1g you want to look for a pre-95 alt. should have the same harness. 95 and up are 2g style harnesses. No other uprades were needed for it.

 

[duckie1098]

Mine did the same thing as the OP stated... and eventually got worse to the point that it would actually shut the ecu off and on while driving. After replacing everything I could think of (even sent the new ecu out for testing) it ended up being the alternator, replaced it with a Autozone alt and that one wouldn't charge the battery.

 

[dsmspickdad]

Auto part stores list a 90 amp under model made in Canada. Which you can purchase. Or look at 92-93 Gallant 90 amp. Keep an eye open for that leaking power steering pump. You can pull the alt and have shop clean up the alt for under 60 bucks.(rebuild)

 

[KCz Eclipse]

Alright i will just buy the one recommended above. It should work.