ecu, how do i tell which is what

[jakrabit]

ok guys i took the car to a shop and they wanted 340 dollars to rebuild the ecu....i said hell with that, i am going to a junk yard tommorow and was wondering if i find a ecu out of the car already is there anyway to tell by the numbers on it whether it is a turbo awd ecu...the car i have is a 91 talon tsi and the junk yard im going to says they have some turbo dsm's there but not sure whether the ecus are in the car or in the barn..so i just wanna be prepared for the worst..im hoping they are still in the car but...u never know!
alright thanx..

 

[sjgYFZ200]

ok i just had to do this on mine. i thought that a junkyard would be fine for me too, but really, i wouldnt waste my money. chances are, it will just go bad if it already hasnt. sitting for a while, then throwing juice to it all of a sudden, like you will be doing, only accelerates it. there is a company in texas that rebuilds them, although right now i cant remember the name. they have cars that they test it in before, and after. also, many places rebuild them, but only this place so far advertises that they actully clean the thing, to get all the nasty acid off. but, to answer your question, all you need is an identical car to yours. but, you cant use a 90 ECU in a 91 ECU, and that goes the other way.

 

[darkness_fallz]

ok i just had to do this on mine. i thought that a junkyard would be fine for me too, but really, i wouldnt waste my money. chances are, it will just go bad if it already hasnt. sitting for a while, then throwing juice to it all of a sudden, like you will be doing, only accelerates it. there is a company in texas that rebuilds them, although right now i cant remember the name. they have cars that they test it in before, and after. also, many places rebuild them, but only this place so far advertises that they actully clean the thing, to get all the nasty acid off. but, to answer your question, all you need is an identical car to yours. but, you cant use a 90 ECU in a 91 ECU, and that goes the other way.

you can use a 90 in a 91 and later but you just have to switch wires 6 and 14 to get it to work....

 

[Mike1992]

Look for STEVE on this board he repaired my turbo ecu for me and all is well.

 

[steve]

I am going to a junk yard tommorow and was wondering if i find a ecu out of the car already is there anyway to tell by the numbers on it whether it is a turbo awd ecu.

I have a list of part numbers and what car they were originally from. It's a little more detailed that the one in the VFAQ's. Print it out and take it with you.
The '90 ECU's need the pins swapped like darkness_fallz said. The '94 ECU's all used CA spec emissions. Keep in mind that the ATX cars have smaller turbos, cams, and injectors and the ECU code reflects that, so unless you find a EPROM ECU out of one pass on the standard ones.

Thanks for the kind words Mike

Steve

 

[92awddsm]

the federal ecu for you car has the # md166262. If there is an e in the lower right side of the label, that is eprom. Try to find that ecu to save time modding it to fit.