idle help...again

[Dr DSM]

Here's what happening:
different idle problem - YouTube

it was surging at a higher idle but now it at this low idle after i replaced the pcv valve and tubing.

i need the car running soon so please give me your input. anything helps!

oh yeah. this is a cold start and the air/fuel ratio gauge jumps up to around 17 then stops working. smells really rich too.

 

[Dr DSM]

i took the ecu out, but i dont know how to tell if its bad. heres a video of it:
ecu is out! - YouTube

 

[red92tsi]

Does it smell bad at all? Any caps look like the top is bursting? Any smoke marks?

 

[Dr DSM]

no smell, everything looks fine, except the part that i pointed out in the video. its sticky and has fluid in that circular part. is there any way to test it or anything like that?

 

[Nasty Dream]

no smell, everything looks fine, except the part that i pointed out in the video. its sticky and has fluid in that circular part. is there any way to test it or anything like that?

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click zoom

I found an image using google of what I believe is your ECU so I could take a better look. THat thing you are pointing out doesn't look at all like a capacitor (cap), and I'm not aware of anything else that would leak or contain fluid.

Don't poke around in there with anything that conducts electricity, even your own skin. THe reason is that capacitors store energy, that's their job, so some of those circuits still have juice. Whenever you must, handle a board from the edges and don't get lint and hair in there in stuff.

Here are some different types of capacitors so you'll know what to inspect

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OK, there are two round ones here that look similar to the one you say is leaking. Tell me what you think.

I've never seen one of those in my life, and I've seen a lot.

 

[90_eclipse]

You will get a "fish" like smell if the melting was bad... but it seems like the board, for the most part, is ok...

But what you really need to do is look around the Capacitors. Those are the black cylinder like things that sit between the two small standing circuit boards. Press on them/ wiggle them just a very slight amount. If you see anything seeping from the bottom, you have leaky caps. You will see a clear (maybe slightly milky?) like jelly coming out.

You can tell if there is any existing leakage if you look around the caps... if you look around the rest of the board, you can tell that everything is very clean and visible. If there is any leakage on the board, you will notice a slight glossy and not-as-transparent- haze to it. So pretty much look for the area's that don't look like the rest of the board. The best way is to shine some light on it. A clean board will shine brightly and look vibrant. Areas with leakage/burns on it will kind of absorb the light and look hazy.

 

[NickF509]

I don't know a lot about vehicle ecu's but I work with ecu systems in general and they can go bad without any obvious signs. It usually takes just a small change or issue that might not be detectable by visual inspection to cause serious problems. At some point your just going to have to decide to replace the ecu to be sure.

 

[Dr DSM]

Today i put new spark plugs in, because it needed them, and i put the ecu back in to try an pull some codes. i followed the procedure but i had not luck. the CEL didnt flash or pulse at all. just the normal start up flash when you put the key in the on position. i dont know why its not throwing codes because when i started it today it idle at about 500 rpm and the CEL still popped up. i keep thinking more and more that it is the ecu but the are pretty expensive so i dont want to buy one and my car to still run bad. Anyone want to sell me a 1g awd 5speed ecu for cheap?

tell me what you think. i really miss my talon. i hate it just sitting in the garage

 

[Talondvr]

Just thinking out loud: maybe make a thread in the local section for a WT"B" (want to Borrow) ecu thread. Just so you can make sure its the ecu before spending $$. I would but Im not in your area.

 

[Bojangles465]

please help, i hate to bump an old thread, but my car is doing the same exact thing! i have a 90 gst with a 91-94 ecu, ive tried all kinds of things, did you ever get your ride to run?

 

[undefined0000]

^ Thread Jacker. Anyone else notice that his dash boost gauge isn't going to 0 on key "On". Unless its running link and the gauge is being used for something else...

If you were just a tad bit closer, I could help you out. My DSM is barely running properly as-is and I'm not sure how it would like a 2 hour drive. I have a 1g M/T ecu in mine.