Bad ECM?

[Steve V]

I have had some mysterious issue past few months. Ses start flashing car dies. I pulled out chip tweaked pins problem went away.

Then after a few WOT blasts chip goes into valet mode while driving down the road. Extendar chip. Reset ecm no problem.

Today. Drive 15 mins let car sit w/radio on. Restart goes into antitheft...I have it turned off. Will not restart with sequence. Dis connect battery,disarm antitheft cars starts. Drive 10 miles punch it...pop....ses on. Code 42 running like crap. 2-3 miles car stalls. Pull over restart. Drive to work. Codes 12,13,21,41,42,45,54,53 in ecm.

ECm has been in car for a while. Car drives 3-5 k a year. garaged stored off ground.

My thoughts

1st bad chip or pins/ecm socket. They look fine.

Bad ecm

Bad ignition module.

Any ideas?

I have till 5pm before I have to go home . Gonna have my 8 monthe pregnant wife come by with box of spares parts just in case.

This car usually runs perfect. I did install power logger in the spring. I've tripple checked it and don't think it's related. All I to ECM was clean pins per Bob's instructions.

Also added a PLX shortly after and check that also.

Let the fun begin.:biggrin:

 

[TurboBuRick]

Sounds like a chip issue. Do you have another one you can throw in?

 

[Steve V]

Yes I do at home.

I just tested the battery with GM's latest and greatest GR8 by midtroinics. It says replace battery. It bran new Engerier from Sams...WTF... that would cause it to loose memory,but going down the road? Unless the battery is shorting out internally hiting the charging system.

 

[SS/GN]

I have seen batery plates short out in the sediment tray and you loose 1 cell or 2.2 volts and will cause all kinds of problems.Hit a bump on the road and all kinds of strange things happenIn a fleet of trucks I have had the best luck with Napa batteries and the worst with A/Cdelco

Kevin

 

[84sithlord]

ecm ground loose? i had similar symptoms and tightening ecm ground fixed it!

 

[GNVenom]

Check your positive battery cable, specifically the orange MEM wire that's fuselinked to the single weatherpack connector. I have seen several original cables where the battery acid has leached into the molded terminal, attacking the wires and cables, causing intermittents.

Also, check the ECM connector where the orange (C16) wire enters the computer. I have also seen corrosion on this pin, causing intermittents as well. If corroded, replace both the terminal and the ECM, since the bulkhead takes a hit when corrosion sets in. Look for ANY sign of corrosion on the face of the connectors. You'll see most of it around the power pins and the injector outputs.

 

[Kid with a toy]

Check your positive battery cable, specifically the orange MEM wire that's fuselinked to the single weatherpack connector. I have seen several original cables where the battery acid has leached into the molded terminal, attacking the wires and cables, causing intermittents.

Also, check the ECM connector where the orange (C16) wire enters the computer. I have also seen corrosion on this pin, causing intermittents as well. If corroded, replace both the terminal and the ECM, since the bulkhead takes a hit when corrosion sets in. Look for ANY sign of corrosion on the face of the connectors. You'll see most of it around the power pins and the injector outputs.

GNVenom has a point.
Also, check over both positive and negative cables from source to termination, and here is why—
I had similar electrical gremlins that just randomly appeared and caused the car to die at the most inopportune times.
Turned out that both my positive and negative cables were not correct.
-the negative cable was almost the full length of the car, slight exaggeration, but you get the idea (it was tucked into the fender well, thus I never noticed)
-the positive cable had been “patched” in two places. The first was an attempt to solder the splice and only had 5 to 7 strands actually making contact. The second, was the use of a nut-washer-bolt configuration with the strands looped around the bolt.
Many, many yards of electrical tape and black loom kept it from being noticed. It was only after many cases of the red ass and numerous temper tantrums that I began yanking loom and discovered the problems.

BWeavy to the rescue.


Erik

 

[Steve V]

Thanks guys.

I have a napa battery ready to go in. I am testing it 1st.

I have the ECM in the shop looking at it. Looks ok. I will check the connectors when I get outside.

Battery cables are orginal to car. They are worth replacing just because of that!!! Guy I need to order some up.

As long as I can get it home I will be good. Just sucks that it happened here today that is life in a TR's world. This has been a really good car since I've owned it so I am thinking it's something simple.

Where's the best place to get an ECM if needed. I believe OEM are gone.

 

[turbofrank]

ecm Advance or Autozone
batt cables Caspers good quality

 

[Steve V]

ecm Advance or Autozone
batt cables Caspers good quality

That would be a Cardone.

Had a Napa battery and it tested bad. Got an interstate and put it togther headed home. I have 15 drive then 30 mins on a ferry and 15 mins home. Got to ferry bridge and car ran fine then it stalled as I stopped in line. Would not restart. Unplugged ecm wire by batt. Disarm chip,restarted. Got on boat and it cooked under the hood as the temps were 102 on the water. Restarted fine drove 5 mins and it bucked violently. Pulled in 3rd to loose tcc and eased out of the gas. Cleared up drive home no other probs.

Hot as a mofo under the hood. Wiggled the heck outta the ornage wire,cables,gound at intake,coil plug,alt,translator,maf nothing..running fine.Shut it off and went in the pool.

I think and am gonna swap ECMs 1st and drive it around abit over the weekend.

So no the battery did not fix it.

 

[Steve V]

few tidbits I forgot

When I fired it up to leave work...scanmaster number were going so fast i could not read them. Ist tied into powerlogger. Unplug PL cables at ecm and it fixed itself.

Also my plx wideband is showing my AF between 15-16 I hardly see 14.7,but when I goose it it goes into 11-10's like it should. It is by the starter in the DP.

 

[TurboBuRick]

What does that tester say on that new battery? :biggrin: That ones prolly bad too. :tongue: JK

My scanmaster will do the same. If I hit the buttons too fast after turning key on. Like data gibberish. A simple key cycle fixes it for me.

Any codes this last time? Or just dying and bucking?

 

[Steve V]

No codes this time.

Yes those Midtronic testers are pickey. Interstate Battery tested good!

Gonna try chip/ ECM 1st.

 

[Steve V]

Chip..maybe

I took out my alky ext chip. Installed commander chip. Got it hot let it sit 45 mins hood shut in hot sun. Took it out on the back country roads and beat it up. Put some more gas in it and back home. Other than breakin up by spraying alky it was fine. I was able to turn the alky off and run zero knock at 20-22 psi in 100 degree heat. AF on wideband was 10.2 so it is a pretty safe tune.

I think I will drive it a few days this week, with spare parts in the trunk. I will dare it to act up.

I wonder if I can send this chip to Bob and if he could tell if there's an issue or not. Bob you out there?

 

[TurboWh1]

I have had some mysterious issue past few months. Ses start flashing car dies. I pulled out chip tweaked pins problem went away.

Is your car a T-top car? Does this problem occur while driving in the rain or after the car gets a good soaking???

 

[caaraa]

Check your positive battery cable, specifically the orange MEM wire that's fuselinked to the single weatherpack connector.

 

[87geeinn]

Check nuts underneath the coilpack-the ones that fasten the coilpack to the mounting bracket. I had these come loose and made the car buck and the SES light flicker.

 

[Steve V]

My car is hardtop. I have no use for T tops.

It doesn't see rain,unless it's needed as a back up driver.

All good suggestion guys,I have all covered minus the coil pack. I will check it.

I drove it to work again today and no issues. I have all my spare parts,power logger etc goin' so it won't mess up.

 

[87geeinn]

Eh, I meant the ignition module...but you know what I mean. On the same token, the pedestal that the ignition module and coil pack are mounted to also ground through the three bolts that fasten the pedestal to the intake. Might as well check those too while you're at it....and the grounds on the back of the head, etc, etc. You see where this is going? Me thinks it is a grounding issue.

 

[Steve V]

Eh, I meant the ignition module...but you know what I mean. On the same token, the pedestal that the ignition module and coil pack are mounted to also ground through the three bolts that fasten the pedestal to the intake. Might as well check those too while you're at it....and the grounds on the back of the head, etc, etc. You see where this is going? Me thinks it is a grounding issue.

No offense...probably nothing loose as I have already been through this car top to bottom. I have looked over the obvious. Everything was clean when I put it together and ran fine or quite a while,until I started adding power logger,wideband then mysteroius gremilins..hehe.

I gonna drive it today and tommorrow and if it doesn't act up with the current chip I am blaming the alky chip that was in it Friday. Yup I've checked pins,ground,battery cable,powerlogger install,wideband install,ground at intake(were at head),cables,battery alternator.:biggrin: