Recently, while driving my 89 Vet the "Service Engine Soon" light flashed on and went out. I parked for about 30-minutes and started the car again. The "Service Engine Soon" light came on and flashed several times.
Soon, the engine RPM decreased and I had to keep the accelerator pedal depressed. I drove about 5-miles, pressed on the brake numerous times and soon the pedal went to the floor. I had the vehicle towed to the Chevy dealer. They say it looks like the computer has died, but they are not sure. Anyone have a similar problem? The car has 117,888 miles.
Should I let the dealer repair or purchase a computer on-line and have a shop install it?
Thanks. Any comments are appreciated.

 

That is really odd that a computer would affect the brakes like that.
but since they were not sure I would not spend the money paying them to throw parts at it for you. I would take it to garage you trust and have them check out the problem they don't have a agenda like some dealerships do. if you are able to lay on your back with your feet way up in the air for a long period of time you could change it yourself.
did they tell you what the codes were?

 

Cool avatar. Molly Hachet Right?

Corvette Mike

 

Right! I am flirting with disaster every time i open the hood.

 

I sure as hell wouldn't pay someone $100+ per hour of labor to guess at it. Diagnosing an OBD1 system is quite simple, and can be done with a paperclip. Troubleshoot, don't guess. Throwing parts ($$$) at a problem hoping to solve it is fine....if you're independently wealthy and have no time constraints. The rest of us troubleshoot.

Can you have the car hauled back home before you pay them a ton of money? We can run you through troubleshooting the ECM and emissions systems. ECM failure happens, but it isn't that common. And before you buy a new one, I'd want to make certain that is what really failed. And to do so, we need to know what codes are stored in the ECM if any. It could be as simple as a sensor or connector. Nothing would suck more than spending money on a new ECM only to find you still have the problem.

To answer your question, yes...I have had an ECM fail in my 84. The symptom was an intermittent condition where the rear injector didn't fire when the car was hot. Never got a check engine light, no codes. I tested everything in the system with an ohm meter and everything checked out fine. Injector pulse, wiring, everything. The only thing left was the ECM. Replacing it at that point solved the problem.

If you really want the dealer to fix it, ask them to diagnose it first and give you an EXACT amount to fix it. Refuse to fund them guessing at it. And tell them they don't get a red cent until it's running correctly. They will probably give you the car back at that point, and then WE can fix it.

Good luck.

 

When you turn the key, you're worried that it might "boogie no more"?

 

What Frizle said. get it away from that shop as soon as possible.

 

If the light is blinking you should have codes stored so it shouldn't be terribly difficult to diagnose.

 

Great comment - Thank You

 

Thank you.

 

Just what I need to hear.

 

Thanks all of you.
I am waiting for the dealer service Rep to call so I can limit their testing.
Maybe they don't know what caused the problem.

 

No dealer needed you have a ton of tech files here on this forum in the search function.

 

The dealer service Rep says ensured the electrical connections were fully seated and the car is now running fine. They can't find any other problem. He Also admitted the brake problem was related to the engine vacuum
I can pick it up today.

 

Yep, and once it's sitting in your garage, we'll walk you through troubleshooting. You get the cost savings and gratification of fixing it yourself, we get the fun of seeing it through until it's running right again.

So let's start with Frizlism #1.....gasoline engines 101.

They need three things, and three things only to run;

1. The correct mixture of fuel and air.
2. A suitably strong spark delivered at the correct time.
3. Suitable compression.

That's it. If those three conditions are met, they run. If one or more is missing or deficient, they either don't run correctly or at all. Your mission is to find which condition(s) aren't being met and correct the deficiency.

Let us know when the car is at home and we'll start pinning down the problem. You may have to buy a few tools here and there, but with saving the $100 an hour of guesswork the dealership wants to do, you can practically stock your garage.

Each of us on here is good at least one thing. Collectively, we're good at everything. With our help, you'll make it run again. Do us all a favor and fill out your profile so we know where you're at. There may be someone right around the block willing to come over and help as well.

Let the games begin

 

OK, I see it's fixed....by the time I finished typing, you had it posted. But for next time it breaks, you know where to find us.

 

yeah save your cash for tires, and zaino

 

Frizle frak is absolutely right..there are so many experts on here that if your car even farts wrong once they'll know why..

 

They like to throw parts at it - usually expensive parts and ones they won't take back if it' not the right one.

 

yep! I hate when that happens