View Poll Results: Whao has replaced ECM "Private Poll"
Replaced
11
73.33%
Fixed the problem
4
26.67%
DID NOT fix the problem
4
26.67%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 15. You may not vote on this poll
ECM replacement
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,867
Likes: 3
From: Pasadena Maryland
ECM replacement
How many people have replaced (or had replaced by their mechanic) the ECM in any car?
My neighbor is an ASE mechanic and he says he has only had to replace 3 or 4 in the last 10 years.
Replace with fix?
Replace without fix?
My neighbor is an ASE mechanic and he says he has only had to replace 3 or 4 in the last 10 years.
Replace with fix?
Replace without fix?
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
From: las vegas nv
when i first bought my car (87 vert) it ran great.. 2 weeks later it started idling at 1200 rpm all the time..after replacing the maf and various sensors with no success the mechanic pulled the ecm box down (suspecting a faulty aftermarket prom). after removing the hypertech prom and restarting the car it still ran with a high idle.
for some reason (known only to the mechanic) he tapped the ecm box lightly with a screwdriver handle and dammed if the idle didnt drop to 700 rpm.
after a minute or 2 of jiggling the wires going into the ecm we realized that the severe vibrations and rough ride that are a part of the cars charm are also pretty hard on all those soldered connections inside the ecm!
ecm replaced ...about 100$ from napa i believe ..problem solved!
Bret
for some reason (known only to the mechanic) he tapped the ecm box lightly with a screwdriver handle and dammed if the idle didnt drop to 700 rpm.
after a minute or 2 of jiggling the wires going into the ecm we realized that the severe vibrations and rough ride that are a part of the cars charm are also pretty hard on all those soldered connections inside the ecm!
ecm replaced ...about 100$ from napa i believe ..problem solved!
Bret
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 96,443
Likes: 9
From: Fort Knox, KY
Cruise-In IV Veteran
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Mine was replaced before I bought the car. I have no idea how many miles the O.E.M. lasted before it went ****-up.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 17,298
Likes: 33
From: The Top of Utah
Originally Posted by kalister1
Replace with fix?
Replace without fix?
Replace without fix?
RACE ON!!!
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,867
Likes: 3
From: Pasadena Maryland
Like you said; Many get replaced without fixing the problem. So I waned to know how many replacement ECM's actually fixed the problem. Versus how many replacements were not needed. How many got replaced for NOTHING.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 5,866
Likes: 60
From: Hellinois
Finalist 2020 C4 of the Year - Modified
I got my Vette in the winter of 1999, in the summer of 2000 it started acting up in hot weather only. After chasing everything down I could a mechanic friend suggested I change the ECM because it could be sensitive to heat. Since I had not yet heard of this great forum and had done everything else I possibly could I went ahead and changed the ECM. It's now 6 years later and absolutely no ECM related problems have shown up.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,867
Likes: 3
From: Pasadena Maryland
If I could get a working 93 ECM that would be the best way to go. I do not know of anyone in the Baltimore Maryland area that I could get one from. 92 and 93 are the only 2 years that would work in my car.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 5,866
Likes: 60
From: Hellinois
Finalist 2020 C4 of the Year - Modified
Have you posted your problem to see if someone here could help? I would never have replaced my ECM if I hadn't already exhausted all other means of repair.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 9,884
Likes: 3
From: Magnolia Mississippi
St. Jude '03-'04-'05-'06-'07
What about NAPA? Replaced my ECM (87) 2 yrs ago, and no problems since...did get the replacement ECM from NAPA $97 after return of old one.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 7,839
Likes: 22
From: San Diego, Ca
My '89 is on the 4th or 5th - 3 were under warranty back in '89 - '91. I think Killebrew mentions they were pretty lame in his Digital Dash Manual. In those years, it wouldn't react to the a/c request signal so it would surge and/or stall with the a/c on. Tech let me watch his scanner one day so I could see what was going on. More recently - about a year or so ago, it started toggling the ECT signal between 230 and 250 which meant a hard start, no fast idle and poor driveability when cold. Several others had the same problem at about the same time. Planned obsolescence?
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,629
Likes: 28
From: FL
I know the one in my 93 has been replaced since it is a reman but I have no information regarding why or if it solved the problem, seems to work fine now. Most of those I saw replaced in my 30+ years in Chrysler product dealerships were guesses by techs too lazy to do the real diagnostic work and expect that is true of other makes. Most of the actual failures I can verify were not "partial", the car would not run.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 762
Likes: 2
From: Huntington ma
Had to replace the ECM in my '85 (at about 230K miles!) just a couple of months ago. It glitched momentarily a couple of times, out of the blue, on the highway for a couple of days then one warm start it simply would not idle - SES light on and no closed loop. It Did make it home (40 miles), and actually would even drop into closed loop after a while on the road, then drop back out seemingly at random. Once home and on the scanner it had half a dozen fault codes, all over the board. Messed around with the harness connections, changed PROM's, verified power and grounds at the harness etc - no help. Clear the codes and immediate reset on all of them on startup. A Reman ECM was about $90 from NAPA with the core - cured the problem, whatever it actually was. The one I took Out was labelled as a GM remanufactured unit...God only knows when or why it had previously been changed.
Advanced
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 97
Likes: 0
From: Stockholm / Sweden
Hi Kalister,
I had the same problem like you on my -93.
I replaced my ECM with a AC Delco Reman, and that solved my problem.
This was also on another forum: http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/foru...ad.php?t=53168
I hope you get the car running soon.
regards
MickeW
I had the same problem like you on my -93.
I replaced my ECM with a AC Delco Reman, and that solved my problem.
This was also on another forum: http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/foru...ad.php?t=53168
I hope you get the car running soon.
regards
MickeW
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 4,449
Likes: 1,218
From: Fredonia WI
2025 Corvette of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
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replaced two
I had some strange intermittent problems (stalling and driveability) with my 85. I spent a long time troubleshooting and it turned out to be the ECM.
My daughter's 97 cavy had some strange driveability and stalling problems too. Again, the problem was the ECM.
I've replaced two in the last year.
Gary
My daughter's 97 cavy had some strange driveability and stalling problems too. Again, the problem was the ECM.
I've replaced two in the last year.
Gary
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,188
Likes: 13
From: Wallingford Vermont
for some reason (known only to the mechanic) he tapped the ecm box lightly with a screwdriver handle and dammed if the idle didnt drop to 700 rpm
I worked parts at a (non-GM) dealer; most ECMs are replace un-necessarily.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,867
Likes: 3
From: Pasadena Maryland
I replaced my ECM with a used unit from a 92, got it from E-Bay. Everything works fine now. The chip in the 92's ECM worked OK but would not turn on my A/C compressor so I installed my old chip.
