Ignition module, electronic spark control module
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St. Jude Donor '08-'09
Follow-up question. Is there such a thing as an electronic spark control module? Or would it be called something else? My Service engine soon light comes on and my mechanic tells me I need an ignition module and an electronic spark control module.
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From: I tend to be leery of any guy who doesn't own a chainsaw or a handgun.
I don't understand your vehicle problem. The ignition module and ESC module are two distinctly different pieces, with no electrical connections between them. These are both very robust pieces, and the chances of both of them failing simultaneously is near zero. Is your mechanic trying to "shotgun" the repair, or does he know for certain that these parts are defective? It's your money, but it makes no sense to me.
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St. Jude Donor '08-'09
Yes, there is such a thing as an ESC module. I don't remember the model year it got up-integrated into the ECM (soldered onto the memcal), rather than mounted on the right side fenderwell, but I believe yours is. (Knowledgeable types are encouraged to correct me if I am wrong.)
I don't understand your vehicle problem. The ignition module and ESC module are two distinctly different pieces, with no electrical connections between them. These are both very robust pieces, and the chances of both of them failing simultaneously is near zero. Is your mechanic trying to "shotgun" the repair, or does he know for certain that these parts are defective? It's your money, but it makes no sense to me.
I don't understand your vehicle problem. The ignition module and ESC module are two distinctly different pieces, with no electrical connections between them. These are both very robust pieces, and the chances of both of them failing simultaneously is near zero. Is your mechanic trying to "shotgun" the repair, or does he know for certain that these parts are defective? It's your money, but it makes no sense to me.
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From: I tend to be leery of any guy who doesn't own a chainsaw or a handgun.
I have no reason to not trust him, so I guess he knows for certain. He has been a friend for many years that happens to be a mechanic. He said something about the code being either those or a false signal from "knock" something, but since the car doesn't knock or ping he ruled out the anti-knock or whatever. I really need to get more info from him so I know about what I am speaking/typing.
I'm not sure I understand any of the above. Nevertheless, my advice is to label the old parts and keep them in your spare parts drawer. It may be interesting to do some A-B comparison tests later on.
ps: My compliments on your avatar.
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St. Jude Donor '08-'09
As for the code, He hooked up his scanner to see what code was registering. He said something about a possible false code from a knock sensor (?). I can't remember exactly what he said. But since the car doesn't knock or ping, he says I need to replace both ignition and ESC modules.
Last edited by carlton_fritz; Jun 8, 2007 at 07:20 AM.
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From: I tend to be leery of any guy who doesn't own a chainsaw or a handgun.
I assume that when you determined that the engine doesn't knock or ping, the engine was running and driveable at the time. What diagnostic data makes you suspect the ignition module wasn't doing its job? And, if the engine isn't knocking, there is nothing for the ESC unit to detect. Like I said earlier, it's your money to spend, but I honestly don't understand, given the information you provided, what parts aren't doing their intended task.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2007
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St. Jude Donor '08-'09
I assume that when you determined that the engine doesn't knock or ping, the engine was running and driveable at the time. What diagnostic data makes you suspect the ignition module wasn't doing its job? And, if the engine isn't knocking, there is nothing for the ESC unit to detect. Like I said earlier, it's your money to spend, but I honestly don't understand, given the information you provided, what parts aren't doing their intended task.
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From: I tend to be leery of any guy who doesn't own a chainsaw or a handgun.
Update. My mechanic said the computer is throwing a code for one or the other module. He's going to go through a process of elimination. He says it's one of the 2 modules. Not sure which until he tries new modules. Normally the customer gets their own parts, but in this case he will get the part since he doesn't know which needs replacing. He has one of each he can try.
Even if it seems pointless to post this, I figure that some other noob out there can learn something from it.
Even if it seems pointless to post this, I figure that some other noob out there can learn something from it.
Sorry. Just my way of looking at things automotive.
