How To Fix Your Engine Control Unit Issues

The engine control unit (ECU) is an essential part of a car’s engine that monitors and controls the entire fuel map. So, the amount of fuel, air, ignition timing, and other aspects vital to an internal combustion engine are controlled by the engine control module. When you have ECU issues, and those issues are troublesome, to say the least. (To say a little more than the least, they stink.) So here’s a new method to help you deal with engine control unit issues.

Let’s start at the beginning with a couple basics on how the engine control unit runs. At the beginning of it’s procedure, which is every time you start your vehicle, it needs to recalibrate at idle speeds. In other words, the engine control unit needs to remind itself what base level of operations are. This helps to control and prevent an uneven idle. Along these lines, the ECU often controls the amount of fuel that runs through the system, making sure that your vehicle doesn’t have too rich of a mix that would pollute the environment.

If that wasn’t enough, the newer ECU often control features like anti-skid brakes, cruise control and theft protection. It keeps all the signals from crossing by recalibrating each time it starts up when you restart the car. And, if the ECU is off a little, you may begin to see codes saying that something is amiss. This could be that something truly is needing attention within the vehicle or that the ECU needs a restart to get back on track.

OBD USB Scan Tool

Now, there is a proper way to reset the system. To do this, you need to have an OBD 2 scan tool. This tool can not only scan the system to give you more info on the codes, but it can also clear the codes and reset the system. This process is much like resetting your cell phone or a personal computer — it just resets the system so it gets a fresh start on the process. This is especially useful if there are multiple and conflicting codes that are mucking up the process, such as one code telling you the vehicle is running lean and another saying it’s too rich. The scan resets the code so when something is picked up again your diagnostics will be much clearer.

Don’t have an OBD 2 scanner nearby when you need it? Well, an alternate method is to simply drain the battery and the capacitors. This is like a hard restart on a vehicle that does the same thing as hitting the power button on your computer or phone. It just takes longer. This can be done by disconnecting the battery and letting the vehicle sit until the capacitance runs out, which can take a few hours or a week depending on the vehicle.

Ready to start work on your vehicle’s computer? To talk more about this, or anything else, please contact us. We’re standing by ready to answer questions about your Dodge PCM, your Jeep PCM, your Chrysler engine control unit, and any car’s ECU at our Florida auto computer store.