How resilient are ECU's?
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Junior User
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From: Sierra Foothills
How resilient are ECU's?
Can a tired transmission cause one to go bad?
Can you short one out by shorting the wiring on an RV generator?
I'm waiting for my ECU to be rebuilt (f4tf 12a650 ya) and after all I've been through I don't want anymore issues. My trans was shifting hard so we replaced the torque convertor, solenoid pack and pump. That led to erratic behavior that I felt was the TC unlocking momentarily (1/2 second) without notice. The TPS was checked and the neutral safety switch was replaced. No help. A complete tune up was done. No go. A new distributor was installed and for the most part the problem went away. Then I took it (E350/460/E4OD/RV) in to have the house generator fixed and after running perfectly the generator mechanic says I have no spark. Another distributor was installed and the mechanic said he smelled something burning which turned out to be the ECU. Now during this 6 month saga I'd taken it on several 400 mile trips and never smelled anything odd.
So- did it just happen to give up the ghost coincidentally or can something else be going on? What should I check, be aware of or not do?
Thanks
Can you short one out by shorting the wiring on an RV generator?
I'm waiting for my ECU to be rebuilt (f4tf 12a650 ya) and after all I've been through I don't want anymore issues. My trans was shifting hard so we replaced the torque convertor, solenoid pack and pump. That led to erratic behavior that I felt was the TC unlocking momentarily (1/2 second) without notice. The TPS was checked and the neutral safety switch was replaced. No help. A complete tune up was done. No go. A new distributor was installed and for the most part the problem went away. Then I took it (E350/460/E4OD/RV) in to have the house generator fixed and after running perfectly the generator mechanic says I have no spark. Another distributor was installed and the mechanic said he smelled something burning which turned out to be the ECU. Now during this 6 month saga I'd taken it on several 400 mile trips and never smelled anything odd.
So- did it just happen to give up the ghost coincidentally or can something else be going on? What should I check, be aware of or not do?
Thanks
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From: Virginia
Welders and generators attached to vehicles have been known to cause problems with auto electronics. Your grounds to the engine and the body need to be in tip top shape, and the generator needs to be functioning correctly(which apparently it wasn't).
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From: Sierra Foothills
Thanks for the reply F2. I'm fairly confident my grounds were up to speed as I used copper crimp rings which I then soldered. I guess what I'm not seeing is the connection from the house generator to the ECU. The generator was repaired with a new magneto. I don't have the vehicle back yet but I heard it run on the bench and seemed ok. There never was a need to run the genny while the vehicle was running. I know some do use it to run the house AC while driving but I never did.
Are you saying the ECU could have been shorted by removal of the genny without first disconnecting the battery? Having never had to replace one before I'd just like to be confident this won't be a recurring problem.
Are you saying the ECU could have been shorted by removal of the genny without first disconnecting the battery? Having never had to replace one before I'd just like to be confident this won't be a recurring problem.
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From: Virginia
I am not exactly sure of the scenario that would blow out the electronics, but I am thinking if the genset has a common ground with the vehicle ground, and the vehicle electronics lost it's path to the battery negative, it would be hooked indirectly to the genset through the common grounding point.
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From: Sierra Foothills
Update:
I got my RV back yesterday. After much searching the mechanic found that the previous owner ran the positive run from his 3rd battery without a loom shielding it. It grounded against the shock mount.
After chasing this for 6 months I cautiously hopeful this is behind us. Someone please tell me its not only possible, its probable.
thanks to those who helped.
C-dad
I got my RV back yesterday. After much searching the mechanic found that the previous owner ran the positive run from his 3rd battery without a loom shielding it. It grounded against the shock mount.
After chasing this for 6 months I cautiously hopeful this is behind us. Someone please tell me its not only possible, its probable.
thanks to those who helped.
C-dad
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